The New Orleans Saints have signed TE Jesse James, according to ESPN’s Field Yates, who tweeted the news a short time ago.
James, turning 29 in a couple of days, spent 2022 with the Cleveland Browns. However, he appeared in just two games, playing 18 offensive snaps and failing to catch a pass.
Pittsburgh drafted James out of Penn State in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. In four years with the team, he recorded 120 receptions for 1189 yards and nine touchdowns, robbed of a tenth by the referees.
He left to secure a lucrative contract with the Detroit Lions for the 2019 season. But the Lions drafted T.J. Hockenson in the first round a month later, putting James in a reserve role. He spent just two years there, catching 30 passes, before being cut. James would then sign with the Chicago Bears for 2021, used largely as a blocker across 14 games.
James will try to make a Saints team that is pretty deep at tight end. Juwan Johnson is the team’s starter, one of football’s more overlooked names, with versatile Taysom Hill as a backup. New Orleans also signed Foster Moreau, who has returned to the practice field after being diagnoses with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
For James’ career, he’s started 63 games, catching 157 passes for over 1,500 yards and 12 touchdowns.
