The New Orleans Saints recently had to deal with Khalen Saunders’ calf injury and figure out who could replace him for the few weeks he might be out, so they decided to add another player to the roster in a trade with the Washington Commanders for defensive tackle John Ridgeway III, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Adam Schefter reports for ESPN that the compensation will be a pick swap. The Saints’ 2025 sixth-round pick will go to the Commanders in exchange for Ridgeway and a 2025 seventh-round pick.
Ultimately, the signing is a solid one, as Ridgeway played 31% of the Commanders’ defensive snaps (280 and 356 snaps per year) and 18% and 21% of their special teams snaps in his first two seasons. He also has tremendous size at the position: 6’5″, 315 pounds, and 33-inch arms.
Ridgeway was selected in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys before being released and signing with the Commanders instead. He has started six games for them and appeared in 32 matchups, being used primarily in run-blocking packages. Pro Football Focus credited him with 29 run stops and a dozen quarterback pressures in his first two years.
We’ll see if he gets much playing time in the coming weeks, as Bryan Bresee, Khristian Boyd and Nathan Shepherd are also looking for additional action. The lineup will change, but for now, the Saints also have Kendal Vickers on the 53-man roster.
