Nick Fairley has struggled to live up to his lofty draft status through the first five seasons of his NFL career. A first-round pick of the Detroit Lions in 2011, Fairley was expected to join forces with the monstrous Ndamukong Suh and create an interior tandem for the Lions that would be the envy of the league. Unfortunately, Fairley's time with the Lions wound up being marked mostly by inconsistency, injuries and questions of his conditioning.
As a result, Detroit let Fairley walk after 2014. The veteran defensive lineman landed with the St. Louis Rams for one forgettable season only to again find himself on the NFL's open market less than a year later.
Fairley, despite his mediocre production to this point, remains a talented and potential-filled player. It wasn't surprising then to hear that a number of teams had shown interest in possibly adding him to their cache of defensive lineman. And while the New England Patriots looked like the likeliest destination for Fairley for a time, it now sounds like they're ready to move on, paving the way for the former Lion and Ram to sign with the New Orleans Saints.
A report Friday suggested that the Patriots are "out" on Fairley and that the Saints are now expected to have him put pen to paper on a deal to join them in New Orleans.
Assuming it comes to pass, it's a good move for the Saints, who have done their best to fill just a few of the myriad holes in their defense with veterans this offseason. The Saints have already added linebacker James Laurinaitis, who brings strong character as much as on-field production, and now look likely to add Fairley to their defensive line mix.
Fairley joins a Saints tackle group that looks mighty thin beyond John Jenkins. Tyeler Davison, last year's fifth-round pick, sits at the top of the depth chart at this point, but that's due mostly to a lack of depth. At the very least, Davison needs time to develop, meaning Fairley should probably see plenty of snaps in New Orleans.
Neither Laurinaitis, nor Fairley will be counted on to contribute elite impact to the moribund Saints "D," but they bring a pedigree and an intriguing skill set to a unit that's been lacking in talent in recent years.
Really, that's why it was so interesting to see the Pats pass up on Fairley. Assuming the contract ask wasn't exorbitant - and really, it's very possible that it was - Fairley would have been yet another cheap addition of a first-round talent by Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
Instead, the Saints seem to have gotten their man and, assuming Fairley can remain interested throughout the regular season, should benefit as a result.
