Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers LB Barrett Ruud returns to the NFC South to help shore up the New Orleans Saints defense.

New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - The New Orleans Saints acquired linebacker Barrett Ruud from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for an undisclosed draft pick Monday.

Ruud, who signed with Seattle as an unrestricted free agent in the offseason, spent last season with the Tennessee Titans, collecting 57 tackles and an interception in nine games.

He spent the first six years of his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the team selected him in the second round of the 2005 draft.

The 29-year-old has amassed 642 tackles, five sacks and seven interceptions through 104 career games with Tampa Bay and Tennessee.

The move was made necessary as Saints linebackers Curtis Lofton and David Hawthorne are both battling injuries that will likely keep them out for the remainder of the preseason.

Lofton has a high ankle sprain and Hawthorne will need surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee, according to interim head coach Joe Vitt.

The Saints expect Lofton to be back for the team's regular-season opener against the Washington Redskins on Sept. 9. On the other hand, Hawthorne will miss a few weeks of action.

SAINTS RELEASE:

New Orleans Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis announced Monday that the club has acquired veteran linebacker Barrett Ruud from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a future undisclosed draft pick.

Ruud, in his eighth NFL season, entered the league in 2005 as a second-round draft choice by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and started 68 games over the next six seasons. He spent the 2011 season with the Tennessee Titans, starting nine games, after signing with the team as an unrestricted free agent during the 2011 off season. After one season with the Titans, Ruud signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an unrestricted free agent on April 12, 2012. During his career, Ruud has totaled 642 tackles (469 solo), 23 passes defensed, seven interceptions for 45 yards, six forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries.

A 6-2, 241-pound product of Nebraska, Ruud led the Buccaneers in tackles four consecutive years (2007-10), including a career-high 205 in 2009. He owns the distinction of becoming the first Tampa Bay player to eclipse the 200-tackle plateau since Hardy Nickerson accomplished the feat in 1993. In 68 career starts for Tampa, Ruud led or tied for the team lead in tackles 41 times and missed only one game due to injury (12/20/07 vs. Carolina).

As a collegian, the native of Lincoln, Neb., Ruud started 37 of 50 games during his four-year career at Nebraska and finished as the Huskers’ all-time leading tackler with 432 tackles. He also added three forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries, one interception and 13 passes defensed.