Texans trade CB Bradley Roby to Saints

The Texans are trading cornerback Bradley Roby to the Saints (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The deal is still being finalized, so it’s not yet clear what the Saints will be sending in return.

Roby was hit with a six-game suspension in December for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. He’s already served five of those games, so he’ll be eligible to play for the Saints in Week 2 when they take on the Panthers.

In 10 games (all starts), Roby notched 37 tackles, one interception, a fumble recovery and seven passes defended. Even though he was briefly deactivated in November, the veteran stood as the Texans’ best corner.

Now, the 29-year-old will jump into a Saints secondary that badly needs reinforcements. Between Roby and newcomer Desmond Trufant, the Saints are in a much better position that they were just last week. Together, they’ll team up with Marshon Lattimore, Ken Crawley and Paulson Adebo. Meanwhile, free safety P.J. Williams should be able to stick to his natural position.

The Saints will assume the rest of Roby’s three-year, $31.5M deal, keeping him under club control through 2022. The Texans, meanwhile, will move forward with Terrance Mitchell and Desmond King II as their top corners.