Tag: Bradley Roby

Saints have a history of last-minute trades at roster cuts deadline

The Saints have agreed to at least one trade (and sometimes two) at the annual NFL roster cuts deadline in six of the last seven years. Will 2023 follow that same pattern?

Trade talks are picking up around the NFL with the annual roster cuts deadline approaching on Tuesday and the start of the regular season looming not far behind, and it’s a good bet that the New Orleans Saints could make a deal with another team.

Whether it’s swapping a player for draft picks or exchanging one player for another, the Saints have a history of being both sellers and buyers at this deadline. They’re always active. New Orleans has made at least one trade  (and sometimes two) near the late-summer deadline in six of the last seven years:

4 New Orleans Saints trade candidates ahead of 2023 roster cuts

With roster cuts swiftly approaching, other teams may come calling. 4 New Orleans Saints trade candidates who could be moved | @southexclusives

With roster cuts swiftly approaching, it’s only a matter of time until teams come calling to see if they can get the New Orleans Saints to trade away some players on the roster bubble — and even those who are seemingly positioned to make the team. If the offer is compelling enough, the Saints could choose to lean on their depth at some position groups and part ways with talented players to recoup some value through draft picks or player swaps. It’s happened before.

But who could be on the move? More likely is that other teams may be interested in snatching up a player before the Saints waive them, avoiding the anxious wait-and-see process as waiver claims are processed around the league. With that said, some speculation is already linking a Saints veteran or two to other teams around the league. Let’s explore the four highest-profile Saints trade candidates before the preseason wraps up:

Sights and sounds from Chargers, Saints joint practices – Day 2

Some highlights from the Chargers’ second joint practice with the Saints.

The Chargers hosted the Saints for two joint practices before their preseason matchup on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.

Below are some sights and sounds from the second session at Jack Hammett Sports Complex, courtesy of media members and fans in attendance.

Sights and sounds from Chargers, Saints joint practices – Day 1

Some highlights from the Chargers’ first joint practice with the Saints.

The Chargers are hosting the Saints for two joint practices, Thursday and Friday, before their preseason matchup on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.

Below are some sights and sounds from the first session at Jack Hammett Sports Complex, courtesy of media members and fans in attendance.

Watch: Chargers WR Keenan Allen makes spectacular one-handed grab vs. Saints

Keenan Allen is having a great summer.

The Chargers had the first joint practice with the Saints on Thursday.

Both teams had their fair share of moments, but one of the day’s biggest highlights was a one-handed catch by wide receiver Keenan Allen.

Allen was one-on-one with Saints cornerback Bradley Roby in coverage, and he beat him off the line. Quarterback Justin Herbert then found him down the field and Allen put his body on the line to reel in the pass.

Allen proceeded to throw the ball into the crowd.

While he is getting up in age, set to be 31 this season and coming off an injury-riddled campaign, Allen is still a play-maker when healthy, as evident from catches like this. He is still one of the best route runners in the league and is a safety blanket on third down.

Allen has been vital to the Bolts’ offense throughout his professional career. During that span, Allen has caught 796 passes for 9,287 yards and 52 touchdowns.

Madden NFL 24 reveals player ratings for New Orleans Saints cornerbacks

Madden NFL 24 reveals player ratings for the New Orleans Saints cornerbacks, with three or four starting-caliber players behind Marshon Lattimore:

Player ratings in Madden NFL 24 are about as scientific and arbitrary as any other simplification (like those you’d find at Pro Football Focus or other outlets), but they’re still a fun point of debate during the slow stretch on the NFL offseason. With the New Orleans Saints set to kick off training camp in just a few days, it’s a good time to check in with the developers at EA Sports and see how they regard the black and gold.

They’re high on the Saints secondary — there isn’t a single cornerback with a rating below 69 on the version of the roster installed at launch, with three or four starting-caliber players slotted in behind Marshon Lattimore (who leads the group with an impressive 90 rating). Here are the Saints cornerbacks in the game right now;

Alontae Taylor’s versatility adds new wrinkle to training camp battle with Paulson Adebo

Alontae Taylor’s versatility adds new wrinkle to training camp battle with Paulson Adebo, via @southexclusives:

Alontae Taylor is setting up to be one of the biggest battles during New Orleans Saints training camp. What happens to the player who loses that battle has been a big question as well. With Adebo and Marshon Lattimore absent from practice on Tuesday, Taylor moved to the slot when the defense shifted to its nickel personnel. Many thought this might have been Taylor’s future after trading C.J. Gardner Johnson a year ago.

This sets up for you to potentially see Lattimore, Adebo, and Taylor together on the field. Taylor playing on the inside doesn’t necessarily point to Adebo winning the battle for outside corner. Taylor can slide into the slot for three-corner personnel groupings even if he wins the battle to start.

The problem with this plan is Bradley Roby is already expected to take that role. Roby missed practice on Tuesday which was a big reason Taylor played on the inside at practice, though Sports Illustrated’s John Hendrix reports this has been a part of the plan. If Roby misses more time, Taylor could continue to see more reps at slot corner.  Strong performances could lead to consideration of Taylor continuing to get slot reps even when Roby returns. 

Lattimore is secure in his spot as the team’s top cornerback. Adebo and Taylor are expected to fight for that other outside corner spot. That still could be true, but getting all three on the field at once is still in play. The decision could come down to how they value Taylor at outside cornerback versus slot cornerback in nickel situations and Taylor versus Roby just as much as it comes down to Taylor versus Adebo.

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Predicting the Saints starting defense after the draft

Predicting the New Orleans Saints starting defense (and top backups) after the 2023 draft: How many rookie draft picks will win starting jobs?

The defense was a priority for the New Orleans Saints in the 2023 NFL draft, and their efforts paid off — the defensive line in particular is seen as one of the league’s most-improved units. But how many rookies and veteran free agent acquisitions will be running with the starters when the season starts?

That’s something we won’t learn for sure until training camp, but here’s our first projection for the Saints’ starters and immediate backups on defense going into the summer (click here for a preview of their offense):

4 Saints players who could be traded before Week 1

With a logjam developing at corner, it could make sense for the Saints to explore trading Bradley Roby or Paulson Adebo before Week 1. Teams may call on other players, too:

The NFL offseason is relentless. Free agency’s biggest moves are behind us. So is the 2023 NFL draft. A new wave of veteran signings and tryouts at minicamps is spreading around the league, and it’s a safe bet that more changes are in store for the New Orleans Saints. Normally buyers, could they instead be sellers as the trade market begins to develop? Which players could be on the move for greener pastures before Week 1 in September?

It’s not as easy as saying the Saints should trade (insert underperforming player of the moment here); fans may be unhappy with someone like, say, Tre’Quan Smith or Payton Turner, but there needs to be a reason for another team to have interest in acquiring the player. If a guy is a regular source of negative plays in New Orleans, why would a competitor want to trade for him?

Something else to consider is that the trade value for veteran players (especially those without a lot of strong game tape) tends to be weak. Take that with the minimal salary cap savings involved and the Saints are probably better off holding onto any trade candidates other teams are sniffing around.

With that in mind, here are four names we’ll be watching closely over the summer as position battles take shape:

Saints veterans Bradley Roby, Tyrann Mathieu respond to Adam Jones’ criticism

Saints defensive backs Bradley Roby and Tyrann Mathieu responded to Adam Jones’ criticism, pointing out their pass defense ranked second-best, not dead-last like he claimed:

It’s been a tough week for Adam “Pacman” Jones, who caught the ire of New Orleans Saints players when he mistakenly claimed they had the worst defense in the league last year during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. Among other things, he called out the Saints cornerbacks as some of the worst in the NFL.

And some of those players responded. Cornerback Bradley Roby acknowledged Jones as a friend on Twitter (laughing to their peer Casey Heyward that “Pac the homie he ain’t about to say anything,” after being corrected) but point out that the Saints pass defense ranked second-best in the league last year. Only the Philadelphia Eagles allowed fewer passing yards per game (171.6) than New Orleans (184.4).

Veteran safety Tyrann Mathieu chimed in, too, offering his own explanation for Jones’ bizarre misinformation. He suggested that Jones, like many outside observers, saw the Saints start out slow in 2022 and assumed that they “never really got the wins geauxing that we just threw in the towel.” That wasn’t the case, and they ended the year by winning three of their last four games.

For his part, Mathieu is expecting more wins to follow in 2023. We’ll see if Jones circles back to admit he got this wrong later or if he’ll just continue to ignore reality and substitute it with his own.

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