The New Orleans Saints are adding another young player to their defensive front just days before their first preseason game.
Executive vice president/general manager Mickey Loomis announced Wednesday that New Orleans signed free-agent defensive tackle Kahlil Saunders, an undrafted rookie who spent part of the offseason with the Miami Dolphins . The Saints simultaneously placed veteran offensive lineman Dillon Radunz on Injured Reserve.
The second half of the transaction could prove considerably more significant for New Orleans.
Radunz had been taking first-team snaps at right guard during training camp, including while Cesar Ruiz was away from practice. The Saints had also re-signed Radunz to a two-year contract in March after he appeared in 15 games and started 10 during the 2025 season.
Saunders arrives in New Orleans less than three weeks after the Dolphins waived him.
Miami announced on July 27 that it waived Saunders while signing veteran edge defender Clelin Ferrell . Saunders had originally joined the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent following the 2026 NFL draft.
The Saints list Saunders at 6-foot-4 and 287 pounds.
The Huntsville, Alabama, native spent five seasons at Kentucky from 2021 through 2025, appearing in 51 games and making 12 starts. He finished his Wildcats career with 77 tackles, including 12 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and nine quarterback hurries.
All 12 of those starts came during Saunders' senior season. He recorded 29 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks in 2025.
Kentucky's official biography also credits Saunders with 51 career appearances, 77 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
That experience gives Saunders an opportunity to make a quick impression rather than spend weeks learning from the sideline.
New Orleans hosts the Jacksonville Jaguars in its preseason opener at Caesars Superdome on Saturday, August 15. The Saints then visit the Los Angeles Rams on August 22 before finishing the preseason against the Dallas Cowboys on August 28.
For an undrafted rookie joining a team in mid-August, those three games represent his best opportunity to force his way into the Saints' roster discussion.
Radunz's move to Injured Reserve is the more consequential part of Wednesday's announcement.
The veteran had been involved with the Saints' first-team offensive line during camp. On August 2, New Orleans noted that Radunz took the first-team snaps at right guard for a second consecutive practice while Ruiz was absent.
He also spoke to reporters on August 5 about the Saints' running game while continuing his return from injury.
Now the Saints will have to move forward without him.
The timing is important. The NFL's 2026 calendar allows clubs to designate as many as two players for return when those players are placed on an applicable reserve list during the final roster reduction on August 30. Radunz was placed on IR well before that window.
That makes this substantially different from a player going on IR after the 53-man roster has been established and later returning during the regular season.
It also creates additional opportunity for the Saints' other interior offensive linemen as preseason games begin.
Fourth-round rookie Jeremiah Wright is among the players competing for work up front. Wright started 24 consecutive games at right guard over his final two seasons at Auburn before New Orleans selected him No. 132 overall in the 2026 draft.
The Saints were already expecting Wright to receive substantial work during an upcoming stretch that includes joint practices and preseason games against Jacksonville, Dallas and the Rams.
With Radunz now on IR, those snaps carry even more weight.
Saunders, meanwhile, gets his own late opportunity on the opposite side of the ball. His path to a roster spot begins almost immediately, with Jacksonville coming to New Orleans three days after his signing.
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