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Have a day, A.J. Klein: the former New Orleans Saints linebacker was instrumental in the Buffalo Bills’ 44-34 upset of the visiting Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, playing so well that teammate Micah Hyde shouted him out afterwards, saying: “A.J. Klein had the game of his life.”
Klein was credited with five tackles, all solo and one for a loss of yards, plus two sacks and four quarterback hits. He also forced a fumble out of Seahawks MVP candidate Russell Wilson, which he recovered to help put the game away late in the fourth quarter.
It’s disappointing that the Saints weren’t able to retain Klein as a free agent earlier this year, but even their salary cap maneuvering doesn’t allow for everyone to be re-signed when their contract is up. And Klein earned a nice three-year, $18 million offer from Buffalo to reunite with Sean McDermott, his former defensive coordinator when they were both with the Carolina Panthers.
Klein played often for the Saints during his three-year stint in New Orleans, frequently lining up as the middle linebacker next to Demario Davis in nickel personnel and shifting to the strong side whenever the Saints played base. But the decision to let him leave in free agency was fueled by the belief that Klein wasn’t as talented an athlete as Alex Anzalone, without as much upside.
We’ll see if it pays off in the long run. The Saints tried to replace Klein by drafting Zack Baun out of Wisconsin and making him change positions from his hand-in-the-dirt pass rushing role, and again by trading for San Francisco 49ers linebacker Kwon Alexander. Even if Klein was never the flashiest player in New Orleans, it’s tough to buy into the idea that it was the right move given how poorly the defense has played in his absence, and with the Saints continuing to try and find a replacement.
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