The Saints had several veteran free agent running backs in for workouts on Tuesday and they signed one of them on Wednesday.
Agent Mike McCartney announced on Twitter that his client Brian Leonard has earned a job with the Saints. Leonard joined Tim Hightower, Andre Brown and Mikel Leshoure in trying out for the team and the former Ram, Bengal and Buccaneer obviously showed more than his fellow aspirants.
Leonard played 16 games for Tampa last season and set career highs in carries and rushing yards, although the totals were modest for the longtime reserve. He also caught 29 passes for 179 yards, which was a familiar role for him in Cincinnati and St. Louis as well on his way to compiling more receiving than rushing yards in his NFL career.
Leonard’s addition indicates some concern that Pierre Thomas and Khiry Robinson will remain out of the lineup for New Orleans. Mark Ingram has run well in their absence, but he’s also taken on a heavy workload and Leonard’s arrival could alleviate some of the burden on Ingram’s shoulders.
UPDATE 2:37 p.m. ET: The Saints announced the signing of both Leonard and safety Jamarca Sanford. They released center Eric Olsen and placed safety Vinnie Sunseri on injured reserve.