Early this month, restricted free agent guard Tim Lelito said that he passed up signing an offer sheet with the Cowboys because he expected to be a backup on a well-stocked Dallas offensive line.
Lelito said his preference was to be a starter, even if it meant playing out the 2016 season on the $1.671 million tender he received from the Saints and “hopefully come out with a little better contract after it.”
That’s just what Lelito will do. He shared a picture of his contract signing on Instagram Thursday, which is one day before the deadline for restricted free agents to sign with other teams.
Lelito started 13 games for the Saints last season and should have a good shot at retaining a starting job in 2016 given the current makeup of the New Orleans depth chart at guard. While the team might add more help in the draft, the departure of Jahri Evans has left them short on experience on the interior of their offensive line.
