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The New Orleans Saints gave the players a few days off while moving operations from AT&T Stadium in Dallas to the TCU Horned Frogs’ campus in Fort Worth, but now the team is back to work with their first walkthrough practice session set to kick off on Monday. Players typically have Tuesdays off, so we should look for the initial injury report on Wednesday ahead of their Week 1 game with the Green Bay Packers.
And the first wave of roster moves are already trickling in. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Monday that the Saints will re-sign wide receiver Chris Hogan and quarterback Trevor Siemian. ESPN’s Mike Triplett confirmed Siemian’s return after both players were released in final roster cuts last week. The two veterans have extensive pro experience, with Siemian starting 25 of the 27 games he’s played while Hogan suited up for 100 regular season games and nine playoff matchups, winning two Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots.
We don’t yet know the corresponding moves to bring each player onto the 53-man roster, but there should be a long list of them on the daily NFL transactions wire. The Saints still haven’t made the signings of defensive tackles Montravius Adams and Jaleel Johnson official, so this would put them at 57 players against a limit of 53. Their practice squad also has multiple vacancies.
So look for a number of players to be waived with hopes of returning them to the practice squad, while others like kicker Wil Lutz are sent to injured reserve (opening a spot for Aldrick Rosas, who was also released last week).
But let’s focus on the moves themselves. Siemian would put the Saints at four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, likely bringing some insurance once Taysom Hill spends more time at tight end and slot receiver after losing the quarterback competition to Jameis Winston. The Saints must not be ready to dress rookie Ian Book this year in an emergency, so he would likely be a healthy scratch on game days. It’s possible the Saints are hoping to sneak him onto the practice squad, but I’m pessimistic on Book clearing waivers without another team poaching him. He could also be stashed on injured reserve, as the Saints did with punter Blake Gillikin last year.
Hogan’s return is more troubling. It feels like bad news for Tre’Quan Smith’s Week 1 availability given their similar builds and play styles; Smith missed most of training camp with a hamstring injury, and while the Saints are optimistic he can suit up against the Packers on Sunday he’ll need to at least go through the motions in practice first. Keep a close eye on the injury report for changes to his status this week. Hopefully he avoids a three-week stint on injured reserve to start the season.
Not to beat down on Hogan, but you’d like to think the Saints have a strong enough depth chart to keep on moving if Smith can’t play. Instead they’re prioritizing someone who turned to pro lacrosse after he wasn’t good enough to stick with the New York Jets. Sean Payton’s confidence in his ability to scheme subpar players open and put them in a position to win borders on hubris. It may work in the regular season, but you’ve got to have a higher talent level to win one-on-one in the playoffs — his offense’s postseason scoring average of 20.8 points per game the last three years (against a 30.1 average in the regular season) speaks for itself.
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