Saints Sign Super Bowl Winning Guard David Edwards to Statement $61M Deal

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The New Orleans Saints knew they had to improve in the trenches on offense this offseason to take a step forward, and they put their wallets behind it on Monday.
Shortly after it was reported that the Saints were signing running back Travis Etienne to a four-year, $52 million deal, they made sure their new back would have someone proven to generate a push for him. According to reports from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network and Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Saints agreed to a four-year, $61 million deal with former Buffalo Bills guard David Edwards.
Once a Super Bowl champion with the Los Angeles Rams, Edwards became a stalwart in Buffalo over the past two seasons after playing a backup role in 2023. This past season was arguably his best in the NFL, and now, he'll leave a team that's had a lot of recent playoff experience to join what the Saints hope is the start of a window of contention.
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Saints' Edwards signing improves key position of need

After helping running back James Cook to an NFL rushing title this season and quarterback Josh Allen to a Most Valuable Player Award last year, Edwards will slot in at left guard on an offensive line that should now be able to provide top-tier support for Etienne and QB Tyler Shough.
Per Sports Info Solutions, Edwards' 1.5% blown block rate tied a career best, and his 40 total points earned were his highest figure since the Rams' Super Bowl season in 2021. The 28-year-old was one of the best guards on the market this winter, and he got paid like it.
From left to right, the Saints' offensive line looks like this: Kelvin Banks, Edwards, Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz, Taliese Fuaga. It's a group that's young and athletic on the edges while becoming stronger and more experienced on the interior.
Though every Saints free-agent signing comes with the precaution that the team's always-tight salary cap situation is only bound to get tighter, this one seems like a win on paper.

Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries, please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org