Manti Te’o is the latest addition to help improve Saints defense

Manti Te’o is moving on from the Chargers. The fifth-year linebacker won’t join the franchise for its first season in Los Angeles, instead signing with the New Orleans Saints on a two-year contract, according to ESPN’s Mike Triplett.

Te’o has been a steady linebacker as a pro, but he hasn’t lived up to the high standard he set as a high school and college athlete. He was the nation’s No. 1 recruit coming out of Punahou School in 2008, which led him to Notre Dame. He won a laundry list of national awards as a senior, leading the Fighting Irish to a national championship game in 2012 while building himself into a second-round draft pick the following spring.

However, his run of success went into hibernation from there. His lone playoff appearance came as a rookie, and the Chargers are a dead-even 20-20 when he’s on the field. Injuries have played a huge role in his ineffective play; he has yet to complete a full 16-game season as a professional.

He failed to make it out of September this past season; an Achilles’ injury limited him to only three games last fall. Fortunately, at age 25 he should be strong enough to make a complete recovery.

Te’o is an accomplished college player who has yet to translate those skills to football’s highest level. While he’s a driven inside linebacker, he failed to live up to his draft position in four up and down years on the West Coast. Now the Saints are betting a more stable environment is the key to unlocking his full potential.

This was a move New Orleans felt it had to make, especially since its defense ranked 27th last season. Te’o isn’t as athletic as other linebackers, but he has the strength and size to be a force in stopping opposing teams’ rushing attacks.

Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen runs a 4-3 defense and likes his players to attack and play with speed and physicality. Te’o isn’t fast, but he has the skills and knowledge to anchor the Saints defense.

Te’o’s signing also adds to the list of defensive players the Saints signed or re-signed to bolster that side of the ball. They re-signed players like defensive tackle Nick Fairley and linebackers A.J. Klein and Alex Okafor.

All four players are young, and Fairley is the only one who proved himself to be a dominant player in the NFL. Okafor, Te’o, and Klein will likely be the three starting linebackers. While they are inconsistent, all three provide youth and experience.

Acquiring Te’o was solid, but the Saints still have work to do, especially when it comes to bolstering the secondary. New Orleans ranked last against the pass in 2016 and decided to part ways with veteran safety Jairus Byrd.

New Orleans improved its front seven, but it needs to find players who can make plays in the secondary. Luckily, there are some talented defensive backs coming out of this year’s draft.

As for Te’o, he will get the chance to go to the Saints and resurrect his career.