Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The New Orleans Saints ask a lot of their defense, and strong individual performances have come through for them. Here are the top 10 at PFF:
The New Orleans Saints ask a lot of their defense, and strong individual performances have come through for them. Dennis Allen’s squad has pulled its weight thanks to the efforts of some proud veterans and ascendant young pros.
Here are the top 10 player grades at Pro Football Focus through Week 10:
The Saints opened a spot on their practice squad for Jason Pierre-Paul by releasing recently-signed defensive end Jordan Willis:
Jason Pierre-Paul’s turn with the New Orleans Saints will start on the practice squad. Already at capacity with 16 players under contract, the Saints opened a spot for him by releasing recently-acquired defensive end Jordan Willis; signed last week as a free agent, Willis was not activated for Week 10’s road game with the Minnesota Vikings.
Like Pierre-Paul, Willis was someone with experience in NFL games who could have helped out in the rotation while young draft picks like Isaiah Foskey and Payton Turner were on the mend. But the Saints believed Pierre-Paul had more to offer, and there’s no arguing with the benefits of greater pro experience. So they made a change.
But will Pierre-Paul get into games coming out of the bye week? Cameron Jordan and Carl Granderson have dominated snaps this season with Tanoh Kpassagnon rotating in behind them, and backup defensive end Kyle Phillips played just five snaps last week in Minnesota. They didn’t sign Pierre-Paul just for him to go through the motions in practice, so look for him to get some opportunities in obvious passing situations after the break.
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CBS Sports insider Josina Anderson reports that free agent defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul plans to sign with the New Orleans Saints after a productive workout:
There’s that pass rush help the New Orleans Saints were looking for. Free agent defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul is planning to sign with the Saints, as first reported by CBS Sports insider Josina Anderson. Pierre-Paul was flown into New Orleans on Monday for a workout which went well enough for the Saints to offer him a contract.
“I killed the workout,” Pierre-Paul told Anderson before putting pen to paper. “You can tell I’ve been active (and) not just sitting around. The head coach called me in his office to talk about it. I’m still figuring things out.”
Pierre-Paul, 34, was a first round draft pick by the New York Giants back in 2010; the South Florida product went on to earn three Pro Bowl nods and All-Pro recognition in 2011, totaling 94.5 sacks and 21 forced fumbles in 179 regular season games. He most recently played for the Baltimore Ravens after a four-year run with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
We’ll see whether Pierre-Paul is going to sign with the Saints’ practice squad or 53-man roster. Either way, he’ll be available for their next game with the Atlanta Falcons after coming out of the Week 11 bye. New Orleans has rostered Cameron Jordan, Carl Granderson, Tanoh Kpassagnon, Kyle Phillips, and Isaiah Foskey (who is dealing with an injury) while stashing Niko Lalos and Jordan Willis on the practice squad, so someone will get bumped out of the rtoation to make room for him. Stay tuned for official word that the deal has been completed.
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The New Orleans Saints hosted free agent pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul for a workout, looking to add juice to their defensive front:
Well this is interesting: the New Orleans Saints hosted free agent pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul for a workout at the team facility on Monday, per the daily NFL transactions wire. Pierre-Paul, 34, recently expressed interest in signing up with a playoff contender — and the Saints, who go on into their bye week on top of the NFC South standings, match that description.
Pierre-Paul fits the athletic prototype the Saints value at defensive end, weighing in at 6-foot-5 and 275 pounds, and he brings some proven production. He generated 22 quarterback pressures in a part-time role last year with the Baltimore Ravens after posting totals of 29, 65, 44, and 46 in four years with the division-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He would likely be playing behind Cameron Jordan and Carl Granderson in New Orleans (and maybe Tanoh Kpassagnon, too) but both of the young edge rushers the Saints have drafted in recent years are currently sidelined with injuries. It’s worth adding Pierre-Paul to the mix at least until Isaiah Foskey and Payton Turner can return to the field, and maybe longer if they can’t outplay him. We’ll have to wait and see if the Saints can reach an agreement with Pierre-Paul, but there’s clearly interest.
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We’re analyzing what went right and what went wrong in the New Orleans Saints’ Week 8 win over the Indianapolis Colts. And what’s the bottom line?
Finally: the New Orleans Saints offense was firing on all cylinders against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, powering the team to a badly-needed win. That’s not to say everything went perfectly. The Colts were in control early on, and some crucial self-inflicted wounds by the Saints kept Indianapolis around longer than they should have.
So let’s break it down by asking and answering three questions:
What went right?
What went wrong?
And what’s the bottom line?
Studs and Duds from Saints’ 31-24 loss to the Jaguars: Defense fights hard, Derek Carr and Chris Olave leave a lot to be desired
We saw more fight from the New Orleans Saints than anyone expected on Thursday night, though it wasn’t enough to come away with a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Saints fell 31-24 in Week 7 and they’re now 3-4 on the season with a tough projection ahead of them. Each of their next three games look like easy wins, but that’s been said about other matchups on their schedule to date. Nothing is easy for this Saints team.
But who made a different on Thursday night — for good or bad? Who stood out for positive and negative reasons? Let’s break down this week’s Studs and Duds:
Here are five Saints players the Jaguars will need to watch out for Thursday night:
Just like that, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ short week is over, and they’ll be playing the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night.
The Jaguars have been playing their best football of the season, while the Saints have been up and down. Jacksonville has won its past three games, but New Orleans lost three of its last four games.
Despite their difference in recent fortune, the Saints will still be a tough matchup. New Orleans has talent up and down its roster, it just hasn’t fully meshed as a unit yet.
Here are five Saints players who could cause problems for the Jaguars in their Week 7 meeting:
Who stood out — for good or bad? Breaking down our Studs and Duds from the Saints’ disappointing Week 6 loss to the Texans:
Who stood out this week — for good or bad? We’re breaking down our Studs and Duds from the New Orleans Saints’ disappointing Week 6 loss to the Houston Texans:
C.J. Stroud hasn’t thrown an interception yet in his career. The impressive rookie versus a talented Saints secondary is one of several key matchups in Week 6:
The New Orleans Saints travel to face the Houston Texans. The Saints are looking to sustain the momentum from last week’s game. Despite the offensive explosion, the strength of the team is still their defense. For that reason, two of the three feature the New Orleans defense. The Texans feature an offense led by rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, a front runner for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Though the offense takes a lot of shine, the Texans come in with a strong defense as well. They’re led by first year head coach DeMeco Ryans, and he has his defense playing stout. Similar to the Saints, a strong suit of this defense is the ability to keep points off the board. Here are the three matchups to watch this week in Saints versus Texans.
We’ve got our Studs and Duds from the Saints’ much-needed Week 5 win over the Patriots:
It’s tough to criticize a team after such a lopsided win, but the New Orleans Saints maintain high standards and so should we. We’re recapping the game with our Week 5 Studs and Duds, highlighting peak performers and those who left a bit to be desired.
Here’s who stood out (for good and bad) after Sunday’s 34-0 win over the New England Patriots:
