The New Orleans Saints announced Thursday, Aug. 5 that they have re-signed linebacker Kwon Alexander and waived linebacker Kendall Donnerson. The announcements were made by Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis.
Alexander, 6 feet 1, 227 pounds, is a six-year NFL veteran who was originally selected in the fourth round (124th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft out of LSU by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Since entering the NFL, Alexander has started all 67 regular season games he has appeared in, recording 503 tackles (355 solo), seven interceptions, 30 passes defensed, 10 forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries, as well as three solo stops and one pass defensed in three 2019 postseason contests for the 49ers.
As a rookie, Alexander was a PFWA All-Rookie selection, recording 93 tackles, three sacks, two interceptions, nine passes defensed, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. In 2016, he started all 16 games and posted a career-high 145 tackles (108 solo), three sacks, a 38-yard interception return for a touchdown, seven passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. In 2017, he was selected to his first Pro Bowl, posting 97 stops, three interception returns for 70 yards, four passes defensed and one forced fumble.
Alexander signed with San Francisco as an unrestricted free agent in 2019 and in eight starts made 34 tackles, a split sacks, one interception, four passes defensed and one forced fumble. In 2020, he opened the first five games of the season for the 49ers, making 30 stops, one sack and one forced fumble before being acquired by the Saints at midseason. Alexander was inserted into the starting lineup immediately making a significant impact on the Black and Gold defense, starting all eight contests he appeared in and posting 29 stops (18 solo), four passes defensed, one forced fumble and tying for the team lead with two fumble recoveries.
The Oxford, Ala., native came to the Buccaneers after playing in 32 games with 23 starts for the Tigers from 2012-14. As a junior, he started 12 games, tallying 90 tackles, 7.5 stops for loss, two forced fumbles, 1.5 sacks and one pass defensed. Alexander earned first-team All-SEC honors from ESPN.com as part of a defense that ranked third in the NCAA in passing defense and ninth in passing defense, both of which led the SEC.
