Tag: alex quevedo

Saints waive Alex Quevedo, thin out training camp kicker competition

The Saints waived second-year kicker Alex Quevedo, thin out the training camp competition brewing between Wil Lutz and Blake Grupe, via @DillySanders:

Earlier on Wednesday when the New Orleans Saints announced the signings of two new offensive players, they also announced that they were waiving former Central Oklahoma kicker Alex Quevedo. Quevedo was signed back in January to a reserve/future deal after trying out for the team last summer. The 90-man roster is now at full capacity and any additional pickups will require a corresponding move.

With Quevedo off the team, the Saints now only have two kickers left on the roster in Wil Lutz and Blake Grupe. Lutz has been the primary kicker since 2016. He had been a very reliable kicker for most of his career, but after coming back from an injury that kept him out for his entire 2021 season, he had a career worst year in 2022. Lutz completed just 74.2% of his kicks last season, he’d previously not gone below 82%. Now, it’s not time to kick him off the team just yet but having some alternatives on the roster makes sense to test the waters and push Lutz a little bit more.

Grupe, the former Notre Dame and Arkansas State kicker, made 211 out of 217 point-after attempts in his college career. He was less efficient on actual field goals, a career 74.3% kicker, but it will be interesting to see how he performs in camp. Lutz will still be the team’s kicker in 2023 in all likelihood unless Grupe can make a very impressive effort over the summer.

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Which Saints player do you want to see wearing No. 0?

Which Saints player should be wearing the coveted No. 0 jersey? A new tweak to NFL rules opens it up for quarterbacks, specialists, RB’s, TE’s, WR’s, and select defenders:

The NFL has changed its jersey number designation rules again, just a year after the first big shakeup in years. The single-digit No. 0 will be eligible for select players on offense and defense as well as some specialists for the 2023 season, but who should be wearing it for the New Orleans Saints?

Here’s the list of positions eligible for No. 0:

  • Quarterbacks
  • Punters
  • Kickers
  • Running backs
  • Fullbacks
  • Tight ends
  • Wide receivers
  • Linebackers
  • Defensive backs

We can probably rule out established veterans in signature numbers like Alvin Kamara, Taysom Hill, Michael Thomas, Demario Davis, Marshon Lattimore, and Tyrann Mathieu, and it’s unlikely that Chris Olave will switch up on us so soon. Right now there are just two Saints players listed on the official team website’s roster without jersey numbers: wide receiver Bryan Edwards and kicker Alex Quevedo.

Edwards has used No. 89 (taken by Rashid Shaheed) in the NFL and in college, but he wore No. 4 (Derek Carr’s, of course) in high school. Quevedo used No. 34 in college and was initially signed No. 15 with the Saints before it was given to Kawaan Baker; he also wore No. 1 during rookie minicamp tryouts last summer, which is available again.

One good take we’ll credit first to Nola.com’s Terrin Waack is that Blake Gillikin should have first dibs on it, seeing as Derek Carr took the No. 4 he used to start his NFL career. Gillikin has already pivoted to No. 5, but he could easily make the switch if he’s interested.

The NCAA allowed student-athletes to wear No. 0 only in 2020, so there aren’t any players on the roster who have used it before in college. But there are many draft prospects coming up who could hold onto it in the NFL if they land with the Saints: Georgia tight end Darnell Washington, Boise State safety JL Skinner, Oklahoma running back Eric Gray, and Cincinnati linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. among them. This question might not get answered until after the 2023 NFL draft.

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Saints sign a new kicker among four reserve/future deals

The Saints signed new kicker Alex Quevedo among four reserve/future deals while bringing back practice squad wide receiver Kawaan Baker:

The New Orleans Saints filed a couple of roster moves on Thursday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire, reporting four new reserve/future signings. These are low-cost additions to the offseason roster largely made up of players who were on practice squads around the league at the end of the 2022 season.

And there are a few familiar names on the list of new arrivals. Wide receiver Kawaan Baker is returning from the Saints practice squad, and they’ve brought back second-year kicker Alex Quevedo for another tryout after giving him a look last summer. Here’s what you need to know about the newest members of the black and gold:

Former Saints OL Senio Kelemete among 4 tryout free agents at minicamp

Senio Kelemete has started games at left guard, right guard, right tackle, and left tackle for the Saints. And he’s among 4 tryout free agents at minicamp this week:

It’s not unusual for NFL teams to bring in veteran free agents for tryouts during their late-spring minicamp practice sessions, but it’s cool to see a familiar face on the New Orleans Saints practice field. Former Saints offensive lineman Senio Kelemete was one of four tryout players in attendance for Tuesday’s minicamp practice, finally making his return to the team where his NFL career took off. Of course he hasn’t signed back with New Orleans (none of these four free agents have, yet) but he’d be a welcome addition to the offensive line.

Let’s recap where Kelemete’s career has taken him, and run through the list of other players New Orleans brought in for a look this week: