Tag: Anfernee Orji

Countdown to Kickoff: Anfernee Orji is the Saints Player of Day 58

Countdown to Kickoff: Anfernee Orji is the Saints Player of Day 58. A year on the practice squad has prepped him for the opportunity to make the team

We’ve got 58 days to go until the New Orleans Saints kick off their 2024 regular season against the Carolina Panthers, which makes Anfernee Orji our Saints Player of the Day. The current owner of the No. 58 jersey spent a year on the Saints practice squad which prepared him to compete for a roster spot at training camp later this summer:

  • Name (Age): Anfernee Orji (23)
  • Position: Linebacker
  • Height, weight: 6-foot-2, 230 pounds
  • Relative Athletic Score: 9.23
  • 2024 salary cap hit: $795,000
  • College: Vanderbilt
  • Drafted: Undrafted in 2023 (New Orleans Saints)
  • NFL experience: 1 year

Orji received $226,000 in guarantees last spring to sign with the Saints as an undrafted free agent, which just trails this year’s leader (tight end Dallin Holker, who was guaranteed $235,000). He showed some impressive movement skills through training camp and preseason but missed too tackles, and he spent his rookie year on the practice squad.

Now he’s competing with guys like D’Marco Jackson, Khaleke Hudson, Monty Rice, Jaylan Ford, and Isaiah Stalbird for two, maybe three roster spots, depending on how soon Nephi Sewell can return from a December knee injury. Orji’s coaches know him well and he has a good handle on the playbook. He also has the physical tools to stand apart from the pack. He just needs to put it all together and show he can be relied on when his number is called. Helping out on special teams will do a lot to strengthen his case, but it’s also important that he hold up in coverage and tackle cleanly when needed on defense.

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Saints sign all but three practice squad players to reserve/future deals

The Saints signed all but three practice squad players to reserve/future deals, bringing them back for 2024:

This may look unusual, but it isn’t uncommon. The New Orleans Saints signed reserve/future deals with all but three players from their 2023 practice squad — essentially inviting those 13 players who are returning to their 2024 training camp. Everyone who was on the practice squad except for offensive lineman Colby Gossett, wide receiver Marquez Callaway, and rookie receiver Shaquan Davis are inked to return in 2024.

But this doesn’t shut the door on anyone. Teams often issue reserve/future contracts (which are just minimum-salary deals that guarantee players a spot on the 90-man offseason roster) in batches, and they’ll likely circle back to Davis and Co. after handling other business. They’re able to work out other players who didn’t sign reserve/future deals around the league after their practice squad contracts expired.

Davis specifically endeared himself to Saints fans during the 2023 preseason by catching 7 passes for 101 yards, largely from the slot. The former undrafted rookie from South Carolina State has rare size at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, but a midseason injury sidelined him. Hopefully he can return for 2024 and compete for more snaps.

Here’s a quick look back at the 13 players who did sign reserve/future contracts with New Orleans:

Saints say special teams LB Ryan Connelly re-injured his knee

Saints head coach Dennis Allen says special teams linebacker Ryan Connelly re-injured his knee against the Titans. They’ll need more help covering punts and kickoffs:

Ryan Connelly can’t catch a break. The New Orleans Saints backup linebacker didn’t make the cut for a spot on the 53-man roster despite having played well in preseason both on defense and special teams, ultimately having to settle for the practice squad.

And when he got elevated for their Week 1 matchup with the Tennessee Titans, Connelly played almost every snap in the kicking game (21 of 24 reps) before going down with an injury that slowed him down earlier this summer. Saints head coach Dennis Allen shared an update on Connelly’s status after the game.

“Ryan Connelly probably is going to miss some time with that same knee that he had injured earlier,” Allen said, referencing the knee injury that the team feared could have required surgery and threatened Connelly’s season. Further exams revealed less damage than expected, but now he’s going back on the mend.

Because Connelly was on the practice squad, the Saints won’t have to designate him to injured reserve; instead, if this as severe as Allen’s comment suggests, he can be placed on the practice squad/injured list which functions the same way. It’s an approach the team used with wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey back in 2020, sidelining him for more than two months.

So who could replace him? The Saints elevate different players from the practice squad each week (remember, each player may only be elevated three times before being signed to the 53-man roster) so they may approach things differently with less of an emphasis on special teams. But if the Saints do want someone else out there covering punts and kickoffs, it would make more sense to elevate rookie linebacker Anfernee Orji than his veteran teammate Jaylon Smith given Orji’s performance in that role during the preseason games. It’s not something Smith has shown he can do.

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Jaylon Smith leads the group of linebackers on Saints’ practice squad

Jaylon Smith is staying with the Saints on the practice squad. New Orleans has more linebackers than any other position on the practice squad | @southexclusives

The New Orleans Saints walked away from roster cuts with the same linebackers they walked into training camp with. Demario Davis and Pete Werner are your starting linebackers who will play every snap essentially. Nephi Sewell and D’Marco Jackson are their backups.

Sewell and Jackson were able to retain their roster spot due to defined roles on special teams. Zach Baun is also a key contributor on special teams. In addition to that, he also plays a few snaps per game on the strong side when the Saints play the traditional 4-3 defense.

Jaylon Smith leads the charge of linebackers on the practice squad. If a starter were to go down, Smith would be an instant call up to the main roster. He didn’t make the team because of a lack of role on special teams. He’s joined by three other linebackers on the Saints practice squad:

8 Saints players who need a great game vs. Texans to make the roster

With roster cuts looming, some Saints must end the preseason on a high note to secure their spot on the depth chart. 8 players to watch vs. Texans:

We’re days away from one of the busiest — and most difficult — days on the NFL calendar, with the New Orleans Saints and every other team cutting their rosters down from 90 contracts to just 53 on Tuesday, Aug. 29.

A lot of Saints players have already earned their roster spots at training camp practices and through two preseason games. But some others are still on the roster bubble and a strong performance against the Houston Texans on Sunday night could seal the deal. At the same time, an underwhelming outing could be the push the coaching staff needs to go with a different player.

These eight players can’t afford to let a good opportunity pass them by:

Several Saints players were PFF’s highest-graded rookies of preseason Week 1

Several New Orleans Saints players were PFF’s highest-graded rookies of preseason Week 1, including sixth-round wide receiver A.T. Perry:

Several young New Orleans Saints players stood out on a big stage in their first preseason game — with Pro Football Focus highlighting two in particular as Week 1’s highest-graded rookies. Wide receiver A.T. Perry and linebacker Anfernee Orji both impressed when given an opportunity, and they’ll look to keep it up in the weeks ahead as the team gives them more snaps against the Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans.

Here’s how each of them performed, along with the rest of the Saints rookie draft class:

4 burning questions heading into the first Saints preseason game

The Saints are headed into their first preseason game of 2023, and there are several major questions they need to answer against the Chiefs | @southexclusives

The New Orleans Saints head into the first preseason game of the season against the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday. Officially, the 2023 campaign will be underway.

This will be the first time Derek Carr and many rookies put on a Saints uniform. The preseason will be filled with position battles, such as Alontae Taylor versus Paulson Adebo, and certainly a couple of players will surprise.

It all starts Week 1. Here are some of the biggest questions we’re looking to see answered headed into the Saints- Chiefs preseason matchup:

Anfernee Orji highlighted as the Saints’ most exciting undrafted rookie

Former Vanderbilt linebacker Anfernee Orji was highlighted as the New Orleans Saints’ most exciting undrafted rookie at Bleacher Report:

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It didn’t take long for New Orleans Saints fans to pick out their favorites from the team’s crop of undrafted rookies signed after the 2023 draft, but here’s an interesting pick from Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine: former Vanderbilt linebacker Anfernee Orji.

The Saints have room on the depth chart with Kaden Elliss leaving in free agency and backups Zack Baun and D’Marco Jackson returning from injuries, but it’s a lot to ask Orji to climb the ladder and play ahead of one of them. Still, New Orleans wanted him badly enough to guarantee a large portion of his rookie contract so they could recruit him as an undrafted free agent.

There’s a vision for the player, which Ballentine broke down in his writeup:

The middle of the field thumper at linebacker has somewhat fallen out of fashion in the league. The linebacker who can cover and be an effective zone defender is generally the preferred archetype at off-ball linebacker.

However, there’s still some value in a player like Anfernee Orji. The 6’1″, 230-pounder is a bit undersized and his lack of length makes it less likely he can get a hand on the ball in zone coverage or disrupt bigger tight ends at the catch point.

What he can do is fly around the field, get downhill and be an eraser in the run game. He posted a relative athletic score of 9.23 anchored by a 4.53 40-yard dash, 38½” vertical and 10’2″ broad jump.

Orji was fourth in the SEC in total tackles and showed the ability to track down plays from sideline to sideline with Vanderbilt.

There’s a role for Orji at the next level.

That athleticism and movement skills are valuable traits, but if he’s going to make the roster Orji will need to be a big player for New Orleans on special teams. The good news is that’s an area he excelled in at Vanderbilt while covering punts and kickoffs. Missed tackles have been an issue for him, but if he can play with greater control and be an asset in the gam’e’s third phase, it shouldn’t shock anyone if the Saints hold onto Orji as a young backup in September.

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Saints announce undrafted free agent class of 13 players

Having previously agreed to terms, the New Orleans Saints announced their undrafted free agent class of 13 rookie players:

The New Orleans Saints made moves to select seven first-year players in the 2023 NFL draft, but that’s only part of their rookie class. The team announced contracts with 13 undrafted players on Saturday ahead of rookie minicamp practices next week — with some of them ranking among league leaders in lucrative contract guarantees.

First-round defensive tackle Bryan Bresee and second-round defensive end Isaiah Foskey have drawn a lot of attention, but it’s important to keep up with the young talent who will be competing for roster spots over the summer.

Here’s a look at the Saints’ confirmed undrafted free agent signings from Saturday’s announcement:

7 Saints undrafted rookies with the best chances of making the team

Between the strength of different position groups and their own skills, these seven Saints undrafted rookies may have the best shot at making the team:

The New Orleans Saints have signed a dozen rookie free agents in the wake of the 2023 NFL draft, and more of them are on the horizon with mass tryouts awaiting in rookie minicamps. But only a few of them will have a real shot at making the team — of the 17 undrafted free agents from the 2022 class, just two of them (wide receiver Rashid Shaheed and offensive lineman Lewis Kidd) were dressing out on many game days.

It’s impossible to say for sure until they hit the practice field, but here are some early favorites to compete for roster spots in Saints training camp: