Recently, the New Orleans Saints made one of their first moves as roster cut-downs start to shape up and position battles are being finalized. With the defensive tackle room being relatively crowded for the Saints, it was clear that one or two players would need to go, but it was unclear which of that group would be moved.

That became quickly apparent when they traded veteran defensive lineman Khalen Saunders to the Jacksonville Jaguars shortly after their matchup. In a deal that somewhat came out of nowhere, it does end up making sense given the positional depth and the fact that the Saints are clearly moving in the direction of youth and smaller-scale contracts.

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After arriving in Jacksonville to take part in practice and getting the chance to ramp up for Week 3 of the preseason, Saunders discussed the trade from his perspective in his first sit-down with the Jaguars beat reporters.

“Man, it was, I wanna say like 7:30-something, we had just got done with the game against y’all,” Saunders recalled. “I got home, I was actually playing some Fortnite, and I got a call from coach Moore, and y’know I told the guys in the party like ‘hold on real quick’. Muted the mic and took the call, and he was like ‘Just wanna be the first one to tell you, the business of the game’ stuff like that, and he was like ‘so you’re being traded.’

“Obviously, heart dropping, all of that, and I’m like ‘where to?’ And then he’s like ‘Jacksonville’, and I’m like ‘the one we just played today?’ But yeah, it was a surprise, I’m obviously really happy to be here, but yeah, it was almost instantaneous, the joy that came in, I’m like, wow, it’s fast-moving, but wouldn’t wanna be anywhere else.”

It is always compelling to hear what players have to say about trades they are involved in, and Saunders is a pretty clear-cut and open speaker, so he is one of the best to listen to for these types of situations. He was a great veteran presence for New Orleans as they worked through some years of tough football, and now he will get the chance to compete with the Jaguars in the AFC South.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Former Saints DT Khaleen Saunders reflects on Jaguars trade