JACKSONVILLE – The news came fast, and the news was good.
This was Sunday night. The week then became a whirlwind, with Khalen Saunders on Tuesday morning suddenly being in a different place with a different team – and smiling the whole way.
"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," he said.
Saunders, a seven-year veteran defensive tackle, spoke to the media Tuesday morning following Day 17 of the 2025 Jaguars Training Camp practice at the Miller Electric Center – and shortly after Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen discussed the previous day’s trade that brought Saunders to Jacksonville.
"There's no question he can help us in the middle [of the defense]," Coen said.
Saunders, 29, played the past two seasons for the New Orleans Saints, for whom he played in a 17-17 tie between the Saints and Jaguars in a Preseason Week 2 game at the Caesars Superdome this past Sunday.
Saunders said he was at home playing Fortnite about 7:30 Sunday evening.
"I got a call from [Saints Head] Coach [Kellen] Moore,'' Saunders said Tuesday. "I told the guys in the party, 'Hey, hold on real quick.' Muted the mic and took the call and he was like, 'I just wanted to be the first one to tell you – the business of the game and stuff like that – you've been traded.'
"Obviously, heart drop and all that and I'm like, 'Where to?' And he was like 'Jacksonville.' I'm like, 'the one we just played today.' It was a surprise.
"It was almost instantaneous the joy that came in."
Saunders, a third-round selection by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2019 NFL Draft from Western Illinois, spent 2019-2022 with the Chiefs. He has long been a solid presence in the middle of strong defensive fronts, playing on Super Bowl champions with the Chiefs in 2019 and 2022.
"He brings a lot of experience, a lot of good depth and we're lucky to have him," Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen said.
"He has been on teams that know how to win," Coen said. "He's hard to double team and move in there at times, and also has some ability to kind of redirect and has some initial quick. He will help add some meaningful competition and depth in that room."
Saunders, after playing 22 games for the Chiefs from 2019-2021, has played 49 games with 27 starts the last three seasons. He played in 13 games with 10 starts for the Saints last season, registering 43 tackles with two sacks and three tackles for loss.
He has 181 career tackles, seven for loss, with 6.5 sacks and 17 quarterback hits.
"I really feel like a young guy," Saunders said. "I have to remind myself that I'm going into Year 7. I've obviously had a little bit of success and team success. One thing that I've learned through those experiences is that it takes everybody. It's not just the 11 that starts the game. It's not just the 22 that's going to be starting the game out.
"It takes everybody from Roster Spot 1 through Roster Spot 53. That's one thing I think that I'm trying to just echo and bring."
NOTABLE
Coen on Tuesday discussed the Jaguars' running game, a critical storyline during training camp and an area in which he said his confidence has improved in recent weeks.
"It's definitely taken a step in the right direction," Coen said.
Improving the area, where the Jaguars have struggled in recent seasons, is a priority – and the Jaguars had multiple impressive running moments against the Saints Sunday. Running back Travis Etienne Jr. rushed three times for 24 yards – including runs of 15 and six yards – on the first-team offense's first-quarter touchdown drive. Rookie running back Bhayshul Tuten in the second quarter rushed three times from first-and-goal at the nine-yard line, with his three-yard touchdown run capping the sequence.
"The thing you have to wait and see is we have not played against an opponent's one defense yet; we've only gone against their twos," Coen said.
"That is something we have to take into consideration for sure, but I do like where they're headed. We're hitting blocks in the zone game the way we want to for the most part. The backs are getting a better feel for it and the receivers, that's kind of the next step in the run game production. It takes all 11. Our wideouts have to take that personally and know that the more they get on safeties and block in the run game, now the better our play action is because it looks and feels the same, and now it's more physical. That's the next step in that progression."
