Chiefs gave up on athletic DT right before Saints scooped him up

The Kansas City-to-New Orleans pipeline is still very much in play, even when it comes to minor moves that come across the NFL's transaction wire.

The Saints have shown a penchant for former Chiefs for the last few years, and on Monday, they added another recently released player when they added defensive tackle Coziah Izzard to the practice squad.

The Saints added Izzard as Week 1 comes into view, giving them a strong athletic talent to add to the competition on the practice squad. It's the same chance taken by Chiefs general manager Brett Veach earlier this spring.

The Saints have added yet another former Chiefs player, this time along the defensive line.

Izzard is a former fifth-year senior from Penn State who joined Kansas City as a rookie free agent following the completion of the 2025 NFL Draft. Izzard comes with plenty of experience with 51 games played in the Big Ten, but the 6-2, 298 lb. lineman was never more than a rotational player with the occasional start for the Nittany Lions.

That's not to say that Izzard couldn't make an impact on the field. He had 18 tackles for loss and 9 sacks in his career, including 7 TFL a year ago.

Izzard looked close to securing a similar spot on the practice squad for the Chiefs after being released in the final wave of roster cuts before the regular season began. However, the Chiefs decided to add a couple of former draft busts from other teams at defensive tackle—Brodric Martin (Detroit Lions) and Zacch Pickens (Chicago Bears)—which made Izzard expendable.

The Saints can now list Izzard alongside plenty of other familiar faces who have taken jobs in the Big Easy after leaving K.C. From running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire to pass rusher Tanoh Kpassagnon, from linebacker Willie Gay Jr. to safety Tyrann Mathieu, from defensive lineman Khalen Saunders to safety Dan Sorensen, several former Chiefs have called New Orleans home for at least another year (or several) in the NFL.

Most recently, Justin Reid joined the Saints in free agency after signing a big-money deal over three years.

Izzard joins Fadil Diggs, Eku Leota, and Jonah Williams as defensive linemen waiting for a promotion on the Saints' practice squad.