Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Here are the top 11 remaining free-agent wide receivers:
If the Carolina Panthers can’t find pass-catching help in the trade market, then how does the open market currently look?
Here are the top 11 remaining free-agent wide receivers:
The Colts worked out a pair of WRs and a veteran DT on Tuesday.
The Indianapolis Colts held a workout for two wide receivers and a veteran defensive tackle, according to the league’s transaction wire Tuesday.
Among the players who worked out for the Colts included wide receivers Marquez Callaway and Bryan Edwards along with defensive tackle Marlon Davidson.
Considering the shoulder injury Alec Pierce is dealing with, it makes sense the Colts are seeing what is available on the market. They also signed Juwann Winfree to the active roster Tuesday so they may be preparing for Pierce to miss some time.
Working out Davidson likely coincides with the suspension that hit Grover Stewart for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy.
Davidson, 25, was a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft out of Auburn by the Atlanta Falcons. He missed the 2022 season due to a knee injury and spent the offseason with the San Francisco 49ers. In 19 career games (one start), Davidson has 29 tackles (14 solo), one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit, one sack and one interception.
The Saints waived veteran wide receiver Bryan Edwards after a penalty-filled preseason game with the Chargers:
This was expected after a rough preseason game: the New Orleans Saints waived veteran wide receiver Bryan Edwards before Tuesday’s practice session, not long after a rough outing from him in their preseason game with the Los Angeles Chargers. News of Edwards’ release was reported on the daily NFL transactions wire.
Edwards was twice fouled for illegal pick plays that wiped out would-be touchdown receptions by wideouts Shaq Davis and Jontre Kirklin, leading to a short 33-yard field goal on the possession. That’s inexcusable for someone with Edwards’ NFL experience.
He signed with the Saints on the veteran minimum, so this move leaves little to no salary cap impact on New Orleans. It was worth bringing Edwards in to see if he could reestablish the connection he had with Derek Carr on the Raiders, but an inconsistent summer ended with too many negative moments on a big stage. Best of luck to him in his next stop in pro football.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]
Jaylon Smith popped off the screen while Bryan Edwards had some costly penalties. 3 risers and 3 fallers from our Saints preseason stock watch | @southexclusives
The New Orleans Saints have one more week of preseason action remaining and are looking to end with a perfect 3-0 record. Before moving forward, let’s take a look back on Sunday’s game versus the Los Angeles Chargers. The Saints came out of the matchup victorious. Within the matchup, there were some standout players for good and bad reasons.
Let’s break down the players who rose their stock and the players who dropped their stock with their performance in Week 2 versus the Los Angeles Chargers.
Studs and Duds from New Orleans Saints’ 22-17 preseason win vs. Chargers: Who rose to the occasion, who fell short?
That was almost too close for comfort. The Los Angeles Chargers’ reserves had the New Orleans Saints defense on the ropes, somehow converting a massive fourth down with 23 yards to go, only to end the game with an interception off of backup quarterback Easton Stick. Saints defensive back Lonnie Johnson Jr. jumped the route on another fourth down later in the series, picking off Stick’s pass to seal the win.
So who rose to the occasion? Who fell short of expectations? Let’s break it down in our preseason Week 2 Studs and Duds:
Meet the Team: Who is Saints WR Bryan Edwards, and what’s expected of him in 2023? One of Derek Carr’s favorite targets is hoping to bounce back:
The New Orleans Saints didn’t exactly move mountains to accommodate Derek Carr, but it’s tough to look at some of their free agent signings and not think that it was a move to help make him happy. Some of Carr’s favorite targets have followed him from the Las Vegas Raiders to New Orleans, and one of them is hoping to reestablish himself as a playmaker in the NFL.
But who is Bryan Edwards? He’s fallen far from a breakout 2021 season with Carr and the Raiders, and this might be it for his pro career if he can’t bounce back with the Saints. Let’s get to know him a little better now that he’ll be wearing black and gold:
The New Orleans Saints head into the 2023 season with multiple questions on offense, starting with their play caller, via @crissy_froyd:
The New Orleans Saints undoubtedly have some work to do after finishing out the 2022 season with an overall record of 7-10, despite the fact that tied every team in the NFC South for the second-best within a disappointing division that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9) ultimately came out on top of.
Many of the team’s woes are centered around offensive performance that leaves much to be desired to say the least as the Saints came out at 19th in total offense at the conclusion of the season with an average of just under 334 yards per game.
Here’s a look into three questions the team needs to answer on the offensive side of the ball:
Rashid Shaheed switched to a unique new jersey number in his second year with the New Orleans Saints, going back to what he’s worn in college and high school:
There aren’t many wide receivers wearing jersey numbers in the 20’s, but one of them will be Rashid Shaheed. The second-year wide receiver is now listed in No. 22 on the team’s official website roster, having previously used No. 89 as a rookie in 2022.
It makes sense for him to change, though No. 22 is an odd look on a receiver. Shaheed wore that number in college at Weber State and at Mt. Carmel High School in San Diego, Calif. So for him this is just going back to what he’s most comfortable in. The jersey wasn’t available last year with Mark Ingram II having laid claim to it.
Could another change be on the way for one of his teammates? Bryan Edwards chose to wear No. 89 in his previous NFL stops and in college at South Carolina, and now that it’s free he could choose to switch out of the No. 11 he was initially listed in. We’ll see if he makes a move or chooses to stay in the jersey he’s already picked.
Thoughts on Rashid Shaheed in No. 22 jersey? pic.twitter.com/7oMIzgLrtd
— NOF (@nofnetwork) May 8, 2023
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]
[stnvideo key=”QJZA6aj8yG-2724514-7618″ type=”amp”]
Alontae Taylor is among many New Orleans Saints players wearing new jersey numbers. Here’s what you need to know about the veterans and rookie free agents making moves:
The New Orleans Saints updated their official website’s roster after the 2023 NFL draft to reflect a series of jersey number changes among players on their team, both veterans returning from last year’s squad and the undrafted rookies who are hoping to stick around. We’ve already broken down the jersey numbers for the Saints’ 2023 draft picks, but there are other changes worth noting.
But more changes are on the way. For one thing, fifth-round safety Jordan Howden is listed in the same number as backup running back Eno Benjamin (No. 31). Once the Saints process roster cuts later this summer, other numbers will open up and some guys will make last-minute changes. So maybe hold off on ordering a jersey.
One of the most notable changes is for second-year cornerback Alontae Taylor. He started his Saints career wearing No. 27, but he’s now listed in No. 1, which his former teammate at Tennessee Marquez Callaway wore with the Saints last season. That’s a bold choice for a young player aiming for a starting job.
Another new addition, wide receiver Bryan Edwards, is going with No. 11 after previously using No. 89 (which was already claimed by his Saints teammate Rashid Shaheed). And we already know that backup safety Ugo Amadi, signed in March, has laid claim to the coveted No. 0 zero (for now). Here’s a quick look at the new numbers on the team:
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:
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.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]
[stnvideo key=”2wdDAeIhpf-2642848-7618″ type=”float”]
