The New Orleans Saints announced Tuesday, Aug. 18 that they have signed linebackers Justin Anderson and Chris Young, defensive tackle Austin Brown and tight end Michael Egnew and waived/injured defensive tackle Lawrence Virgil, waived long snapper Chris Highland and wide receiver Kyle Praterand terminated the contract of tight end Alex Smith. The announcements were made by Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis.
Anderson, 6 feet 2, 232 pounds, was originally signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent out of Louisiana-Lafayette in 2014. He appeared in two games for New York and recorded no statistics, also enjoying stints on both the Giants and Minnesota Vikings practice squads. He went to the start of 2015 training camp with the Dallas Cowboys. The Foley, Ala., native recorded career totals at Louisiana-Lafayette of 294 tackles (166 solo) and 3.5 sacks, leading the Ragin' Cajuns in tackles in both 2012 and 2013, with 98 as a junior and 132 in his senior season.
Young, 6-0, 252, was originally signed by the Houston Texans following the 2014 NFL draft out of Arizona State. He spent the second half of the 2014 regular season on the New York Jets practice squad. A two-year starter at linebacker for the Sun Devils after transferring from Arizona Western Community College, Young racked up 194 tackles over two seasons for the Sun Devils, 31.5 for a loss and 9.5 sacks. As a senior in 2013, he earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors, when he made a team-high 112 tackles (79 solo), 17.5 for a loss, 7.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumbles recoveries and one pass defensed.
Brown, 6-2, 295, was originally signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent out of Miami (Ohio) in 2014. He was waived at the end of training camp by the Texans and spent the season out of football. The Woodbridge, Va., native recorded career totals at Miami in five seasons of 167 tackles (71 solo), 27.5 stops for a loss, seven sacks, five passes defensed, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and five blocked kicks.
Egnew, 6-5, 260, is a two-year NFL veteran who was originally selected by the Miami Dolphins in the third round (78th overall) of the 2012 NFL draft out of Missouri. In two seasons in Miami, Egnew appeared in 18 games with five starts and made seven receptions for 69 yards. In 2014, after being waived by Miami in training camp, he participated in the end of Detroit's preseason and then spent two weeks on the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad. He was a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers for the 2015 offseason. In four seasons at Missouri, he played in 51 games and started the final 26 contests, recording 147 receptions for 1,332 yards and eight touchdowns. As a senior in 2011, the Plainview, Texas native was a first-team All-Big 12 Conference choice and team captain, starting all 13 games and finishing second on the team with 50 receptions for 523 yards and three touchdowns. As a junior in 2010, he was a consensus All-American first-team selection as he started all 13 games and led the nation's tight ends with 90 receptions for 762 yards and five touchdowns.
