Saints DE Charleston coming on strong

• By LES EAST
• Special to The Advocate
• Published: Nov 22, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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METAIRIE — The Saints began this season with a pair of $63 million ends anchoring their defensive line.

Jeff Charleston began the season by sanding and finishing furniture at a friend’s business back home in Oregon, while awaiting an opportunity to resume his fledgling career as an NFL defensive end.

As the season heads toward the final stretch, Charles Grant is sidelined by injury, Will Smith’s future beyond the game against Green Bay on Monday in the Superdome is very much in doubt, and the recently signed Charleston is emerging as a prominent part of the defensive end rotation.

“So far I like it a lot here and it feels like a good fit,” Charleston said, “but you never know. I just try to look at it as one week at a time and not look at the long run. In this business you can be in one week and out the next. You’re with this team, you try out with that team. It’s kind of like a circus life.”

Grant, who like Smith is awaiting a verdict on his appeal of a suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on steroids and related substances, was lost for the season three weeks ago because of a triceps injury.

A ruling on the appeals, which also include running back Deuce McAllister, could come as early as Tuesday and a denial of Smith’s appeal would take him away for virtually the entire stretch run.

Meanwhile, Charleston, playing in just his fourth game with the Saints, got two sacks against Kansas City last week, leaving him just one behind Grant and Smith for the season, and two behind team leader Bobby McCray, who has replaced Grant.

“It was a great experience,” Charleston said, “my first two-sack game in the NFL. It was awesome to experience that.”

Charleston, 25, is in his second NFL season. He signed with Houston as an undrafted free agent out of Idaho State shortly after the 2006 draft. The Texans released him at the end of the 2006 preseason.

“It’s kind of hard to be an undrafted free agent and not have any game film in the NFL,” he said. “I just went home and worked. That was the year I thought it was done.”

Charleston had a tryout with St. Louis, but wasn’t offered a contract. He thought about trying to latch on with a team in NFL Europe, which has since disbanded.

“I wanted to go to NFL Europe and blow it out,” he said. “That was my goal to see Europe, play some football, and have a good time.”

But the Colts offered him a contract and preferred that he work in their off-season program than play in NFL Europe.