The Jacksonville Jaguars turned heads when they traded for New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Khalen Saunders just hours after these two interconference teams played in Week 2 of the preseason. You can count the seventh-year veteran among those were were shocked by the move.
Late Sunday, the Jags told Saunders that he was being traded. And precisely because he had no idea, he was doing what most of us would be doing in our free time.
Khalen Saunders was playing Fortnite when he was traded to the Jaguars
The former Saints defensive tackle met with the local media after Day 17 of training camp and said that he was playing video games at the time he learned the news.
"It was like, I want to say like 7:30, something. We just got done with the game against y'all, and I got home. I was actually playing some Fortnite, and I got a call from coach [Kellen] Moore, and I told the guys in the party, like hold on real quick, muted the mic, and took the call," Saunders responded when asked how the trade unfolded (19:15 mark). "He's like, you know, 'I just want to be the first one to tell you the business of the game,' something like that."
Saunders continued, "And he was like, 'You've been traded. Heart dropped, and all of that. I'm like, where to? He's like, Jacksonville, the one we just played. But yeah, it was a surprise. I'm obviously really happy to be here, but yeah, it was almost instantaneous that the joy that came in, I'm like, wow, it's fast-moving, but you wouldn't want to be anywhere else."
Later in the exchange, Saunders said he and fellow defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton share representation, so his agent reached out to him and shared his number with him. That, in turn, allowed him to meet his new teammates.
It's also worth noting that Saunders is reunited with defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah. They were teammates when they played with the Kansas City Chiefs.
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Khalen Saunders is quickly getting acclimated to the Jaguars
Based on Khalen Saunders' demeanor, it looks like he's embracing his trade to the Jaguars, and he's got a few things in his favor to get up to speed. Although he played on a 3-4 defense with the New Orleans Saints, he doesn't think that the switch to a 4-3 system will be a hurdle.
"It's very different. As you said, they were running the 3-4. I played a 3-4 a little bit in college, but this was a little bit more of an advanced 3-4 that they were in. But being able to come here and a little bit more of a 4-3 flavor defense, I actually enjoy it a lot because I feel like I've played 4-3 a lot more in my career, and I like to be on the edges, as far as being playing that one technique, and that 3-technique and stuff like that," Saunders told the press corps.
"And even, I like the way that we played a two-wide here because some people want you to play a two-wide ball, hand down, and different types of techniques. And I actually really appreciate that we get to play the technique the way we do here. So I've been enjoying the practice that I've got to participate in. I think that they have a great plan, it just comes down to us executing it and being players and being what they brougth us here to be."
For his part, head coach Liam Coen is hyped up about Saunders' arrival, and rightly so. The veteran gives the Jaguars a player who provides immediate depth at defensive tackle and can start if needed.