METAIRIE, La. — The New Orleans Saints have signed former Northwestern Trojan and veteran NFL tight end Ben Watson to a three-year contract.

The Saints also have re-signed special teams leader Courtney Roby and reserve linebacker Ramon Humber for another season.

The 6-foot-3, 255-pound Watson spent the past three years with Cleveland, where last season he caught 49 passes for 501 yards and three touchdowns.

Drafted at the end of the first round by New England in 2004, Watson has 321 career receptions for 3,776 yards and 28 TDs.

With the Browns in 2010, Watson signed a three-year deal worth $12 million, including $6.35 million guaranteed.

Watson was an all-state tight end at Northwestern High School, representing the Trojans and South Carolina in the 1998 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas, before heading to Duke University on a football scholarship. He stayed there one year and then transferred to Georgia.