Tag: adam prentice

Saints won’t abandon the Taysom Hill package even without Hill

Taysom Hill is out for the season, but the Saints plan to continue using plays designed for him with a committee in his absence:

There’s a reason they call Taysom Hill a Swiss army knife. He contributed to the New Orleans Saints offense in a variety of ways before going down with a season ending injury last week.

How do you replace someone like that? Despite not having Hill for the remainder of the season, Darren Rizzi doesn’t plan on abandoning the Taysom Hill game plan even without Taysom Hill.

The difference will be how the Saints approach that portion of the playbook. You’ll never find a replica of Hill. As Rizzi said, “I don’t know if there’s another guy in the league who can do what he does.”

New Orleans is going with a committee approach. We’ve seen this before when Hill was injured, with guys like Alvin Kamara, Juwan Johnson, and Adam Prentice doing different things he’d normally be responsible for. Rizzi continued, “All the plays and different packages and things we run are going to have to be distributed differently.”

The most unique aspect of Hill’s game is his ability to run from a direct snap. New Orleans has no plans to discard this aspect of the offense either. Rizzi put it plainly: “We’re going to have that stuff still in the game plan.”

Rizzi didn’t want to disclose much, but he did reveal they’re trying out a few players in that role and “take a look at how it looks this week.”

Replacing Hill is no easy feat. How New Orleans replaces him will be one of the more interesting storylines to close out the season.

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Saints have 2 ex-Broncos set to face their former team on ‘TNF’

Saints lineman Connor McGovern and fullback Adam Prentice will face their former team when the Broncos visit New Orleans on Thursday.

The Denver Broncos have eight former New Orleans Saints players on their roster going into a Thursday Night Football showdown with Sean Payton’s old team.

The Saints, meanwhile, have a pair of former Broncos on their own roster in backup offensive lineman Connor McGovern and fullback Adam Prentice.

McGovern, 31, (not to be confused with the 26-year-old Connor McGovern who plays for the Buffalo Bills) entered the league as a fifth-round pick out of Missouri in 2016. He spent the first four years of his career in Denver, starting 36 games while moving between guard and center. McGovern is now a backup center in New Orleans.

Prentice, 27, signed with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of South Carolina in 2021. After failing to make Denver’s 53-man roster as a rookie, he was picked up by the Saints. He has spent the last four years in New Orleans, serving primarily as a blocking fullback and special teams player.

McGovern and Prentice will face off against their former team when the Saints host the Broncos on TNF on Oct. 17.

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It’ll take a group effort for the Saints to replace Taysom Hill

It’ll take a group effort for the Saints to replace Taysom Hill if he can’t play against the Eagles. No single player can match his skill set:

All eyes are on Taysom Hill when the New Orleans Saints take the field for pregame warmups at the Caesars Superdome on Sunday. The do-it-all playmaker is dealing with a chest injury that’s left him doubtful to play against the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Saints will need a group effort to replace him if he can’t go. No single player can match Hill’s versatile skill set.

Saints fans know it well. Hill can throw, block, run, and catch passes all  over the field. He even blocks punts and makes tackles on special teams when asked. But first-year offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has used Hill’s  presence to dictate personnel on opposing defenses, and his absence would make it easier for the Eagles to get a read on their intentions.

It isn’t as simple as drafting and developing a backup. They’ve tried that before with players like Tommy Stevens and other teams have tried and failed to copy the strategy. Hill is one-of-one. So who steps up if Hill has to watch this game from the sidelines?

Look for rookie tight end Dallin Holker to make his Saints debut, for one. The former Colorado State standout impressed coaches at training camp over the summer and made the 53-man roster outright, but a minor injury sidelined him for the first two games. If Hill can’t go, Holker makes sense as someone who could dress out in his stead and make some plays as a receiver and blocker inline.

Another name to watch? Fullback Adam Prentice. As ESPN’s Mina Kimes noted earlier this week, Prentice is already up to 50 snaps played through  the first two weeks after never logging more than 125 across the last three seasons. He’s the obvious choice to step up as a blocker out of the backfield and occasionally move around like Hill has been asked to do.

But there are things Hill does that no one else on the roster can do. They don’t have another player who can run his signature QB power plays into the teeth of the defense. And his very presence forces the defense to guard them differently, never knowing his assignment or where he could become a problem.

If there’s a silver lining to Hill sitting out this game, it’s that it’s happening in September rather than December or January. This Saints team appears to be playoffs-bound and it’s good for Kubiak to get some work without such an important player early on in case they need to plan without Hill again down the line. We’ll see if he’s able to suit up or not when the inactives report is announced before kickoff.

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Saints downgrade Taysom Hill (chest) for Week 3 vs. Eagles

The Saints originally listed Taysom Hill as questionable for Week 3’s game with the Eagles, but on Saturday they downgraded his status to doubtful:

After being a limited participant in the last two days of practice this week, Taysom Hill was labeled questionable for the Week 3 game versus the Philadelphia Eagles. A day later, his odds of playing have dropped further.

The Saints downgraded Hill to doubtful for Sunday’s matchup. Hill suffered a chest injury against the Dallas Cowboys that led to him having to go to the hospital. You never want to hear about an immediate hospital visit for a chest injury. Hill was able to fly back with the team to New Orleans, fortunately.

Dennis Allen shared a brief but positive update on Monday and on Friday he said Hill would play if he was able to. All the results hadn’t came in, but at least it wasn’t serious. That’s still something to be excited for despite his lowering status for Week 3.

Hill’s absence takes away an interesting part of the Saints offense through two weeks. Hill’s alignment at fullback has allowed the Saints to have a solid lead blocker while maintaining a rushing and receiving threat. There will likely be a heavier dosage of fullback Adam Prentice this week.

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Saints may have settled their fullback competition by waiving Zander Horvath

The Saints may have settled their fullback competition by waiving Zander Horvath. But is Adam Prentice’s job really safe from Taysom Hill?

Training camp isn’t over just yet, but the New Orleans Saints may have already settled their fullback competition. Zander Horvath was let go on Tuesday, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill.

Horvath followed running backs coach Derrick Foster to New Orleans from the Los Angeles Chargers, and he initially seemed to have an edge over Adam Prentice, who the Saints re-signed this offseason after he tested free agency. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak asks a lot of his fullbacks in blocking for their teammates while also running routes and occasionally catching passes, and Prentice has emerged as a better option.

That’s a little surprising after Prentice’s rough 2023 season. He had a costly fumble and some dropped passes last year, but credit to him for stepping up in the face of competition. But he isn’t out of the woods yet. Taysom Hill has taken more snaps at fullback this summer than in the past and Prentice must convince the coaching staff they still need a full-time fullback even with Hill in the mix to a greater degree. We’ll keep an eye on him through the next two preseason games.

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Countdown to Kickoff: Zander Horvath is the Saints Player of Day 40

We continue our daily countdown to the Saints Week 1 kickoff with No. 40. Fullback Zander Horvath is the Saints Player of the Day:

The New Orleans Saints Week 1 matchup with the Carolina Panthers is getting closer and closer, with only 40 days remaining until this divisional tilt. As we continue to count down the days until that first matchup for the Saints, we look at the corresponding jersey number to that amount of days remaining, which today is fullback Zander Horvath.

The number has had some quality players tied to it across Saints history, with Delvin Breaux, Robert Massey, and Terry Schmidt all being notable users of the No. 40 jersey.

With that said, let’s take a look at Horvath’s career so far, his background, and what we may be able to expect from him this upcoming 2024 season.

  • Name (Age): Zander Horvath (25)
  • Position: Fullback
  • Height, weight: 6-foot-3, 230 pounds
  • Relative Athletic Score: 9.83
  • 2024 salary cap hit: $915,000
  • College: Purdue
  • Drafted: Round 7, Pick 260 (Los Angeles Chargers)
  • NFL experience: 2 seasons

Horvath is an intriguing addition for the Saints, as he was exceptionally talented throughout his high school years and was a solid contributor throughout his collegiate career at Purdue. As we all know, the Saints love players with high Relative Athletic Scores, or more specifically those who have good physical attributes and are extremely athletically gifted, which Horvath was scoring a 9.83 out of a possible 10.00 in RAS.

Fullback is most definitely a position of need, as the Saints always like to keep one on the roster for 3rd and short or 4th and short situations. In recent years there was Adam Prentice and Alex Armah, with Prentice still remaining with the Saints. Prentice has had a rough go of things in recent games, having a fumble, dropped pass, and slow blocking plan in the span of seven days, which caused him to lose favor with Saints fans relatively quickly.

The addition of Horvath this March shows that there will most definitely be competition for the spot, and it could be an intriguing battle of longevity with the team in Prentice versus athletic prowess in Horvath. But don’t overlook Taysom Hill’s ability to disrupt that competition, too.

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Countdown to Kickoff: Adam Prentice is Saints Player of Day 46

Countdown to Kickoff: Adam Prentice is Saints Player of Day 46. He must bounce back in a big way to hold onto his starting job at fullback

There are only 46 days to go until the season kicks off for the New Orleans Saints. This means the Saints’ player of the day is fullback Adam Prentice. The fullback position isn’t a glamorous one, but they serve an important role in the offense.

  • Name (Age): Adam Prentice (27)
  • Position: Fullback
  • Height, weight: 6-foot-0, 245 pounds
  • Relative Athletic Score: 5.66
  • 2024 salary cap hit: $1,130,000
  • College: South Carolina, Colorado State
  • Drafted: Undrafted in 2021 (Denver Broncos)
  • NFL experience: 4th year

After going undrafted in 2021, Prentice ended up signing with the Denver Broncos. The Broncos waived him that same year, and the Saints claimed him off waivers. This is where Prentice has been ever since. He recently signed a one-year, $1,130,000 contract to return to the team in March.

This past season he had just two carries for 12 yards while catching two passes for another dozen yards, but he had an untimely fumble and a bad drop. Prentice ended the 2023 campaign with a 38.1 Pro Football Focus player grade. He is going to compete with Zander Horvath, who signed with the Saints in free agency, to be the team’s fullback this season.

But both of them could be sidelined by Taysom Hill if the versatile playmaker can execute the same assignments while wearing all of his other hats. Prentice needs to bounce back in a big way to hold onto his starting job.

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Saints re-sign Adam Prentice for a training camp fullback competition

Big news at the official start of free agency. The Saints re-signed Adam Prentice for a training camp fullback competition:

Here’s some big news at the formal start of free agency. The New Orleans Saints announced they have re-signed fullback Adam Prentice, who is returning for a training camp competition with Zander Horvath — who was recently signed as a veteran respected by members of Klint Kubiak’s new offensive coaching staff.

So it’ll be Prentice versus Horvath over the summer. It makes sense to bring Prentice back so he can compete for his roster spot because he knows the other players inn the locker room well, but he’ll have to prove he can execute the blocking assignments and responsibilities asked off fullbacks in Kubiak’s system. He had a rough year with the Saints last season that included dropped passes and a very unfortunate fumble deep inside New Orleans territory.

Now that the NFL calendar has officially turned over into 2024, the Saints have a number of vulnerabilities to address with their roster. Kubiak wants to run the football often and effectively and improved blocking up front will do a lot to achieve that. His system asks a lot of the fullback so Prentice will need to show a wider set of skills than we’ve seen from him before. It’s just one more subplot to watch in the months ahead.

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Saints sign a new fullback, but he isn’t new to their coaching staff

The Saints signed a new fullback, but he isn’t new to their coaching staff. Meet Zander Horvath:

The New Orleans Saints signed a new fullback, but he isn’t new to their coaching staff. Meet Zander Horvath, formerly of Purdue, whose addition was announced on Thursday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire.

Horvath, 25, played college football at Purdue before turning pro with the Los Angeles Chargers, who picked him in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL draft. He measured out exceptionally well in the pre-draft process with a 9.83 Relative Athletic Score (a metric which often lines up with attributes the Saints value). He weighed in at 6-foot-2 and 228 pounds but has been listed at 232 and 235 with different teams.

Former Chargers running backs coach Derrick Foster worked with him closely in L.A., so there’s an obvious connection with Foster holding the same position on staff these days in New Orleans. Horvath was waived during roster cuts last August and briefly landed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the Chargers brought him back to their practice squad to close out the season. He wasn’t re-signed after that.

He wasn’t the only player the Saints tried out on Thursday; the wire also reports 232-pound running back Qadree Ollison as a participant. He’s a former Atlanta Falcons draft pick (fifth round in 2019) who was teammates with Horvath on the Steelers for a few months last season. The Saints must have liked what they saw from Horvath better.

This might mean the end of the road for Adam Prentice. The incumbent Saints fullback is a restricted free agent but he’s coming off a down year with dropped passes, blown blocking assignments, and a very unfortunate fumble. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is going to be asking different things of his fullback than Pete Carmichael asked of Prentice last season, so they might look for someone else to push Horvath for the job in training camp.

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Saints bring up two players from their practice squad for Week 13 vs. Lions

The New Orleans Saints brought up some reinforcements from their practice squad for Week 13’s game with the Detroit Lions in a pair of standard elevations:

The New Orleans Saints brought up some reinforcements from their practice squad for Week 13’s game with the Detroit Lions in a pair of standard elevations, giving wide receiver Marquez Callaway and fullback Adam Prentice an opportunity to return to the lineup.

Callaway was recently re-signed after a knee injury put Michael Thomas out of action for at least the next four games. He’s experienced in the system, having started his pro career in New Orleans, though he spent the summer with Sean Payton on the Denver Broncos.

Rashid Shaheed (thigh) has also been ruled out with an injury and Chris Olave (concussion protocol) is questionable for this game, so the receivers we know the Saints will have available include Callaway, A.T. Perry, Keith Kirkwood, and Lynn Bowden Jr.

As for Prentice: the fullback spent some time on injured reserve earlier this season and returned to be bumped down to the practice squad. He’s already been elevated once so the Saints can call him up like this one more time before they’ll need to sign him to the 53-man roster again if they want to continue playing him. As is the case for Callaway, Prentice will revert to the practice squad after Sunday’s game with the Lions.

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