Saints continue to bolster defensive interior, bring Malcolm Roach back on a 1-year deal

Coming into the offseason, the New Orleans Saints only had one defensive tackle on their roster. Now they can at least go two-deep at the position. 

The Saints are re-signing defensive tackle Malcolm Roach, bringing the Baton Rouge native back into the fold on a one-year deal, according to a league source. Roach starred at Madison Prep High School in Baton Rouge before playing collegiately at the University of Texas. 

Since joining the team as an undrafted free agent prior to the 2020 season, Roach has carved out a nice role on the Saints defensive line rotation. 

Last season, he appeared in a career-best 13 games, playing 37 % of the Saints defensive snaps while recording 26 tackles, two tackles for loss and his first career sack. 

The Saints now have four defensive tackles on their 2023 roster, with Roach joining free agent acquisitions Kahlen Saunders and Nathan Shepherd, and late 2022 addition Prince Emili. New Orleans likely is not finished adding to that position group. 

Last week, the Saints lost both of their starting defensive tackles from the 2022 season, when David Onyemata signed with the Falcons and Shy Tuttle signed with the Panthers.