Saints rumors: Chase Daniel visited New Orleans in free agency

The New Orleans Saints might be bringing back a familiar face if they can reach a deal with free agent quarterback Chase Daniel.

The Kansas City Chiefs enjoyed the security knowing Chase Daniel was available behind Alex Smith for three full NFL seasons. In that time, he threw a total of 68 passes and started two games—going 1-1—and left looking for a true chance to start. After a single year with the Philadelphia Eagles, Daniel had the rug pulled from under him when Philly moved up to grab Carson Wentz.

Now, still in search for that potential gig, he’s currently a free agent looking for his opportunity. Perhaps a homecoming with the New Orleans Saints will provide what he wants. The Saints brought in Daniel for a visit in free agency on Sunday, per Adam Caplan.

Daniel entered the league as an undrafted free agent, first with the Washington Redskins and then with the Saints early in the 2009 season. He stuck with them for the next three years after that, sitting behind Drew Brees as the team’s back-up. Daniel threw only 9 passes in his Saints career in mop-up duty for Brees, but head coach Sean Payton is plenty familiar with Daniel’s skill set and potential.

The Saints currently have Garrett Grayson as their primary developmental quarterback and Luke McCown as the primary back-up, a 35-year-old veteran who has been Brees’ understudy for the last three seasons. If the Saints wanted to get a bit younger in the No. 2 quarterback role and potentially see what Daniel has as a starter, they could swap the pair with a sign and subsequent release and see what happens long-term with Brees.

Whatever moves they make would speak volumes about whether they believe they have anything in Grayson or not, and it wouldn’t surprise to see the Saints or even other teams wait on signing Daniel or other veteran quarterbacks until after the upcoming draft—to wait and see how things shake out before committing to a player.