14 hours ago
What are the Saints getting in trade for Jaguars center Luke Fortner?
We know the New Orleans Saints are swapping defensive tackle Khalen Saunders for center Luke Fortner, but what are they getting in the ex-Jacksonville Jaguars offensive lineman? To find out, we reached out to Jaguars Wire's Paul Bretl, who shared some insight on Fortner's time in Jacksonville and why the team chose to move on from him.
"Fortner was a third-round pick by the Jaguars in 2022 and started two seasons for the team at center," Bretl wrote back to us. "However, during the 2024 offseason, the team signed veteran center Mitch Morse, which relegated Fortner to a backup role last season. This offseason -- with Morse retiring -- the Jaguars signed Robert Hainsey in free agency and drafted Jonah Monheim on Day 3. With those two as the likely top center options, Fortner didn't have a clear path to making this year's 53-man roster."
So it sounds like the Jaguars already planned on moving on from Fortner before the teams engaged in trade talks. Fortner was charged in drawing nine penalties and allowing six sacks across those two years as a starter, and their new coaching staff wasn't interested in keeping him in the starting lineup. But a change of scenery could be good for the 27-year old.
Before he turned pro, Fortner spent five years at Kentucky (where he was college teammates with Saints offensive tackle Landon Young). Pro Football focus charting found he logged 857 snaps at center, almost all of them in his senior year, while helping out at both guard spots through his first four years. He was named first-team All-SEC after moving to center full-time in 2021. The Jaguars kept him at center where he played every snap but earned middling grades in 2022 and 2023. He only got on the field for 13 snaps on offense last year.
