Source: The #Saints have cut guard Larry Warford, who will be one of the top FAs available.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 8, 2020
The writing was on the wall after the 2020 NFL Draft, but now it’s apparent that Larry Warford will not be in the team’s plans for 2020. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport first reported that the New Orleans Saints cut their starting right guard, which was confirmed by Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. The team itself later made the move official.
Warford was nominated to the Pro Bowl As an alternate in each of his first three years in New Orleans, but inconsistent play and poor conditioning in 2019 saw him end up on the chopping block. It’s disappointing that the team failed to find a trade partner for him during or after this year’s draft, but that likely speaks to his perceived value around the league.
This opens the door for either first-round pick Cesar Ruiz or last year’s standout rookie Erik McCoy to start in Warford’s place. Both players have started at guard at the college level, though they’ve played the majority of snaps at center. It’ll be interesting to see who lines up where this season, but at least the Saints will get the opportunity to field each of their highly-drafted players.
Cutting Warford also opens up a vacancy on the 90-man roster and frees up $7.75 million in salary cap space. Expect additional moves to follow.
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