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The New Orleans Saints reinforced their defensive backfield on Wednesday by signing journeyman safety D.J. Swearinger, as first reported by Sean Fazende of FOX 8-New Orleans. The corresponding move to Swearinger’s addition was the waiving of reserve safety T.J. Green., who could return to the Saints practice squad. New Orleans has two vacancies there after promoting Green and second-year defensive tackle Taylor Stallworth before Monday night’s game with the Indianapolis Colts.
Swearinger, 28, has played for both the Arizona Cardinals (starting four games and playing 282 defensive snaps) and Oakland Raiders (averaging 42.5 snaps per game in four appearances) this season. He was released by the Washington Redskins late last year after having collected 8 interceptions, 20 passes defensed, and 4 forced fumbles in two years as a starter. He’s bagged 14 interceptions in his 98-game career over the last eight years, having made previous stops with the Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
With injuries to starting strong safety Vonn Bell (knee), rookie backup C.J. Gardner-Johnson (concussion), and the loss of reserve safety Saquan Hampton, this is a position the Saints needed to address. Swearinger will likely have to pick up some special teams duties to stick around, but he offers real NFL experience and some playmaking ability late in the season. Considering New Orleans’ issues in coverage in recent weeks, there’s worse additions to make than the likes of Swearinger and ex-New York Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins.
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