Saints Add Offensive Line Depth in Free Agency

New Orleans adds more depth on their offensive line in free agency, per reports.

Author:
Bob Rose
Updated:
Mar 17, 2023 9:46 AM EDT
Original:
Mar 17, 2023

In this story:

The New Orleans Saints signed OT Storm Norton to a one-year deal in a move reported by Norton's agency, JL Sports, on Thursday night.

Norton, 28, played college ball at Toledo. He went undrafted in 2017 but was signed by the Detroit Lions, where he was active for one game and spent the first half of the year on the practice squad.

The Arizona Cardinals added him to their practice squad midway through 2017. He was released after a month, but picked up by the Minnesota Vikings for their practice squad to end the season.

Norton remained on the Vikings practice squad through the 2018 season until his release during training camp in 2019. He was then drafted by the Los Angeles Wildcats of the XFL in 2020. He'd be one of the highest related linemen in the league, which terminated operations before a complete season.

The Los Angeles Chargers signed Norton to a contract in 2020. He'd see action in six games, starting three. Norton started 15 contests at right tackle during the 2021 campaign. The Chargers allowed 31 sacks for a 2nd ranked passing attack and averaged 4.3 per carry for a 21st ranked running game. He was replaced by Trey Pipkins at RT last season, but still appeared in 12 contests on mostly special teams duty.

Nov 7, 2021; Los Angeles Chargers offensive tackle Storm Norton (74) blocks against Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Josh Sweat (94). Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

For his career, Norton has appeared in 36 NFL games with 18 starts. In two years with the Chargers, he was penalized for holding just three times in nearly 1,200 offensive snaps.

New Orleans has dealt with a ton of injuries along the offensive in the last two seasons. The 6'7" and 317-Lb. Norton will compete at a Saints tackle spot that includes former All-Pro Ryan Ramczyk, 2022 first-round pick Trevor Penning, 2022 LT starter James Hurst, and Landon Young.