Tag: Demario Davis

Tyrann Mathieu eager to reunite with Willie Gay: ‘The city is going to love him’

Tyrann Mathieu is eager to reunite with his former Chiefs teammate Willie Gay, who he sees as a great fit in New Orleans: ‘The city is going to love him’

Tyrann Mathieu is eager to reunite with Willie Gay. The Kansas City Chiefs linebacker joined Mathieu (and other old teammates like Tanoh Kpassagnon, Khalen Saunders, and Ugo Amadi) on the New Orleans Saints this offseason, and Mathieu says he believes Gay will be a great fit. He discussed what the free agent pickup has to offer on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast.

“It’s amazing. Like coach says, it clears up the picture for you,” Mathieu said, considering the role Gay will play in Dennis Allen’s defense. “He is athletic, man. I think in the game today, when you have linebackers who can run just as fast as a slot receiver, who can handle the Darren Wallers in space, like it gives your defense an advantage, you know what I mean?”

The Saints had some trouble guarding tight ends and slot receivers last year. Pete Werner struggled in those assignments, and Gay will be competing with him for the starting job next to Demario Davis. Pro Football Focus charting found Werner allowed a career-high 470 receiving yards last season (another outlet, Pro Football Research, had him at 450), mostly to tight ends like Waller, T.J. Hockenson, and Luke Musgrave. Gay gives them a better option in those matchups.

Mathieu continued: “He’s going to be big-time for us. I think him coming in on a one-year deal, that’s going to allow him to be hungry, to be motivated. I already reached out to him, kind of talked to him, and let him know.”

And those movement skills in coverage make up just one area Mathieu points to as a strength. He also anticipates Gay bringing positive energy to the locker room, and for the linebacker to quickly endear himself to a new fanbase.

“The city is going to love him. Because he is so high energy, right, all day long. I think the fans are going to love him. Obviously the team will love him. He’s a good dude, a great teammate, he’s one of those linebackers that you’ve got to find a spot for him,” Mathieu said. “On third downs, can’t take him off the field.”

Gay himself has said he hopes to get on the field with Davis and Werner when the Saints run their base defense, but he might be their best bet at stopping the pass on third downs and in obvious passing situations, as Mathieu alluded to. That’s something they’ll be working to find out in training camp this summer. Wherever he’s lining up, Gay is expected to make a positive impact. Those expectations are coming from veteran teammates like Mathieu.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

B/R writer suggest Saints should throw in the towel ahead of NFL draft

The one piece of advice Bleacher Report gave to the Saints ahead of the 2024 NFL draft: get ready to give up, go into a rebuild, and start over:

It almost goes without saying by now that the 2024 NFL draft is going to be pivotal for the New Orleans Saints, but it doesn’t hurt to use more examples to drive that point home. Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon shared one piece of advice for every team going into this year’s draft, but his take on the Saints’ best path forward isn’t exactly encouraging.

“Be prepared to throw in the towel and start the rebuild,” Gagnon wrote, “because it has to happen eventually and this roster still isn’t good enough.”

As pessimistic as that may sound, let’s address the sentiment with the same level of bluntness. The Saints aren’t far from this being their reality. A year from now the Saints could be in a rebuild wishing they had started it a year early. With the age of Demario Davis (35), Cameron Jordan (34), and Tyrann Mathieu (31), New Orleans could be forced into this at any time. Their defense needs an injection of young talent.

Today is not the day. Dennis Allen has done nothing to afford the luxury of being the Saints’ head coach to lead them through a rebuild. That process should come with a new coach and new quarterback. This is Derek Carr’s second year in black and gold. He’ll get another year to right the ship after the Saints restructured his contract, tying themselves to him tighter.

The Saints can still compete for the NFC South title and aren’t far from being able to win a playoff game. They dismantled the same Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that dismantled the Philadelphia Eagles just a few weeks later. They aren’t competing for any Super Bowls, but they aren’t a bottom-feeder who should throw in the towel. The way their roster is constructed, they couldn’t reboot right now even if they wanted to. The NFC South is still within their reach and that goal will prevent them from throwing in the towel as Gagnon suggests.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Cameron Jordan had ankle surgery, on track for offseason program

A midseason ankle injury slowed Cameron Jordan down in a big way last year. He’s since had surgery, and isn’t expected to miss a day of the Saints’ offseason program:

It’s no secret that Cameron Jordan didn’t look like himself in 2023. He played in all 17 games but only bagged two sacks and three tackles for loss, the lowest totals since his rookie season way back in 2011. The New Orleans Saints defensive end underwent offseason surgery to get right. Both Jordan and his coaches blame his poor production on that midseason ankle injury, but head coach Dennis Allen doesn’t expect him to miss any time in spring training while healing up.

“I don’t think it’s going to be anything that’s going to keep him out of the spring,” Allen told reporters at NFL owners meetings this week. Teams with returning head coaches, like the Saints, are allowed to open their offseason program on April 15.

While he doesn’t anticipate any setbacks from this ankle surgery, Allen did point out that the team plans on lightening Jordan’s offseason work to keep him fresh and rested when the season kicks off in September.

Allen continued: “I do think when you have a guy like Cam who’s getting a little older, how much do we do with him in the spring, how much do we do with him in training camp, I think those are all things that we’ve got to take into account when we’re dealing with a more veteran player.”

Jordan will turn 35 in June, making him one of the oldest players in the NFL along with his teammate Demario Davis. Their only senior among the league’s defenders is Calais Campbell. Left tackle Trent Williams and quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, and Russell Wilson are the other active players who can say they’re older than Jordan.

It isn’t unusual for the Saints to scale back practice reps for older players to save them for the regular season. They took that approach with Drew Brees in the final years of his career, too. Giving Jordan a day off here or there could pay off.

But the most important thing is recovering fully from this ankle injury. Jordan’s snap counts plummeted after he suffered both lower and higher ankle sprains in his left foot, and he wasn’t able to push the pocket on passing downs because of it. The hope is he can return to health and bounce back.

What complicates things is that both Jordan and the player he figures to split snaps with, Chase Young, are each recovering from surgeries. Any time they miss — and, again, Allen said Jordan should be back soon — is going to disrupt the chemistry in that group at defensive end. Hopefully everyone can heal up and get time in training camp to work together and develop a plan for attacking Week 1 in September.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Newly-signed Saints LB Willie Gay will compete for a starting job in 2024

Willie Gay was signed to be more than the Saints’ third linebacker. Look for him to compete with Pete Werner for a starting job next to Demario Davis:

When Willie Gay signed with the New Orleans Saints, he spoke about not being judged from a limited snap count in his final season with the Kansas City Chiefs. It was a clear indication that he believed he would come in and compete for a starting job. Players always feel that way, but head coach Dennis Allen affirmed that on Tuesday morning when speaking with reporters at the NFC coaches breakfast during league ownership meetings in Orlando, Fla.

Don’t expect it to be Demario Davis being pushed out of the lineup; he’s shown his 35 years here and there but is consistently playing at a high level. It’s Pete Werner who fell off last season, particularly against the pass. He was picked on in games against the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams.

Still, those struggles shouldn’t have been enough for Werner to lose his job after having a strong first two seasons in the league but adding competition is a good response from Allen. Werner struggled in space, and his athleticism was exploited. Athleticism is Gay’s trademark. That attribute doesn’t guarantee him to be the better player, but it is something to watch.

Gay may end up being the Saints’ strongside linebacker. With the lack of depth at the position, that is the likely outcome if he loses the competition. We could also see a rotation at weakside linebacker with Werner and Gay or Werner could lose his starting job altogether. The true story is the Saints saw enough of a decline in Werner’s performance to bring in competition. We’ll see where it goes from here when training camp kicks off in August.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Willie Gay Jr. eager to compete for snaps in Saints LB corps

Willie Gay Jr. looks forward to making plays with Demario Davis and Pete Werner, but he’ll push one of them off the field if need be:

What’s the vision for Willie Gay Jr.? The New Orleans Saints acted quickly to sign the Kansas City Chiefs linebacker when free agency opened up, and it’s obvious they needed another player in the group after losing Zack Baun to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Many of Gay’s strengths overlap with Pete Werner as a highly athletic linebacker who can run with tight ends and running backs in coverage, but with the quick processing ability to read the field and flow to the ball on running downs. Something he does better than others is tracking a mobile quarterback and limiting big plays with their legs, which has been a major weakness for Dennis Allen’s defense.

And how does Gay see himself fitting into a defense that plays more nickel and dime personnel than plays with its base 4-3? He considered the challenge when introducing himself to local media this week.

“They have two great linebackers right now. Pete going into year four, Pete has been playing amazing, I’ve been watching him since we both were young bucks,” Gay said, noting that he came into the NFL just a year after Werner made the jump. “And of course Demario, he’s a Mississippi guy, from Brandon, Mississippi. I’ve been watching Demario since eighth grade. So just to be able to be on the field with those guys, whenever, definitely I know I’ve got to earn my stripes whatever position that may be, however many reps it may be, I’m excited for it.”

He’s open to anything, characterizing this experience as “a clean slate for me.” But Gay knows he’ll have to work for snaps. And with both him and Werner entering a prove-it year as pending free agents for 2025, he’ll have to fight hard through training camp to carve out a role not just this season, but beyond.

“I mean of course we’ll be competing for snaps, it happened to me last year, my fourth year of my contract,” Gay replied when asked about the training camp battle brewing. “Not to take food off anybody else’s plate but you definitely want to just get in, get to the point where you’re playing — me personally, more than I was last year.”

Gay totaled 698 defensive snaps in 19 games last  year (including the playoffs) for Kansas City, which averages out to 36.7 snaps per game. Compare that to the Saints linebackers:

  • Demario Davis: 1,074 snaps in 17 games (63.2)
  • Pete Werner: 919 snaps in 16 games  (57.4)
  • Zack Baun: 303 snaps in 17 games (17.8)
  • Nephi Sewell: 59 snaps in 7 games (8.4)

He won’t fill the same role as Baun on the strong side, often working as a designated pass rusher; Gay is at his best making plays in space either at the middle spot or on the weak side, where Werner and Davis trade off from one down to the next. So he’ll be looking to displace one of them to earn more reps. Maybe that means scaling back Davis as he ages, or going with a more confident coverage player and rotating Gay in for Werner on passing downs.

But if Gay had it his way, the Saints would just run their base personnel more often so all three of them could share the field: “I actually want to get out there, show what I can do, any way that’s possible. Us three on the field, we had a good room with the Chiefs, but me, Demario, and Pete, I feel like we can make something happen. I’m excited, that’s for sure.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Demario Davis agrees to an extension with the Saints

Contrary to some bad reporting, the Saints are going to sign an extension with Demario Davis which will let him play out his career in black and gold:

What’d we tell you? Contrary to some bad reporting suggesting the New Orleans Saints were going to have to trade Demario Davis, ESPN’s Adam Schefter says that the Saints reworked their deal with the All-Pro linebacker to insure he’ll retire in black and gold.

It’s an extension very similar to what Tyrann Mathieu received from the Saints last week. Schefter reports that Davis’ new deal is a two-year, $17.25 million contract with $13.25 million in guarantees. The NFL’s oldest starting linebacker (he turned 35 in January) is on the same timeline as Mathieu and defensive end Cameron Jordan, who are all now signed for 2024 and 2025, with the possibility of retirement in 2026.

Davis was set to count against the salary cap by $18,193,000 in 2024, which was the final year of his contract. Instead, that number should fall to about $9.5 million, but stay tuned for details to clarify exactly where his cap hit lands. The Saints were in the red by just $10.7 million prior to reworking his deal so they should be knocking on the door of salary cap compliance after this.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Saints are likelier to extend Demario Davis’ contract than trade him

The Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora reports that the Saints are seeking to trade linebacker Demario Davis, but he’s likelier to sign an extension with New Orleans:

Could the New Orleans Saints trade Demario Davis? That’s what Jason La Canfora is reporting for the Washington Post, chalking it up to the team’s complicated salary cap situation.

“The Saints are pushing to find a trade partner for cornerback Marshon Lattimore and linebacker Demario Davis, two linchpins of their defense, according to people in the industry,” La Canfora wrote.

Davis currently has a salary cap hit north of $18.1 million, third-highest on the team, and trading him would only save about $4.9 million.  He’s the NFL’s oldest starting linebacker at 35 but he’s won four consecutive spots on the Associated Press’ All-Pro team, with back-to-back appearances at the Pro Bowl Games. He hasn’t slowed down yet.

If they’re so worried about the cap (and they aren’t; New Orleans’ reported moves have them in the red by just $10.9 million) the Saints would save almost twice as month money with a standard restructure: $8.09 million. And they’d still have Davis on the roster. He is entering the final year of his deal so there’s a risk of him leaving a lot of dead money behind next year by taking that route.

Which brings us to the possibility of an extension. Cutting a new deal with Davis would save even more money (around $8.6 million) by redoing his contract and spreading his already-guaranteed money out while insuring he’ll get to retire in black and gold. That’s the approach they took with Tyrann Mathieu (and Cameron Jordan last summer), and it makes sense to use the same mechanisms with Davis. He’s an important leader and playmaker on their defense.

You should never say never in the NFL, but the money alone makes trading Davis a bad idea for the Saints. Combine that with his contract status, his still-impressive level of play, and the options available to them and it’s tough to draw the same conclusions La Canfora came away with. The only certainty is that Davis can’t be playing for New Orleans this year as his contract is currently written. Whether it’s another restructure, extension, or something else, something’s got to give.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Updated Saints salary cap space after extending Tyrann Mathieu

How did extending Tyrann Mathieu and tendering Rashid Shaheed impact the Saints’ salary cap? Here’s an update on how much more space New Orleans must clear:

It isn’t really accurate to say we’re updating the New Orleans Saints’ salary cap space situation — the team doesn’t have any space under the cap right now because they’re still over the cap by about $10.7 million. But a couple of recent moves have changed the situation, so let’s take stock of where things currently stand.

Per Over The Cap’s experts, the Saints are currently in the red by an estimated $10,602,3364. Now that only reflects the information and roster moves which have been made publicly available. It’s very possible that the Saints have already checked all their boxes and reached cap compliance without leaking anything to the media. It’s not like they’re frantically working to beat the deadline (next Wednesday at 3 p.m. CT).

And two recent moves changed that projection. The Saints signed starting safety Tyrann Mathieu to a new two-year contract valued at $13.5 million, with a salary cap hit of just $5,567,000 for 2024. That pushed them down to a nearly-level $10.5 million level over the spending limit.

But another shoe dropped when the Saints tendered Pro Bowl returns specialist Rashid Shaheed, an exclusive rights free agent. That costs $985,000 against the cap. Because only the top 51 cap hits count on the books at this time of the year, Shaheed pushed a lesser-valued contract of $795,000 (there’s six different players all carrying that number) beneath the threshold. So the true cost to the cap was only $190,000, meaning the Saints are in the red by $10,792,634.

At least at the time of writing. More moves are on the way. Obvious dominoes yet to fall include cap hits for right tackle Ryan Ramczyk ($27 million), running back Alvin Kamara ($18.7 million), linebacker Demario Davis ($18.1 million) and do-it-all weapon Taysom Hill ($15.7 million). There are other levers the Saints can pull if they really want to max out their cap resources, but those are the big ones to watch.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

NC State’s Payton Wilson could be a great Demario Davis understudy

NC State linebacker Payton Wilson could be a great fit for the Saints. He’s hoping to learn from a veteran in the NFL, and there isn’t one better than Demario Davis:

How important is it for the New Orleans Saints to spend a high draft pick on a linebacker this year? With Demario Davis being the oldest linebacker in the NFL and Pete Werner’s development stalling out — while Zack Baun has a good chance at leaving for a better scheme fit in free agency — you could rank it pretty high among the team’s needs. Davis is entering a contract year, too.

Enter Payton Wilson: arguably the most experienced linebacker in the draft, who is confident he’s this year’s best athlete, too. He’ll have an opportunity to prove it when the linebackers go through speed and agility drills on Thursday night at the NFL Scouting Combine.

But Wilson credits his college success to developing his understanding of the game, and he knows there’s still plenty he needs to learn. When he turns pro, he hopes to find a mentor and soak up every lesson he can like a sponge. We’ll let him tell it.

“I’m going into a whole different world where I’m going to play against literally the smartest players to ever play the game,” Wilson said Wednesday during his media availability session. “Whenever I get to an NFL team I’m going to find the closest vet that I can to me, I’m going to model my routine after them. I’m going to get in the film room with them every single day. I don’t believe you can play fast until you know what’s going on. I personally believe once I know the defense like the back of my hand and my football IQ is where it needs to be, I can be one of the best.”

And there are few better veterans to learn from than Davis. The two-time Pro Bowler and frequent All-Pro linebacker has enjoyed more success in the back half of his career after coming to New Orleans and thriving in Dennis Allen’s defense. Wilson, who weighed in at 6-foot-3 and 233 pounds, sure sounds like a worthy protege after overcoming adversity with a couple of injuries.

Wilson persevered through two ACL tears (one in high school, another at NC State) and shoulder surgery (in 2022), but his medical checks at the combine came back clean and he says feedback from NFL teams was positive. He’s currently seen as someone who could be picked in the second round but his stock could rise through the pre-draft process.

In his career, Wilson has logged more than 2,400 snaps across 47 games for the Wolfpack while recording 48 tackles for loss and intercepting seven passes. And he was recognized as the recipient of the Butkus Award and the Chuck Bednarik Award after his 2023 senior season. He has all the ability in the world, and he’s hoping to land in the right situation to cultivate it in the NFL. Learning from Davis might be the best fit for him.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Next steps for the Saints after NFL sends 2024 salary cap to the moon

The NFL’s heightened 2024 salary cap brings a big boost for the Saints. They’re a couple of moves away from reaching cap compliance:

The NFL’s heightened 2024 salary cap brings a big boost for the New Orleans Saints. With the cap taking an unprecedented $30 million jump this offseason, the Saints are just a couple of moves away from reaching cap compliance — and then some. They’ll be able to clear enough room to make some noise in free agency and enter the bidding for talented veterans.

With the NFL announcing that this year’s salary cap is set at a record $255.4 million, the experts at Over The Cap estimate the Saints to be in the red by a little over $40 million. That’s less than half of the $83 million hole New Orleans sat in entering the offseason. But there’s more work to be done. Here’s how the Saints can clear their remaining negative cap space and open up more resources to take into free agency: