Saints sign DL Kristjan Sokoli to play on the offensive line

07-25-2017, 04:25 PM

Saints sign DL Kristjan Sokoli to play on the offensive line

The Saints are adding a defensive lineman who was converted to center, who was then converted to a defensive end, and who is now being converted to a guard.

by John J. Hendrix@JohnJHendrix Jul 25, 2017, 4:18pm CDT

The New Orleans Saints are signing Kristjan Sokoli, according to his agent. Brett Tessler of Tessler Sports tweeted out the news on Tuesday afternoon, stating that his Sokoli is being brought in to be a part of the offensive line.

Sokoli is an interesting player, as he was a defensive lineman in college at Buffalo, and was converted to center by Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable after being selected as the team’s 214th overall pick in the 6th Round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He became the league’s first Albanian-born player to play in the NFL, but only appeared in one game in Week 16 for Seattle.

Sokoli would wind up on the Colts practice squad less than a month after being released by the Seahawks, but as a defensive end. He’d spend the bulk of the NFL seasons there (Week 4-15), and was then promoted to the active roster only to be inactive for the team’s final two games. He was released in mid-June.

This isn’t the first defensive player the Saints have swapped to the offensive line, as Drew Iddings was signed in May to make a swap to offensive guard, but was later released. Kaleb Eulls had a similar path in 2016 after playing 5 games for the team in 2015 on the defensive line. We’ll just have to see what, if anything, happens for a player who tested off the charts on the SPARQ Rating System.

AsylumGuido · 07-25-2017, 04:27 PM

Most likely a versatile camp body until Kelemente gets cleared. You need a certain number of centers for drills. Could also have been the reason for Ellerbe going to IR to clear the roster spot.

Crusader · 07-25-2017, 05:23 PM

Seems like a longshot but you never know.

jnormand · 07-25-2017, 05:29 PM

Originally Posted by Crusader

Seems like a longshot but you never know.

Yeah these guys rarely make it. And to be honest, it's kind of late in the game to start switching positions and trying to get something out of a player. Terelle Pryor is the exception, not the rule. And it took him a few seasons.

SmashMouth · 07-25-2017, 05:30 PM

We will win all of the PreSeason games now!!!

jnormand · 07-25-2017, 05:44 PM

Originally Posted by SmashMouth

We will win all of the PreSeason games now!!!

Ha!!

The Dude · 07-25-2017, 07:16 PM

Yep nothing to worry about there on the offensive line...

Anyone worth their salt knows you can just take someone from a completely different position and just plug them right in.

Hell might as well get him in Ellerbies spot while we are at it

AsylumGuido · 07-25-2017, 08:17 PM

Originally Posted by The Dude

Yep nothing to worry about there on the offensive line...

Anyone worth their salt knows you can just take someone from a completely different position and just plug them right in.

Hell might as well get him in Ellerbies spot while we are at it

So you are basically predicting disaster on the offensive line.

Danno · 07-25-2017, 08:26 PM

Originally Posted by The Dude

Yep nothing to worry about there on the offensive line...

Anyone worth their salt knows you can just take someone from a completely different position and just plug them right in.

Hell might as well get him in Ellerbies spot while we are at it

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the coaches don't expect this guy to start on the O-line week 1.

Ever hear the term Project or camp body?

Do you actually believe they signed this guy because they're worried about our top 8 to 10 O-linemen? Really?

07-25-2017, 04:25 PM	#1
Threaded by AsylumGuido 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bossier City, LA Posts: 26,768 Rating: (0 votes - average) Saints sign DL Kristjan Sokoli to play on the offensive line The Saints are adding a defensive lineman who was converted to center, who was then converted to a defensive end, and who is now being converted to a guard. by John J. Hendrix@JohnJHendrix Jul 25, 2017, 4:18pm CDT The New Orleans Saints are signing Kristjan Sokoli, according to his agent. Brett Tessler of Tessler Sports tweeted out the news on Tuesday afternoon, stating that his Sokoli is being brought in to be a part of the offensive line. Twitter Sokoli is an interesting player, as he was a defensive lineman in college at Buffalo, and was converted to center by Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable after being selected as the team’s 214th overall pick in the 6th Round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He became the league’s first Albanian-born player to play in the NFL, but only appeared in one game in Week 16 for Seattle. Sokoli would wind up on the Colts practice squad less than a month after being released by the Seahawks, but as a defensive end. He’d spend the bulk of the NFL seasons there (Week 4-15), and was then promoted to the active roster only to be inactive for the team’s final two games. He was released in mid-June. This isn’t the first defensive player the Saints have swapped to the offensive line, as Drew Iddings was signed in May to make a swap to offensive guard, but was later released. Kaleb Eulls had a similar path in 2016 after playing 5 games for the team in 2015 on the defensive line. We’ll just have to see what, if anything, happens for a player who tested off the charts on the SPARQ Rating System.
Views: 1731

07-25-2017, 04:27 PM	#2
AsylumGuido 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bossier City, LA Posts: 26,768	Re: Saints sign DL Kristjan Sokoli to play on the offensive line Most likely a versatile camp body until Kelemente gets cleared. You need a certain number of centers for drills. Could also have been the reason for Ellerbe going to IR to clear the roster spot.

07-25-2017, 05:23 PM	#3
Crusader Resident Swede Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Märsta, Sweden Posts: 8,051	Re: Saints sign DL Kristjan Sokoli to play on the offensive line Seems like a longshot but you never know.

07-25-2017, 05:29 PM	#4
jnormand 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: The Free State of Idaho Posts: 5,781	Re: Saints sign DL Kristjan Sokoli to play on the offensive line Originally Posted by Crusader Seems like a longshot but you never know. Yeah these guys rarely make it. And to be honest, it's kind of late in the game to start switching positions and trying to get something out of a player. Terelle Pryor is the exception, not the rule. And it took him a few seasons.

07-25-2017, 05:30 PM	#5
SmashMouth I donated, did you? Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Mandeville, LA Posts: 39,022 Blog Entries: 29	Re: Saints sign DL Kristjan Sokoli to play on the offensive line We will win all of the PreSeason games now!!! jnormand likes this.

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07-25-2017, 05:44 PM	#6
jnormand 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: The Free State of Idaho Posts: 5,781	Re: Saints sign DL Kristjan Sokoli to play on the offensive line Originally Posted by SmashMouth We will win all of the PreSeason games now!!! Ha!!

07-25-2017, 07:16 PM	#7
The Dude 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 9,065	Re: Saints sign DL Kristjan Sokoli to play on the offensive line Yep nothing to worry about there on the offensive line... Anyone worth their salt knows you can just take someone from a completely different position and just plug them right in. Hell might as well get him in Ellerbies spot while we are at it
The Dude 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 9,065

07-25-2017, 08:17 PM	#8
AsylumGuido 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bossier City, LA Posts: 26,768	Re: Saints sign DL Kristjan Sokoli to play on the offensive line Originally Posted by The Dude Yep nothing to worry about there on the offensive line... Anyone worth their salt knows you can just take someone from a completely different position and just plug them right in. Hell might as well get him in Ellerbies spot while we are at it So you are basically predicting disaster on the offensive line.

07-25-2017, 08:26 PM	#9
Danno Truth Addict Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Spanish Fort, AL (via NO and B/R) Posts: 24,758	Re: Saints sign DL Kristjan Sokoli to play on the offensive line Originally Posted by The Dude Yep nothing to worry about there on the offensive line... Anyone worth their salt knows you can just take someone from a completely different position and just plug them right in. Hell might as well get him in Ellerbies spot while we are at it Yeah, I'm pretty sure the coaches don't expect this guy to start on the O-line week 1. Ever hear the term Project or camp body? Do you actually believe they signed this guy because they're worried about our top 8 to 10 O-linemen? Really? SaintGnome likes this.

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