Tag: Clancy Barrone

Countdown to Kickoff: Jesper Horsted is the Saints Player of Day 79

There isn’t a No. 79 on the Saints right now, but Jesper Horsted just signed and chose his jersey number. He’s our Saints Player of the Day as we count down to kickoff:

We’re counting down the days until the New Orleans Saints kick off their 2024 regular season with the Carolina Panthers, and while normally we’d be highlighting the player of the day in the corresponding jersey number (or a fan-favorite from the past who used it, when one isn’t available), we’re doing things a little different today.

Tight end Jesper Horsted has chosen to wear the No. 88 jersey with the Saints, and because he signed so recently he’s our pick; no one had taken it when we reached Day 88 in our countdown, and he had yet to sign with the team. Coincidentally, there also isn’t currently a No. 79 on the roster. We’ll take this opportunity to highlight Horsted, so let’s get to know him a little better.

  • Name (Age): Jesper Horsted (27)
  • Position: Tight end
  • Height, weight: 6-foot-3, 237 pounds
  • Relative Athletic Score: 4.70
  • 2024 salary cap hit: $985,000
  • College: Princeton
  • Drafted: Undrafted in 2019 (Chicago Bears)
  • NFL experience: 5 years

Horsted’s connection to the Saints runs through tight ends coach Clancy Barrone — who held the same position in Chicago when the Bears signed him as a rookie free agent. He’s primarily played special teams in the NFL (527 career snaps, including a career-high 216 last year with the Las Vegas Raiders) and that might be his path to making the team.

But the Saints signed Horsted after a foot injury sidelined Juwan Johnson for much of the summer. Like Johnson, he’s known as more of a pass-catching tight end than a blocker, so expect him to pick up the slack in receiving drills once training camp begins in late July. Guys like Michael Jacobson and Dallin Holker are ahead of him on the depth chart, but this is also an opportunity for Foster Moreau and Tommy Hudson to show the coaching staff they have hands, too.

Ultimately it’s on Horsted to prove he can handle a range of assignments and win the job as their third tight end behind Johnson and Moreau when roster cuts are decided at the end of August. He may have joined the team as a temporary fill-in because of an injury to another player, but that doesn’t  have to define his time on the team. Let’s see how he chooses to write his story.

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No surprise: Touchdown Wire ranks Bears offense among worst in NFL

There’s no sugarcoating just how terrible the Bears’ offense was last season, and they’ll look to right the ship in 2020.

There’s no sugarcoating just how terrible the Chicago Bears’ offense was last season. Considering it was the offense’s second year in Matt Nagy’s system, there was supposed to be a better understanding, which should’ve translated to better results on the field.

Instead what followed was a complete regression due to the failures of several factors, including quarterback, tight ends, offensive line, lack of a run game and play-calling.

Here’s where the Bears ranked among three significant offensive categories last season — and it’s as ugly as you’d assume.

  • Points Per Game: 17.5 (29th in NFL)
  • Yards Per Game: 296.8 (29th in NFL)
  • Yards Per Play: 4.7 (30th in NFL)

In what should come as no surprise, Touchdown Wire ranked the Bears’ offense among the worst in the NFL, clocking in at No. 29. They were behind only the Washington Redskins, New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals.

This is a quarterback-driven league. And right now, the Chicago Bears have a quarterback dilemma. Rather than take a leap forward in his second season under head coach Matt Nagy, Mitchell Trubisky took a step or two backward, and the Bears’ offense followed. While the organization maintains they have confidence in the rising fourth-year passer, all of their actions indicate they are hedging their bets. The Bears traded for Nick Foles, and declined Trubisky’s fifth-year option. There are pieces in place, especially the talented Allen Robinson at wide receiver, but until the quarterback position is sorted out, questions will remain.

The Bears have spent this offseason addressing the weaknesses of the offense, including bringing in former Super Bowl MVP quarterback Nick Foles to compete with Mitchell Trubisky. Chicago upgraded at the tight end position with the free-agent addition of Jimmy Graham and second-round pick Cole Kmet. They brought in veteran Germain Ifedi, who figures to assume the starting right guard following Kyle Long’s retirement.

Nagy also brought in four new offensive coaches, each specializing in an area of the offense that struggled in 2019. Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, offensive line coach Juan Castillo and tight ends coach Clancy Barrone will work with Nagy to fix these position groups and right the ship on offense.

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