Saunders, a third-round selection by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2019 NFL Draft from Western Illinois, spent 2019-2022 with the Chiefs. He has long been a solid presence in the middle of strong defensive fronts, playing on Super Bowl champions with the Chiefs in 2019 and 2022.
“He brings a lot of experience, a lot of good depth and we’re lucky to have him,” Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen said.
“He has been on teams that know how to win,” Coen said. “He’s hard to double team and move in there at times, and also has some ability to kind of redirect and has some initial quick. He will help add some meaningful competition and depth in that room.”
Saunders, after playing 22 games for the Chiefs from 2019-2021, has played 49 games with 27 starts the last three seasons. He played in 13 games with 10 starts for the Saints last season, registering 43 tackles with two sacks and three tackles for loss.
He has 181 career tackles, seven for loss, with 6.5 sacks and 17 quarterback hits.
“I really feel like a young guy,” Saunders said. “I have to remind myself that I’m going into Year 7. I’ve obviously had a little bit of success and team success. One thing that I’ve learned through those experiences is that it takes everybody. It’s not just the 11 that starts the game. It’s not just the 22 that’s going to be starting the game out.
“It takes everybody from Roster Spot 1 through Roster Spot 53. That’s one thing I think that I’m trying to just echo and bring.”