The Steelers need help at wide receiver and the Saints might have waived a great prospect for them.
The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to be on the hunt for a wide receiver and the New Orleans Saints might have just waived the perfect option for Pittsburgh if they can get lucky enough to land him.
New Orleans waived second-year A.T. Perry despite a strong finish to his rookie season in 2023. Perry finished last season with 12 catches for 246 yards and 4 receiving touchdowns. Perry started three games in New Orleans.
But his inability to work his way up the Saints depth chart made him expendable.
Perry is a huge target at 6-foot-4 with a long wingspan. Perry ran a 4.47 40-yard dash at the scouting combine and is a long strider. Perry played his college football at Wake Forest and was the Saints sixth-round pick.
Pittsburgh has gotten very little production out of their wide receivers beyond George Pickens and are rumored to be interested in trading for Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams. This shouldn’t preclude the Steelers from putting in a waiver claim for Perry who has a ton of potential.
The New Orleans Saints cut A.T. Perry in a surprise roster move. The second-year draft pick never did climb the depth chart this season:
This is a bit of a shock. The New Orleans Saints waived wide receiver A.T. Perry on Friday, as first reported by NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill and confirmed by other local outlets. Perry was only in his second year with the team after the Saints traded up to draft him in 2023 out of Wake Forest, sending tight end Adam Trautman to the Denver Broncos in the process.
The timing is odd — because the Saints are playing on “Monday Night Football” this week, they’re only in the second day of practice — so you have to wonder if there’s an injury involved. Perry was limited on Thursday with a hamstring issue, so maybe they waived him with the goal of putting him on injured reserve. It’s also possible they want to keep him on the practice squad. It’s just too soon to say for sure.
Either way, it’s a disappointing turn for his career. Perry struggled to get in the lineup last season due to injuries and finished his rookie year with a dozen catches for 246 yards, scoring 4 touchdown receptions. But he never did meet expectations over the summer and was surpassed on the depth chart by other players. Minor injuries and inconsistent performance on the practice field have kept him out of each of the first four games this season, and it might be the end of the raod for him in New Orleans.
Dennis Allen says the Saints offense needs more firepower. Underperforming veterans need to step up, but so do the draft picks watching games in sweatpants:
The New Orleans Saints have a good set of options at the skills positions, but good is the enemy of great. And Saints head coach Dennis Allen is looking for someone to step up now that injuries have hit the top of the depth chart.
Chris Olave played through a hamstring injury against the Atlanta Falcons. Taysom Hill scored both of the team’s first two touchdowns before exiting with a ribs issue. That meant an even heavier workload than normal for Alvin Kamara, and a wider range of responsibilities for Rashid Shaheed. And Allen needs to see other guys pulling their weight.
“We got to find some other guys that can make plays for us other than Alvin, Olave, Taysom,” Allen said Monday, looking back at Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons. “I thought Rashid did some good things from an offensive perspective.”
Shaheed obviously made a big mistake on special teams by muffing an early punt which Atlanta recovered for a touchdown, but he did catch 8 of his 11 targets for 83 yards. That trailed Olave’s 8 receptions (on 10 targets) and 87 yards for the team lead. Kamara had 77 rushing yards and 42 receiving yards. Some more options would be nice.
One obvious pick to step up? Juwan Johnson. He’s been a non-factor at best in Klint Kubiak’s offense, which was the case for him during most of last season, too. If he can’t get open and catch passes they need to find someone who can.
It’s disappointing when you look at their recent draft history and see guys like Miller, A.T. Perry, and Bub Means watching so many games in sweatpants. Allen is right that players need to step up outside their top talents. At the same time, the players he and his staff have drafted are not meeting expectations. They aren’t going to sign any free agents who can outplay guys already in the building, and it’s not looking like they’ll be in position to make a bold trade before the deadline in November. But if Allen’s comments are anything to go by, something is about to change.
A hand injury sidelined him for Week 1, but A.T. Perry was a healthy scratch for Week 2. What should we make of his situation going into Week 3?
The New Orleans Saints have been hitting a little more often on their draft picks as of late, with players like Bryan Bresee, Taliese Fuaga, Chris Olave, and even a resurging Trevor Penning all helping them to a 2-0 start.
But one of their most-hyped picks in the later rounds was in 2023, when they took A.T. Perry out of Wake Forest. He was a highly gifted athlete who produced at the college level and seemed very talented, so why did he fall? Perry himself cited that he was told teams were scared off by unspecified character issues, which he said was due to him being a quieter person.
The concern now lies in his utilization through the first few weeks of the season, including preseason. He was marginally used in most of the preseason games but many believed that was because he had locked in a higher-up spot on the depth chart. That may have been the wrong read on the situation. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill tracked all 267 passes Derek Carr threw during team drills at training camp and Perry only caught one of them.
Then he suffered a hand injury, missing Thursday and Friday practices before Week 1’s kickoff game, and was questionable to play before being ruled out. This is pretty normal and nothing really looked awry. Then he returned to practice before Week 2, fully practicing the whole week and entering game-day without a designation.
However, he ended up being a healthy scratch in Week 2, despite the team generally being somewhat short at the wide receiver position. They ran Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Cedrick Wilson Jr., Bub Means, and Mason Tipton in his stead the first two weeks.
Could this have been purely precautionary as it was a hand injury, and avoiding further complications is for the best? Possibly. But this week against the Philadelphia Eagles will be very telling, as Wilson is coming off an abdomen injury and was limited all week despite having no designation.
Perry was limited Thursday with an illness but returned fully on Friday, and is again questionable to play. If he misses a third game to start the season, it will be a somewhat odd occurrence for sure. He seemed to play well in his time last year, totaling 12 receptions for 246 yards (20.5 average) and 4 touchdowns, but who knows what is going on behind the scenes. Hopefully Perry can work his way back into the rotation. If not, Tipton, Means, and Wilson will need to step up in his stead.
The New Orleans Saints have shared their Thursday injury report, adding Will Harris (calf) and A.T. Perry (illness) to the mix. Taysom Hill was officially limited at practice:
The New Orleans Saints have sent out their second injury report leading up to Week 3, which has some positives and some negatives worth noting on it. Multiple players were added to the injury report, with starting safety Will Harris (calf) and wide receiver A.T. Perry (illness) being grouped into the injured list of players.
Khalen Saunders (calf) and Landon Young (foot) both did not practice today as well, as they were not practicing Wednesday either. Cedrick Wilson Jr. (abdomen), Tyrann Mathieu (heel), Taliese Fuaga (back), and Marshon Lattimore (hamstring) all remained limited Thursday, which was mostly expected, as to prevent any aggravation of their current injuries.
For the good news, Jaylan Ford (hamstring) and Rashid Shaheed (hip) both practiced fully as they did Wednesday, which is a good sign for their health heading into Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Additionally for the linebacker department, D’Marco Jackson (calf) moved from did not practice to limited for Thursday, which is a good sign as he had missed a decent chunk of time with that injury. Finally, Taysom Hill (chest) also improved from did not practice to limited, which is exactly what you want to see, and what Dennis Allen had hoped for heading into Thursday.
Also worth noting on the other side, both A.J. Brown (hamstring) and Johnny Wilson (hamstring) did not practice for the second day in a row. Additionally, former Saints safety Chauncey “C.J.” Gardner-Johnson was added with a foot injury, and did not practice as well.
Here is the full injury report for Thursday’s practice:
The New Orleans Saints opted to make A.T. Perry a healthy scratch entering Week 2’s Dallas Cowboys game after he missed Week 1 with a hand injury:
The New Orleans Saints have been moving their wide receiver corps around all offseason and preseason, trying to find out the best mix of players for their roster. Ultimately, that led to A.T. Perry being marked as a healthy scratch for Week 2, per ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. This comes after Perry practiced without limitation the whole week, though he missed Week 1’s game due to a hand injury.
This is somewhat surprising after Perry suited up for 10 games last season, starting three, and was impressive in his playing time given. However, in preseason there were times when other players were getting opportunities over him, especially in the game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Could this just be injury management and ensuring he is completely healthy before he gets any run time? Maybe. Could it also be the Saints saying they really like what they have in guys like Bub Means and Mason Tipton over Perry? Also maybe. Who knows the thought process here, but ultimately the decision has been made, at least this week, to go away from Perry and stick with the receiver room they had for Week 1.
Tyrann Mathieu and Marshon Lattimore are listed as DNP’s, but Willie Gay Jr. and Foster Moreau return on Week 2’s initial Saints injury report:
For the second year in a row, the New Orleans Saints have nearly double the amount of players on the injury report as their opponents. This week it’s the Dallas Cowboys
The Saints had a couple of starters go out during the Week 1 romp of the Carolina Panthers. Willie Gay Jr. (undisclosed), Marshon Lattimore (hamstring), Foster Moreau (concussion) and Lucas Patrick (toe) all exited the game due to injury.
Of the three, only Gay and Moreau returned to practice on Wednesday. Gay wasn’t even on the injury report and Moreau was a limited participant. The Saints are likely to stay patient with Moreau because he left last week’s game with a concussion.
Tyrann Mathieu is another veteran who joined the injury report with a heel injury and didn’t participate. Other contributors Rashid Shaheed (finger) and Jamaal Williams (shoulder) were full participants despite being listed with an injury designation.
Tight end Dallin Holker (ankle) along with A.T. Perry (hand) and Jaylan Ford (hamstring) all returned to practice after not participating in any practice leading into Week 1.
Here’s the initial injury report from both teams for Wednesday Sept. 11:
The New Orleans Saints announced their list of inactive players for Week 1’s kickoff game against the Panthers, including A.T. Perry and Spencer Rattler:
The New Orleans Saints reported their list of inactive players for the season debut against the Carolina Panthers. The Saints ruled four players out earlier in the week, with three others questionable. Among them was wide receiver A.T. Perry, who was questionable to play with a hand injury and is inactive.
So is rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler, who will still dress as the emergency third quarterback. But he can only go into the game if both Derek Carr and Jake Haener are injured.
It’s the first game of the season, so teams are beat up quite yet. There are some players who are dealing with injuries from training camp. As a whole, however, this is as healthy as teams will be.
The Saints elevated two players from their practice squad for Week 1’s game with the Panthers, but it may not be who you expect:
The New Orleans Saints elevated two players from their practice squad for Week 1’s game with the Carolina Panthers, but it may not be who you expect. It takes just a glance at the injury report to explain why they’re available for the season opener.
Linebacker Khaleke Hudson and defensive tackle Kendal Vickers are both eligible to play on Sunday. Veteran nose tackle Khalen Saunders has been ruled out with a calf injury, so it makes sense to bring Vickers up as reinforcement for Bryan Bresee, Nathan Shepherd, Khristian Boyd, and John Ridgway III.
Backup linebackers D’Marco Jackson (calf) and Jaylan Ford (hamstring) are also unavailable, while strong side linebacker Willie Gay Jr. (back) is questionable. Starting weakside linebacker Pete Werner (shoulder) practiced fully this week but was listed on the injury report all three days. Hudson can man multiple spots at the second level so it’s smart to have him ready if he’s needed.
What’s interesting is who wasn’t brought up for this game. Neither wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown nor safety Johnathan Abram are available for Week 1 despite an injury to A.T. Perry (hand; he’s questionable after missing the last two days of practice) and Abram having run with the starters for much of the summer. That suggests either Will Harris or Jordan Howden will start next to Tyrann Mathieu, while offensively Perry will either play or be supplanted by a rookie like Bub Means or Mason Tipton. Stay tuned.
Saints DE Carl Granderson ripped through the Panthers for 10 pressures, 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble in 2023. LT Ikem Ekwonu must keep him at bay in Week 1.
The Carolina Panthers will have to claim a few battles to win the war against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
Here are four key matchups for this weekend’s regular-season opener between the NFC South rivals:
WR Diontae Johnson vs. CB Marshon Lattimore
Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Quarterback Bryce Young and the Panthers have a few new toys on offense, including Johnson. The former Pro Bowler, who is one of the best pure separators in football, will serve as the unit’s go-to target and give Young an element of openness he didn’t always have last season.
When it comes to New Orleans, go-to targets go through Lattimore—who was not in uniform the only time Johnson has faced the Saints. That contest came in 2022, when Johnson went for 63 yards on four receptions against Paulson Adebo and Alontae Taylor—the other two featured corners who are still in the secondary.
LT Ikem Ekwonu vs. DE Carl Granderson
Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
For Young to find Johnson and the rest of his pass catchers, he’ll have to avoid Granderson—who was an absolute menace against Carolina in 2023. The 27-year-old accounted for 10 pressures, 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble between their two meetings.
Much of that pressure was charged to Ekwonu. The former sixth overall pick can begin to put a mediocre second campaign behind him with a little redemption at the start of his third.
Panthers OLBs vs. Saints OTs
Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Carolina’s defense is headed into Week 1 with very few, if any answers to their pass-rushing problems. Other than 11th-year veteran Jadeveon Clowney, the Panthers are carrying only three (very inexperienced) outside linebackers on the active roster—DJ Johnson, Eku Leota and Jamie Sheriff.
Luckily for them, the Saints have a little inexperience of their own on the blindside with rookie and 2024 first-round pick Taliese Fuaga. They’ll also be rolling out starting right tackle Trevor Penning, who has had a very rough go in the NFL over his brief two-year career.
Something may (or may not) have to give here.
CB Mike Jackson vs. WR A.T. Perry
Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
In addition to the second edge spot, the Panthers will have to figure out who will step up as the No. 2 cornerback next to Jaycee Horn. Mike Jackson, who was acquired in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks on Aug. 22, will seemingly get the first crack at the job.
He has to make sure Perry, an ascending young talent for New Orleans, doesn’t make himself a smooth criminal on Sunday.
