The New Orleans Saints announced Thursday, Aug. 20 that they have signed defensive tackle David Hunter, re-signed TE Alex Smith, waived/injured defensive tackle Austin Brown and placed tight end Kevin Brock on Injured Reserve.  The announcements were made by Saints'Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis.

Hunter, 6 feet 2, 301 pounds, was originally signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent out of Houston in 2012. He had stints on the Texans practice squad and active roster as a rookie before being placed on Injured Reserve at midseason. He went to training camp with Houston in both 2013 and 2014. The Walter, Texas native recorded career totals at Houston of 163 tackles, seven sacks, two forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. As a senior in 2011, he played in all 14 games for the Cougars and compiled 39 tackles and one blocked field goal.

Smith, 6-4, 250, is a 10-year NFL veteran who spent part of 2015 training camp in New Orleans, appearing in the preseason opener at Baltimore and posting one reception. Originally selected in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft by Tampa Bay out of Stanford, Smith is a 11-year NFL veteran who has appeared in 121 career games with 56 starts and had made 129 catches for 1,252 yards with 11 touchdowns. In 2014, Smith played in two games with Cincinnati before suffering a season-ending biceps injury.