Three months after the NFL draft and a week into training camp, former Georgia Tech safety Jamal Golden is getting his chance. The New Orleans Saints signed Golden Wednesday, bringing him to their camp in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.
Golden had been waiting for a chance since the draft. He was passed over in the draft and then not signed afterward as a rookie free agent. He was brought to the Falcons rookie mini-camp on a tryout basis but was not signed.
The Saints had room on the camp roster after they cut three players, including Alden Darby, a safety who had been on their practice squad last season and with the team throughout the offseason.
He’ll have a hill to climb. Where other rookies have learned the team’s schemes over the spring and summer in meetings and offseason workouts, he’ll have to learn the Saints defense on the fly. A Tech player has done it before, though. Wide receiver Kevin Cone was signed by the Falcons in Aug. 2011 after they had started their camp and hung on to make the practice squad. He was on an NFL roster for three seasons and is now in the CFL.
Golden does offer versatility, football intelligence and special-teams ability. Golden said prior to the draft that "I just want to get my foot in the door, no matter how that is." It's not the ideal, but it's a shot. New Orleans does have a history of giving undrafted rookies a fair chance to make the team, including former Tech cornerback Rod Sweeting in 2013.
Golden’s signing brings to seven the number of Tech players who have signed NFL contracts in this year’s rookie class.
About the Author
