New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton announced Thursday that the team had signed outside linebacker Jay Richardson and waived wide receiver Andy Tanner.
Richardson, 6 feet 6, 280 pounds, is a four-year NFL veteran who was originally picked by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round (138th overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft. He's appeared in 55 career games with 22 starts, posting 116 tackles (86 solo), seven sacks and one pass defense in three seasons with the Raiders and one with the Seattle Seahawks. The Dublin, Ohio native spent the entire preseason with the Saints, appearing in all four games, posting five tackles (three solo), two sacks and one fumble recovery. Before joining the Raiders, Richardson appeared in 39 games for Ohio State and posted career totals of 52 stops, seven sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and nine pass defenses.
