NEW ORLEANS -- The New Orleans Saints will sign veteran outside linebacker Phillip Hunt, according to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Caplan.
To make room for Hunt, the Saints released linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar, according to a league source. Dunbar, who is more of an interior linebacker, signed with the Saints last month when injuries were piling up at the position.
Hunt, 29, primarily has been an edge rusher in his career. It’s unclear if his signing has anything to do with the health of top outside linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha, who has been nursing an ankle injury.
Kikaha returned last week against the Washington Redskins, but played a limited role and did not finish the game. The bye week should help, but the Saints’ first injury report won’t be released until Wednesday.
Hunt (6-foot-1, 258 pounds) began the year with the Detroit Lions and had one sack and seven tackles in two games before being released last month.
Before that, Hunt had not played since 2012. He suffered a torn ACL with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013 and then got cut by the Indianapolis Colts after the preseason in 2014.
Hunt had three sacks, a safety and 16 tackles in a total of 22 games with the Eagles from 2011-2012. Before that, he spent two years in the Canadian Football League, where he led the league with 16 sacks in 2010 for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
