Tag: Brian Poole

Colts sign a pair of CBs to the practice squad

The Colts added a pair of CBs to the practice squad.

The Indianapolis Colts signed cornerbacks Anthony Chesley and Brian Poole to the practice squad and released cornerback BoPete Keyes from the practice squad, the team announced Monday.

Chesley has spent time on the practice squad and active roster for the Colts throughout the 2021 season. He was waived on Saturday when the Colts made room to call up safety Jahleel Addae before the Week 11 win over the Buffalo Bills.

Poole, 29, entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2016 with the Atlanta Falcons. He has spent time with the  Falcons (2016–2018), New York Jets (2019–2020), New Orleans Saints (2021) and New England Patriots (2021).

In 70 career games (38 starts), Poole has recorded seven interceptions, 31 passes defended, six sacks, 17 tackles for loss and 18 quarterback hits.

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Report: Patriots sign CB Brian Poole to practice squad

With Jonathan Jones suffering a season-ending injury, the Patriots are adding depth at cornerback.

The New England Patriots signed defensive back Brian Poole to their practice squad this week, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Poole appeared to be present for the team’s practice on Wednesday.

The addition of Poole comes in the wake of a string of injuries to the team’s secondary, with cornerback Jonathan Jones going on injured reserve and safety Devin McCourty leaving Sunday’s game with an abdomen injury. McCourty was present for practice on Wednesday.

Poole has battled through injuries since entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He has served as a nickel cornerback, however, at multiple stops. Jones was the Patriots’ starter in the slot before his injury.

For Week 7, the Patriots had cornerback and safety Myles Bryant playing in the nickel spot. Perhaps the addition of Poole is an effort to begin to build depth at that position.

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Raiders sign ex-Saints cornerback Desmond Trufant

The Raiders signed ex-Saints corner Desmond Trufant, while Brian Poole is trying out for the Patriots. A position that was once a weakness has turned into a strength for New Orleans:

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One former New Orleans Saints player is landing on his feet: cornerback Desmond Trufant signed with the Las Vegas Raiders after the Saints released him last week, his agent Doug Hendrickson announced. Trufant joined the Saints in training camp and played well enough to make the opening-day roster, starting Week 2’s game with the Carolina Panthers after an injury sidelined Marshon Lattimore.

He held his own as a backup — totaling 57 snaps in two games, only allowing 2 of 4 passes thrown into his coverage to be completed for 19 yards. Bradley Roby’s arrival pushed him down the depth chart as a healthy inactive on game days, and with Ken Crawley expected to return from injured reserve in the next few weeks, the Saints granted his release so he could pursue opportunities like this one with the Raiders.

Interestingly, Las Vegas tried out a couple of other notable free agent cornerbacks in D.J. Hayden and Darqueze Dennard after signing Trufant, so they’re obviously looking for help at the position.

And Trufant isn’t the only former Saints corner to earn a shot with another team this week. Brian Poole was also released a week ago (from injured reserve) and has scheduled a tryout with the New England Patriots on Wednesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. On Tuesday, second-year pro Keith Washington (who spent his rookie 2020 season on the Saints practice squad) worked out for the Indianapolis Colts.

A position that was once a serious vulnerability for the Saints is now so strong that players who couldn’t catch on with them are getting looks around the league. That speaks really well to how New Orleans has built its depth chart and what’s in store for them as the season continues.

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CB Brian Poole, rookie WR Austin Wakins work out with the Patriots

Might the Patriots add a few players to their practice squad — or even their 53-man roster?

The New England Patriots will work out cornerback Brian Poole on Wednesday, per his agent Drew Rosenhaus, after the team hosted receiver Austin Watkins and defensive end Nick Thurman on Tuesday, per the transaction wire.

Poole could be a welcome addition to a cornerback group that looked depleted at the end of the Patriots’ loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. New England looked one cornerback shy, particularly when injuries started pulling defensive backs off the field.

Thurman was an undrafted rookie in 2019 and spent two seasons jumping from the Patriots’ practice squad and the active roster. He ended up with the Houston Texans in 2021.

Watkins went undrafted out of UAB in 2021 and spent training camp with the San Francisco 49ers. The 6-foot-3, 210 pound receiver had 57 catches, for 1,092 yards and six touchdowns in 2019, his most productive college season.

While the team is hosting these weekly workouts, they may not end up signing the players. The Patriots host these sorts of tryouts just about every week.

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Saints roster moves: CB Desmond Trufant among multiple cuts on Tuesday

The latest Saints roster moves created practice squad vacancies and implications for injured players like Wil Lutz and Kwon Alexander:

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The New Orleans Saints filed a series of roster moves on Tuesday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire, which carry interesting implications for the days and weeks ahead. One of them is the addition of a new kicker in Brian Johnson from the Chicago Bears practice squad (more on him in a bit), whose arrival suggests a longer recovery than anticipated for Wil Lutz.

Another is the release of cornerback Desmond Trufant, who had been a healthy scratch on game days for a few weeks now. All of these transactions leave the 53-man roster at capacity with three vacancies on the 16-strong practice squad. Players returning from injured reserve will push others down to the practice squad, so it makes sense to open some spots now. Let’s dig into each new roster move:

Saints signed Chris Hogan without using any of their salary cap space

The New Orleans Saints created a bit of a stir by signing pro lacrosse player Chris Hogan, but his addition doesn’t even count against the salary cap:

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Chris Hogan signing with the New Orleans Saints on the eve of training camp created a bit of a wave, mostly because he’d given up football to try his hand at pro lacrosse. But it was a canny move by the Saints to pad out their depth chart — they basically brought him in for nothing.

NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reported that the Saints signed Hogan to a one-year deal at the veteran’s minimum ($1.075 million for the nine-year pro), which qualifies for a salary cap benefit. It means he’ll only count $850,000 against the cap, which is beneath the top-51 threshold used during the offseason. It essentially cost the Saints nothing to bring him in.

And the leaping catches he made in front of fans during Friday’s practice session speak for themselves. He’s the most accomplished healthy receiver on the roster with a pair of Super Bowl rings on display back home, and 100-plus games behind him. It says more about the weakness of the group as a whole that he has a shot at making the team, but the Saints probably weren’t going to find anyone better who also wouldn’t count against the cap.

Which is puzzling considering New Orleans has more than $11 million in cap space to use. Sean Payton has repeatedly said he doesn’t view receiver as a top priority to address right now, even with Michael Thomas recovering from surgery and Deonte Harris bracing for a possible suspension. Instead, the Saints want to use those resources to address another need, like cornerback.

Another recent free agent acquisition was defensive back Brian Poole, who Underhill reports also signed for the veteran minimum ($987,500 for a player of his experience). That pushes Ian Book’s rookie cap hit of $828,396 down below the top-51 threshold along with Hogan’s. The details on Kendall Donnerson’s contract have yet to be reported, but it’s likely he too signed for the veteran minimum. And as we’ve seen, these late-summer additions are looking like bargains.

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Jets are serious about giving young cornerbacks a shot

Robert Saleh reiterated his commitment to the Jets’ cornerback group just as veterans like Brian Poole and Steven Nelson signed elsewhere.

Robert Saleh wasn’t kidding when he said the Jets weren’t going to bring in an experienced cornerback before training camp.

Two veteran free agents – Brian Poole and Steven Nelson – signed elsewhere just days before the Jets opened camp. That leaves the Jets with few quality options if they aren’t satisfied with their current collection of cornerbacks.

It sounds as if they are, though, as Robert Saleh recently reiterated his commitment to the Jets’ young defensive backs. He told the New York Post’s Steve Serby that he didn’t have any concerns about his secondary, which has a combined 35 starts between its five non-rookies.

“It’s a very young group,” Saleh said. Someone’s gonna come to fruition. Bryce Hall had a really nice OTA, Bless [Austin] was having a nice OTA, then he had a minor setback with an injury that kept him out. He’s good to go. Some of the rookies had a chance to showcase their skills.”

Rolling with such an inexperienced group is a major risk for a Jets defense that looks solid at every other position. Joe Douglas beefed up the defensive line with Carl Lawson, Vinny Curry and Sheldon Rankins, the linebackers are led by C.J. Mosley, and Marcus Maye and Lamarcus Joyner will patrol the deep secondary.

But Saleh will rely on his youthful corners to hold down the rest. Hall and Austin have limited experience, while second-year undrafted free agent Javelin Guidry is expected to take over in the nickel with Poole now in New Orleans. Lamar Jackson and Corey Ballentine could assume reserve roles similar to the ones they filled in 2020, but Saleh and Douglas are hoping at least one rookie overperforms this season.

Douglas drafted Jason Pinnock, Michael Carter II, and Brandin Echols and picked up Isaiah Dunn as an undrafted free agent. One of those four could earn a starting role in the secondary and all four of them could earn snaps if they have great camps.

Regardless, the Jets will enter the 2021 season with an incredibly inexperienced cornerback class. The hope is that they will develop nicely over the rest of the summer before taking on their former quarterback – Sam Darnold – in Week 1 when the Jets face the Panthers.

“We’ve got a really good young nucleus of guys that are gonna compete,” Saleh added, “and we’ll see how it goes.”

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Ex-Jets CB Brian Poole signs with Saints

Former Jets starting slot cornerback Brian Poole agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Saints on Sunday.

Brian Poole’s tenure with the Jets is officially over.

New York’s former starting slot cornerback inked a one-year deal with the Saints on Sunday. Poole will now return to the NFC South after starting his career with the Falcons.

The Jets struck gold when they picked Poole up off the scrap heap after Atlanta curiously let him go after the 2018 season. New York signed the former undrafted free agent to a one-year, $3.5 million deal in free agency and instantly reaped the benefits, as Poole was the team’s best cornerback in 2019 with 59 tackles, five pass deflections and one interception, which he returned for a touchdown.

2020 was a different story for Poole. The Florida product battled injuries throughout the year, suiting up for just nine games and making seven starts. He produced when healthy, though, posting 44 tackles, seven pass deflections and two interceptions.

In two seasons with the Jets, Poole totaled 103 tackles, 12 pass deflections, seven quarterback hits, six tackles for loss, three interceptions and one forced fumble.

With Poole off to New Orleans, New York seems content with Michael Carter II, Javelin Guidry and Brandin Echols battling it out for the starting slot position in Jeff Ulbrich’s defense during training camp and the preseason. Carter II and Guidry are the top contenders to win the gig, as New York was high on Carter II coming out of Duke and Guidry was solid in the role as an undrafted free agent last season.

Brian Poole is the exact sort of player the Saints have lost this offseason

The New Orleans Saints depth chart took a series of gut punches this offseason, but adding players like Brian Poole can help them recover:

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At first glance, the New Orleans Saints picking up Brian Poole doesn’t make a lot of sense. He’s a career slot corner with little experience lining up outside — making for a potential conflict with C.J. Gardner-Johnson, one of the team’s up-and-comers in the secondary. But a closer look and some context helps clarify the situation.

Let’s roll back the clock. New Orleans took a series of gut punches this offseason, losing key players from the middle of their roster like Sheldon Rankins, Josh Hill, Alex Anzalone, and Justin Hardee. Few of those losses hit the starting lineup or fantasy football squads across the Internet, but they do show up on gameday. Every one of those players has to be replaced by someone previously serving as their backup. And those backups are filled in by reserves, meaning the talent level takes a dip across the board.

So while Poole probably won’t have the same impact as, say, Trey Hendrickson or Janoris Jenkins or Emmanuel Sanders or even Jared Cook, he could very well help the defense as much as Rankins did last year. He’s played well for a few years in New York and made some splash plays when his number was called.

It’s unclear just yet where the Saints could slot him in (I swear that pun wasn’t intentional), but that isn’t the point: at this stage in the offseason, New Orleans just needs to raise its talent level. Having a proven veteran like Poole who does several things really well helps achieve that. Even if he doesn’t crack the starting lineup, he’s likely a better dime back than, say, P.J. Williams.

And we shouldn’t write Poole off as a backup too quickly. He’s put in quality reps in a tough situation as one of the Jets’ only NFL-quality defensive backs the last two years. There’s absolutely a scenario where his arrival convinces the Saints to try out Gardner-Johnson at the No. 2 corner spot, putting Poole in the slot to compete for that job with Williams or Patrick Robinson, both of whom have played their best football in that role. But until the Saints take the field, we won’t know for sure what the plan is.

As I just said — that isn’t the point. Getting good players on the roster and restocking the middle of the depth chart is critical. When injuries inevitably strike, having them waiting in the wings rather than an undrafted rookie or inexperienced practice squad call-up is the way to go. Poole alone won’t get to the Saints back to the playoffs. But bringing him in is part of a big step towards that goal. Let’s see what New Orleans does next.

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Report: Saints to sign veteran defensive back Brian Poole

Former Falcons and Jets DB Brian Poole is set to join the New Orleans Saints, and his arrival could allow C.J. Gardner-Johnson to move around:

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Some help for the secondary is on the way: NFL insider Josina Anderson reports that defensive back Brian Poole expects to sign a one-year contract with the New Orleans Saints on Monday, July 26. Poole, 28, spent the last two years with the New York Jets, though his 2020 season was cut short with a shoulder injury after nine games.

What’s interesting here is that Poole has primarily defended the slot throughout his NFL career. Per Pro Football Focus, 359 of his 482 snaps (74%) on defense came over the slot; in 2019, that trend continued with 628 of his 749 defensive snaps (83%) starting from the slot.

That’s the alignment where fiery Saints safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson has had the most success, so maybe New Orleans envisions moving Gardner-Johnson around more in his third year with the team — possibly playing out on the boundary opposite Marshon Lattimore. The Saints still don’t have an easy replacement in the building for Janoris Jenkins at the No. 2  cornerback spot, and Gardner-Johnson could be as viable an option as anyone else they have. But what’s clear is that Poole is a slot specialist.

If Poole’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he started his career with the NFC South-rival Atlanta Falcons. He totaled 196 tackles (145 solo, 11 tackles for loss) in 47 games over three years with Atlanta, also suiting up for five playoff contests. He’s intercepted 7 passes (four with the Falcons, three in New York) while racking up 31 passes defensed in his 70-game career.

What’s interesting is that he’s also been asking to rush the passer often on blitzes, and he’s had some success at it by averaging 7.6 pressures on 26.4 tries per year, with 5 career sacks. For context, Gardner-Johnson bagged 8 pressures on 38 blitzes last season. Poole is a good fit for Dennis Allen’s aggressive style and, if nothing else, should grant the Saints more flexibility in the secondary.

The contract terms are yet to be announced, but it’s unlikely to make a big impact on the Saints’ accounting books. New Orleans has more than $11 million in salary cap space, and the reported one-year deal for Poole shouldn’t be too hefty. As far as scheme fit and finances go, this looks like a smart pairing. We just need to see how his arrival impacts Gardner-Johnson’s responsibilities, if at all, once the Saints kick off training camp next week.

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