Now there’s a name we haven’t heard in a while. The New Orleans Saints announced Thursday that Will Clapp is returning to the team on a one-year deal, bringing one of their former draft picks back into the fold. Clapp was drafted by the Saints in the seventh round of the 2018 draft out of LSU and appeared in 34 games with the black and gold. He’s since spent time with both the Los Angeles Chargers and Buffalo Bills.
And his time in L.A. overlapped with some key figures on the Saints coaching staff. Not just head coach Kellen Moore (the former Chargers offensive coordinator), but Brendan Nugent, who spent most of a decade as the Saints offensive line coach before leaving for the same position with the Chargers. Nugent also returned to New Orleans this offseason to run the Saints’ offensive line room. We shouldn’t overlook that Brandon Staley, the Saints’ defensive coordinator, was the Chargers head coach at the time.
Clapp, 28, has mainly snapped the ball himself at center in the NFL (1,090 times) but he’s also seen action at both guard spots. He’s an experienced interior lineman who can improve the depth at both center and left guard, which was a weakness for the Saints. They should continue to pour resources into the interior offensive line, but adding Clapp is a good step in the right direction.