Saints sign offensive lineman Lehr
March 21, 2008
Ex-Buc will compete for job as starting center
Thursday, March 20, 2008By Jimmy Smith
The Saints signed unrestricted free-agent center/guard Matt Lehr to a one-year contract, his agent said Wednesday.
Lehr, entering his eighth NFL season, considered an offer from the Denver Broncos before deciding to come to New Orleans, where he could compete for a starting spot with center Jonathan Goodwin to replace the departed Jeff Faine.
Faine signed a free-agent deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team for which Lehr played last season.
“The opportunity to basically be with a team on the rise was important,” Lehr said Wednesday. “And everybody knows the Saints have one of the best quarterbacks (Drew Brees) in the game. It’s an explosive offense.
“I’ve had the opportunity to work with a couple of the coaches there from former teams I played with.”
Lehr, a fifth-round draft choice of the Dallas Cowboys in 2001, stayed with the Cowboys through the 2003 season, the first that Saints Coach Sean Payton spent in Dallas. Defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs was also a member of that Dallas staff.
He has started 48 of the 85 games he has played in the NFL. He started 16 games for the Cowboys at guard in 2003 and 26 games over two years for Atlanta.
Lehr fills a need for veteran depth on the offensive line. Goodwin, also a player who can fill two positions, will likely now face a challenge from Lehr for the starting center’s job.
Lehr’s agent, St. Louis-based Bob Lattinville, said Wednesday that Lehr signed a one-year contract. Lehr had joined the Bucs last year during free agency after a stint with the Atlanta Falcons.
“We’ve had a good conversation with Mickey (Loomis, Saints general manger) and (offensive line coach) Doug Marrone,” Lattinville said.
Loomis declined to comment.
The Broncos had expressed interest in Lehr before the recent firing of General Manager Ted Sundquist, and Lattinville waited to see if the Broncos still had interest.
Lehr served a four-game suspension in 2006 when he was with the Falcons for violation of the NFL’s steroid policy.
Lehr said the Saints told him he’d be given an opportunity to compete for a starting job.
“They said straight up the best five were going to start,” Lehr said. “I’ll get a chance to compete for a starting position. In order to stay in this league you have to be able to do more than one thing, especially if you want to stay in this league longevity-wise.
“I’ve heard a lot about the O-line coach there. I just want a chance to become a better football player and help out the team as much as possible.”
Lehr, 6 feet 2, 304 pounds, did not make any starts for the Bucs last season, but he did play in every game.
He said the Saints were a better fit than the Broncos.
“New Orleans was a much better situation for me,” said Lehr, who’ll arrive this weekend and begin participating in the team’s offseason conditioning program Monday.
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