Field Yates explains why pass-catchers with Jameis Winston starting will be the true winners in Saints' offense. (0:38).
Sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter that the New Orleans Saints have completed their deal for cornerback Bradley Roby. They will send a 2022 third round draft pick and a conditional pick to Houston Texans.
According to ESPN's Field Yates, $7.6 million of Roby’s base salary was converted by the Texans into a signing bonus to facilitate a Saints trade. Roby will be traded to New Orleans on April 12, 2021. His base salary is $1,862,645, which falls within the Saints' salary cap.
Roby was a 2014 first-round draft selection of the Denver Broncos. The past two years Roby was in Houston, where he played 49 games and had 10 interceptions.
Roby, 29, is entering the second year a $31.5 million three-year extension he signed last year with the Texans. He will miss the first game of the season, however, as part of a six-game suspension that began in 2020 for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances.
Since March, when they released Janoris Jenkins, a former starter, as part of a huge salary-cap purge, the Saints have considered cornerback a "must fill" position. Patrick Robinson, a potential starting candidate, then unexpectedly retired from training camp early. To land top prospects Jaycee Horn and Pat Surtain II, they even tried to trade nearly 20 spots in their NFL draft draft.
On Monday, Desmond Trufant, a veteran from New Orleans was signed to compete against Ken Crawley or rookie Paulson Adebo in the No. Pro Bowler Marshon Lattimore is the No. 2 starting cornerback. Roby is now the front-runner for that job after his suspension.
This report was contributed by Mike Triplett, ESPN.
