The New Orleans Saints plan to re-sign veteran safety Kenny Phillips, a source told ESPN on Monday.
Not only will Phillips have the chance to come back from a two-year NFL hiatus, but he could start at free safety for the Saints in their home opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
The Saints were thin at safety even before veteran Rafael Bush suffered a chest injury that knocked him out of Sunday's loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Starting free safety Jairus Byrd has also been sidelined by a knee injury since the start of training camp and will likely miss at least another week.
The Saints' injury-depleted secondary struggled in the opener, allowing Arizona's Carson Palmer to throw for 307 yards and three touchdowns.
Fox Sports first reported Phillips' signing.
Phillips, 28, was with the Saints all offseason and originally made the 53-man roster before being released a day later.
The former first-round draft pick and Super Bowl starter with the New York Giants has eight career interceptions, 26 passes defensed, one forced fumble and 263 tackles.
But his career was derailed by a series of knee and quadriceps injuries. He last played for the Giants in 2012 and was last in camp with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013 before the Saints signed him in January.
