Linebacker Craig Robertson, who has been one of the few bright spots in the midst of an 0-3 start for the New Orleans Saints, has also proven to be a bargain for the team.

The Saints are winless through three games for the second-consecutive season, and their defense ranks 31st in the NFL in yards allowed, but considering how good Robertson, it makes one wonder how bad they'd be without him.

A native of Stafford, Texas, Robertson signed a 3-year, $3.98 million free agent contract with the Saints in March, after spending the first four years of his career with the Cleveland Browns.

The 28-year old Robertson has made that under-the-radar signing look really good, accumulating 35 tackles, a number that leads the NFL through the first three weeks.

The 6-foot-1, 235-pound Robertson has led the Saints in tackles in all three games, totaling 11 in week one against the Raiders, 13 in week two against the Falcons, and 11 more in Monday night's 45-32 setback to the Atlanta Falcons.

Now, the Saints haven't exactly spent their money wisely in free agency over the last few seasons, giving out big money to such disappointments as Jairus Byrd, Brandon Browner, and C.J. Spiller, but Robertson has been way better than expected, making his signing look like an absolute bargain.

Signed by the Browns as an undrafted free agent out of North Texas in 2012, Robertson never had more than 99 combined tackles in a season during any of his four years in Cleveland.

At the rate he's going this year, Robertson would end the season with about 187 tackles.

Is he going to finish with that many? Of course not. But it does give you an idea of how productive he's been this year.

A starter in 37 of the 58 games he appeared in with the Browns, Robertson wasn't even thought of as a starter when he signed with the Saints. The team already had Stephone Anthony and Dannell Ellerbe, returning starters from a year ago, along with James Laurinaitis and Nathan Stupar, who they added in free agency, along with Robertson.

Ellerbe, as he's been during most of his time with the Saints, has been hurt, and Robertson has just flat out outplayed Anthony, one of the team's two first-round draft choices in 2015.

The Saints are 0-3, and the defense has been downright putrid in two of the three games this year, but Robertson has been a bright light in an otherwise dismal beginning.

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