New Orleans Saints sign fullback John Kuhn

John Kuhn has spent the last nine seasons with one team, but he has now found a new home.

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John Kuhn has been a fan favorite during his career, as Green Bay Packers literally cheered his name when he touched the ball. Coming off a Pro Bowl season in 2015, but also slated to become a free agent at 33 years old, the Packers seemed likely to move on without Kuhn in 2016.

Toward the end of July Kuhn said he expected to get a call from a team during training camp, with some remaining hope the Packers would bring him back. Well that call has now come, with the New Orleans Saints in line to sign the veteran fullback.

Kuhn earned four Pro Bowl selections during his time with the Packers, after the 2009, 2011, 2014 and 2015 seasons. He spent the 2006 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he found a home in Green Bay and missed just five games over nine seasons.

Kuhn has 15 rushing touchdowns and eight receiving touchdowns over his career, so he’s hardly dead weight when he does get his hands on the ball. But his greatest value and impact is clearly as a blocker, and his new team needs plenty of help in that area. The Saints finished 24th in the league in rushing (93.2 yards per game) last season, while averaging just 3.8 yards per carry, so even in likely limited snaps Kuhn should have a positive impact.

With Drew Brees under center, the Saints aren’t suddenly going to become a run-heavy offense. But signing Kuhn shows some commitment to improving last year’s results on the ground, and if Mark Ingram can stay healthy for all 16 games he should benefit from having an occasional lead blocker.