Titans sign Khalen Saunders

We don’t know how much future there is to reserve for the 33-year-old (happy birthday!), but the Raiders are here for it. The Raiders also signed RB Chris Collier, G McClendon Curtis, LB Jamin Davis, DT Treven Ma’ae, T Joshua Miles, TE Albert Okwuegbunam (remember him?), WR Brenden Rice, G Layden Robinson, WR Justin Shorter, OL Laki Tasi, and T Dalton Wagner to reserve/future deals.

Restrepo had finally gotten elevated just before Thanksgiving before an ankle injury knocked him out for the season. He finished with three catches for 41 yards in two games. The Titans also signed DE David Ebuka Agoha, DB Keydrain Calligan, DT Timmy Horne, LB Nate Lynn, WR Hal Presley III, NT Isaiah Raikes, LB Cam Riley, RB Blake Watson, G Clay Webb and TE Joel Wilson to reserve/future deals.

Saunders had interest from multiple teams, including the Ravens, Colts, and Cardinals. However, to avoid interrupting any plans of an early offseason, the veteran tackle has opted to sign with the Jets. Saunders, 29, has 32 games of starting experience under his belt and totaled 43 tackles, two sacks, and three pass breakups for the Saints last season. He should have a chance to make an immediate impact for the Jets over the final seven weeks of the season.

Saunders was released by the Jaguars last week and has reportedly heard calls from the Ravens, Colts, Jets, and Cardinals. The Jets went out and traded for Saunders this offseason, but the veteran lineman has appeared in only two games this year. Saunders started 10 of the 13 games he appeared in for the Saints last season, totaling 43 tackles, two sacks, and three pass breakups. He should have plenty to offer a contender in need of an added boost to its defensive front during the postseason.

Miller was the Raiders’ sixth-round pick, and it seems very likely that the signal-caller will be back with Las Vegas on their practice squad. Tommy Mellott — a former college quarterback who is making the move to wide receiver — was also part of the cuts for the Raiders. The full list of players who won’t make the 53-man roster: aived DT Zach Carter, RB Chris Collier, DE Jahfari Harvey, WR Shedrick Jackson, LB Matt Jones, DT Treven Ma’ae, G Atonio Mafi, RB Sincere McCormick, DE Ovie Oghoufo, TE Carter Runyon, WR Justin Shorter, OL Laki Tasi, S Trey Taylor, CB Greedy Vance, T Dalton Wagner and S JT Woods, WR Alex Bachman, S Terrell Edmunds and TE Albert Okwuegbunam while Lonnie Johnson Jr. was placed on the injured list and designated for return.

The trade curiously comes hours after the two teams played each other in preseason Week 2. The 29-year-old Saunders is entering his seventh NFL season, coming off a year in which he totaled 27 tackles, 14 quarterback pressures and two sacks. The Jaguars didn’t do much to bolster their interior defensive line after signing three undrafted free agent DTs this offseason and Arik Armstead (back) looks like a candidate to miss time early this season.

Cam Horsley (6’3/312) enters the 2025 NFL Draft as a battle-tested, high-floor interior defender with four years of starting experience at Boston College. A stout lineman with a strong 8.54 RAS, Horsley flashes quickness off the snap (5.04s 40-yard dash, 1.73s 10-yard split) and vertical pop (31.5-inch jump) but makes his money as a gap-plugger with violent hands and a low center of gravity. He consistently held the point of attack in the Eagles’ 4-3 front, tallying 42 tackles and seven TFLs in 2024 while earning All-ACC honors. Horsley thrives with heavy strikes, anchor strength, and short-area agility, but his pass-rush arsenal remains underdeveloped. His pad level can rise late, allowing blockers to redirect him, and he can be sealed when trying to shoot gaps. Still, his durability, hand strength, and physicality make him a rock-solid rotational nose or one-tech prospect.

Saunders has been dealing with a back injury and the Saints will determine his status “early in the day” ahead of their Week 7 Thursday Night matchup against the Broncos. He has played in three games for the Saints this season, most notably intercepting Patrick Mahomes in the end zone and returning it for 37 yards in Week 5. Saunders is a rotational tackle the Saints will lose for stuffing the Broncos run game if he cannot play.

The Chiefs drafted Saunders in the third round in 2019 but never managed to develop him beyond a rotational player. He did, however, have a career year in 2022, totaling 3.5 sacks and a trio of TFLs. The Saints’ defensive line has been ravaged by departing free agents this offseason. Saunders hasn’t produced at the level of their losses so far, but he is a solid upside bet for a team in need of talent in the trenches.

The Chiefs’ current 53-man roster is amongst the most healthy in the league.