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Two one-time members of the New Orleans Saints linebacker corps have earned new NFL opportunities: Will Compton signed with the Tennessee Titans (where he played in 2018) while Jayrone Elliott reunited with the Pittsburgh Steelers (who teamed up with him for five games in 2019).
Compton caught on with the Saints in the middle of training camp last summer, but was waived with an injury designation after getting hurt in a preseason game. He later joined the then-Oakland Raiders and started a few games down the stretch. Back in Tennessee, he has a shot at cracking the roster with strong practice performance.
Elliott became a Saints fan-favorite for his pass-rush upside in the 2018 preseason, but he didn’t make the team and ended up starring in the short-lived Alliance of American Football. He led the AAF in sacks for the San Antonio Commanders and briefly joined the Miami Dolphins last year, though he got more action with the Steelers. His familiarity with the system may give him an edge even late in training camp.
This is just the latest example of how deep this year’s Saints roster is. Players who once competed for real minutes in their defense have instead gotten looks with other teams, which has become something of a theme this summer. Cornerbacks who started games for the Saints like Ken Crawley and B.W. Webb are competing for backup jobs with the Arizona Cardinals. Half the players the Saints released at the start of training camp have already signed with new teams.
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