Saints New FA Signee

Storm Norton

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Norton, one of the worst tackles in the league in 2020 and 2021, was not given much of a chance to damage the Chargers as Foster Sarell took snaps over him for most of 2022

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Missing piece for Super Bowl run

I remember Storm when he came out in the draft. Big bodied LT who I thought projected more as a RT in pro's. He had nastiness, a decent anchor & great hand strength. I haven't followed him closely in the pro's but I scouted him a little bit out of Toledo. He was the biggest OL in his class & was like a Zack Strief type. He's good depth for Ram at RT & probably an upgrade over Landon Young as RT2. This definitely points to a "changing of the guard" for Saints on OL too. Sean Payton valued technique & athleticism on OL & was willing to compromise on power (like Armstead/Ruiz types), but Dennis Allen seems to prefer his OL to be nasty, mauling type blockers (Penning/Kidd/Norton types). Actually not a bad signing.

LINK

The New Orleans Saints reached an agreement with free agent offensive tackle Storm Norton on a one-year contract, per his agents at JL Sports. Norton, 28, entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Toledo back in 2017, initially signing with the Detroit Lions. He’s bounced around quite a bit over the years since — spending time with the Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings, and the XFL’s Los Angeles Wildcats in 2020 — but he’s best known for his three-year run with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Norton started most of the 2021 season at right tackle for the Chargers, but he’s mostly played as a backup swing tackle on both the right and left sides. Pro Football Focus charting charged him with allowing 59 quarterback pressures (9 sacks) and drawing 6 penalty flags in his lone season as a starter, so he probably isn’t someone the Saints want playing heavy minutes.

Still, that’s good experience to have on the depth chart, especially if it’s a one-year rental. The terms of Norton’s contract with the Saints have not been disclosed but it’s unlikely to be a significant amount of money. Norton could have returned to the Chargers on a restricted free agent tender valued at a little over $2 million, but they chose to let him walk away. If he didn’t receive even that much per year with New Orleans he should not factor into the comp picks formula for the 2024 draft. If he signed for the veteran’s minimum, which appears likely, it will hardly impact the salary cap at all.

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one of the worst tackles in the league in 2020 and 2021

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What?????


Great work by the scouting department. Diamond in the rough, I tell ya, diamond in the rough.

Sounds about right. Going to the Ship!

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A backup for

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I don't mind that, but don't get someone who was consistently the worst