Sources: Jaguars acquire DT Saunders from Saints

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jaguars have acquired veteran defensive tackle Khalen Saunders from the New Orleans Saints for veteran center Luke Fortner.

The interior of the defensive line has been an issue for the Jaguars the past two seasons. The team was optimistic it could shore up the tackle spots with veteran Arik Armstead's move back inside and second-year player Maason Smith's continued development.

However, Armstead has been dealing with a back injury and has yet to practice, and Smith suffered a lower-body injury during the pre-camp conditioning test and only came off the physically unable to perform list on Thursday.

Veteran defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton has not been the same player he was in 2022 after suffering a back infection in the 2023 preseason, which caused him to miss nine games.

Saunders is entering his seventh campaign. He spent the past two seasons with the Saints after four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, who drafted him in the third round in 2019. Saunders, who has 6.5 sacks and 181 tackles in his career, won two Super Bowl titles with the Chiefs. The 6-foot-3, 324-pound Saunders also had a 37-yard interception return against the Chiefs last season after he grabbed a deflected pass in the end zone.

Saunders started for the Saints in Sunday's preseason game against the Jaguars in New Orleans. He played well into the 17-17 tie game while Saints defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd did not see action, indicating his chance at making the 53-man roster was in jeopardy.

Fortner was the Jaguars' third-round pick in 2022, and he played every snap as a rookie. He also started every game in 2023. But Fortner struggled afterward, and the team replaced him with 2024 free agent signee Mitch Morse. Morse retired in March, and the Jaguars signed Robert Hainsey less than a week later to be the starter. The Jaguars also selected center Jonah Monheim in the seventh round of April's draft, and he has been working as the second-team center.