Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The New Orleans Saints announced nine roster moves on Wednesday. Here’s what you need to know about who’s arriving and who was let go:
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Don’t say the New Orleans Saints aren’t keeping themselves busy. The team announced nine roster moves on Wednesday, with five free agents signing on and four players being waived (the team previously put cornerback KeiVarae Russell on the COVID-19 reserve list, opening a roster spot). Here is everything you need to know:
The New Orleans Saints brought in cornerback Adonis Alexander to fill in for Keith Washington, who was lost to the injured reserve list:
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This is a bummer: the New Orleans Saints announced Wednesday that they played second-year cornerback Keith Washington on the injured reserve list, bringing in Adonis Alexander to replace him. Alexander, a 24-year old free agent, played at Virginia Tech in college before landing on the Washington Football Team in the 2018 NFL supplementary draft.
Washington later said on Twitter that he expects to be sidelined for several weeks, which suggests he could return early in the regular season. He exited Tuesday’s practice session after a hard fall on his wrist.
As for Alexander: he played predominately on special teams as a rookie in 2018, totaling 128 snaps (just 11 on defense) across nine games. Since then he’s bounced around the league and spent time with the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers practice squads.
He was also part of New Orleans’ recent group workout, which included Prince Amukamara and KeiVarae Russell. The Saints initially signed both of the other tryout players until Washington’s injury opened a vacancy for Alexander. Let’s see how it shakes out now that the Saints are regularly practicing in pads.
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Adonis Alexander was a sixth-round pick in the 2018 supplemental draft.
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#LARams transaction: We’ve signed DB Adonis Alexander to the practice squad.
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) November 14, 2019
The Rams called up Donte Deayon and Chandler Brewer to the 53-man roster on Wednesday, opening up two spots on the practice squad. They filled one relatively quickly, signing former Redskins defensive back Adonis Alexander to the practice squad Thursday.
Alexander came into the NFL as a sixth-round pick in the 2018 supplemental draft. He was a player some thought the Rams might be interested in, given his size and potential out of Virginia Tech.
They ultimately passed, and now they’ve added him without surrendering any draft capital.
Alexander doesn’t have great speed – he ran a 4.61 40-yard dash – but he can play both safety and cornerback. That flexibility is a trait the Rams like to see in their defensive backs.
He has not played yet this season, but he appeared in nine games as a rookie in 2018. He made just four tackles and only played 11 snaps on defense.
