METAIRIE, La. -- Chances are, the New Orleans Saints won’t be counting on 28-year-old rookie Adam Bighill -- a 5-foot-10, 230-pound linebacker -- for any game-clinching interceptions in the regular season this year.

But the former Canadian Football League star might just force his way onto the Saints' 53-man roster if he keeps showing that the NFL stage isn’t too big for him.

“People may doubt me coming down with that ball. But put me in the ring, and I’m gonna come out and try to win,” said Bighill, who went up and snagged a desperation fourth-down deep ball from Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Cardale Jones to seal New Orleans’ 13-7 preseason victory on Sunday night. “I’m just a good competitor. The ball’s in the air, I just want to win.”

Bighill suffered from bad timing, as well as a size disadvantage, when he first turned pro in 2011 after a standout college career at Division II Central Washington. That was the year of the NFL lockout, so he didn’t get the chance to spend an entire summer impressing coaches as an undrafted rookie free agent.

Instead, Bighill went straight to the CFL, where he became a dynamo for the British Columbia Lions over the past six years.

Bighill was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 2015 and was a four-time CFL All-Star, with a total of 33 sacks, eight interceptions, eight forced fumbles and 489 tackles in six seasons.

“It was a good experience up there, but the goal was to try and make my way back down here and compete. So I’m enjoying this camp, I’m enjoying this competition,” said Bighill, who signed with New Orleans in January, hoping to follow the same pipeline that brought players like Delvin Breaux, Erik Harris and Tom Johnson onto the Saints roster in recent years.

Bighill said he prides himself on knowing the playbook and knowing what to do -- something veteran teammates and coaches have made note of.

He also has better coverage skills than one might expect from a player of his stout physical stature -- which he said is a result of playing in the CFL, where they throw the ball so often.

And perhaps most relevant to his chances of cracking the NFL roster, Bighill played a ton of special teams in Canada, with a total of 69 special-teams tackles in his career.

“I’m anxious to see how he handles the role in the kicking game because he can run and he can tackle,” Saints coach Sean Payton said early in camp. “Obviously he’s size-deficient, but we’re looking for those players that can fill a need in a certain area. If he can play on the four core units in the kicking game, that will help his chances.”

Bighill doesn’t have a special-teams tackle yet with the Saints, but he has played 22 special-teams snaps in two preseason games. He has a total of four tackles and the aforementioned interception on just 32 defensive snaps.

“Obviously I’m in prove-it mode,” Bighill told reporters Sunday night. “Every practice, every day, you gotta take it as your game day. Every day is important to go out and compete and show what you can do. And I’m just focused on showing this club how I can help win games.”