Linebacker Dan Morgan, who retired last season because of injuries, was reinstated Thursday by the NFL three weeks after expressing interest about making a comeback. Morgan, 30, signed a one-year deal with the Saints last season and is on the Saints’ roster. Morgan had a partially torn Achilles’ tendon in 2007.
Seems that the prospect of linebacker Dan Morgan coming back to the NFL is no joke. Morgan told ESPN.com Monday he has filed his reinstatement papers with the NFL and plans to rejoin the Saints, who still hold his rights.
Morgan has said he has talked to the Saints and they seem interested in him playing. Morgan, 31, retired last May before ever playing a game for the Saints, who had signed him as a free agent.
Linebacker Dan Morgan decided to retire on Monday. The 29-year-old Morgan just signed with the New Orleans Saints in March after being released by the Carolina Panthers in February. Morgan missed the final 13 games of the 2007 season due to an Achilles’ tendon injury, and did not play in the last 15 games of the previous season after suffering a concussion.
Morgan was Carolina’s first-round draft choice in 2001 out of Miami, and started 59 games for the Panthers. Morgan made 109 tackles in the 2004 season, when he was named to the Pro Bowl, and his 452 tackles rank third in Panthers history.
While Jets linebacker Jonathan Vilma cannot pay a visit to the Patriots according to sources, there was no stopping him from visiting the New Orleans Saints on Monday as he continues to take a look at possible new teams to play for. The Jets are allowing Vilma to talk to teams about working out a deal to move on from the Jets to somewhere else. The former first round draft choice was told by the Jets that he was allowed to talk to all teams but the Patriots.
The Saints are in the market for defensive help, as they talked to LB Zach Thomas, are reportedly the front runners for the race that will start on Friday to land CB Asante Samuel, and also have talked about former Panthers LB Dan Morgan, who was recently let go by the team. Vilma would be a welcome addition as long as he can stay healthy. In his four seasons with the Jets, he was solid when it came to making sure tackles, as he put up 115 in 2006, 173 in 2005, and 108 in 2004.
BlackAndGold.com reported the visit of Vilma to the Saints, but it wasn’t known if he was there for a physical, workout or to discuss a contract. The Jets are going to want a draft pick for Vilma, but until the LB takes back an offer to them, it’s not known exactly what they are going to want for him.
