Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Best and worst Saints PFF player grades from Week 13 vs. Cowboys
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The New Orleans Saints kept it close with the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night thanks to big performances from Kwon Alexander and Marshon Lattimore, who were both rated highly in the postgame grading from Pro Football Focus. Here are the best and worst game grades from PFF:
Saints put up a good fight, but fall to Cowboys 27-17 in Week 13
It wasn’t enough to win the day, but the New Orleans Saints fought hard enough to keep it close with the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night. Down 20-10 midway through the fourth quarter, a timely interception by Marshon Lattimore gave them a second shot at life — and a huge fourth down conversion on a dart from Taysom Hill raised a lot of hopes, only for another tipped pass off of Hill’s injured throwing hand to fall into Cowboys possession. Dallas secured the win with a late pick-six, and New Orleans fell to 5-7 with a final score of 27-17. Here’s everything we know:
Deonte Harris appealing 3-game suspension following offseason DUI
Well the hits start coming and they don’t stop coming. The New Orleans Saints could be without their best wide receiver if his appeal for a three-game suspension from the NFL is unsuccessful. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Deonte Harris is in the process of appealing a suspension that would sideline him for three games, following the closure of his offseason DUI charge which resulted in a year of probation.
Harris leads the team in receiving yards (427) and has been their most consistent threat in the passing game, as well as their biggest weapon in returning punts and kickoffs. Losing him for any length of time is going to be a challenge to overcome given the state of the receiving corps.
But it’s something the Saints have planned for by signing slot receiver Malcolm Perry to the practice squad and trying out a group of free agents a few weeks ago. Everyone knew a suspension was coming following Harris’ offseason arrest. Now that the legal process has wrapped up, the NFL can move forwards with its own discipline.
Depending on how long the appeals process takes to unfold given the long holiday weekend, Harris could play next week against the Dallas Cowboys before being sidelined. But there’s little chance this suspension gets overturned given his cooperation in court. He’ll most likely end up serving the three-game suspension sooner or later — the only question is when, and how badly his absence hurts the team.
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NFL opens 2022 Pro Bowl voting; 28 Saints players are on the ballot
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The NFL opened fan voting for the 2022 Pro Bowl, with a number of New Orleans Saints players listed on the initial ballot (which you can find here). The list includes previous Pro Bowler like Cameron Jordan (six times), Alvin Kamara (four times), as well as Marshon Lattimore and Malcolm Jenkins (three times).
But it’s worth noting that this ballot is based off of recent in-game lineups, so players dealing with season-ending injuries like Jameis Winston aren’t included. Neither are some players who only recently returned to the lineup like David Onyemata. And nominal backups , like Pete Werner and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, have been left off in favor of teammates who are technically starters — such as Kaden Elliss, who plays sparingly as the team’s strongside linebacker.
This isn’t a perfect process (I’ve written about its flaws before), which is clear enough when you see that a couple of All-Pro players like Ryan Ramczyk and Demario Davis have never been voted into the Pro Bowl. Still, here are the players you can currently vote for:
Saints host training camp WR Jalen McCleskey for free agent tryout
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The Saints are working out WR Jalen McCleskey today, per source. He spent camp with the team before getting injured.
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) November 16, 2021
There’s a familiar face: NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill first reported Tuesday that the Saints are hosting wide receiver Jalen McCleskey for a free agent tryout. McCleskey joined the team for training camp this offseason and left a good impression, but a hamstring injury landed him on injured reserve back on Aug. 12. He was released with an injury settlement on Aug. 21, but now he’s healed up and ready to give it another go.
Hopefully he’s still showing the athleticism that enticed the Saints in the first place. He’s a good comparison for Deonte Harris as a lightweight speedster at 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds with a 4.28-second time in the 40-yard dash, and his smooth, gliding running style stood out in training camp.
But Harris could be suspended for three games after his offseason DUI case was closed last week, whenever the NFL gets around to it. And of the six different receivers to run even a single route for the Saints over the last three weeks, only Harris and Tre’Quan Smith have recorded 100 or more receiving yards during that span. They could use all the help they can get.
Here is what the depth chart currently looks like at wide receiver:
We’ll know if any other players tried out alongside McCleskey, or if anyone was signed after the workout, once the daily NFL transactions wire updates at 3 p.m. CT/4 p.m. ET. Stay tuned for updates. If the Saints do end up signing a new receiver the most likely move would be adding them to the practice squad and elevating them for two games before signing them to the active roster, which was the plan for both Stills and White.
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Deonte Harris received the best grade for Saints players on offense from Pro Football Focus, while Cesar Ruiz ranked lowest:
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So who can we blame for the New Orleans Saints’ Week 10 loss to the Tennessee Titans? And which heroes can we shout out for keeping the game close with a chance to win in the final minutes (or at least force overtime)? The analysts at Pro Football Focus are here to help with their Week 10 player grades, so here’s a quick look at the top five and bottom five ratings on both offense and defense:
Deonte Harris sentenced to 1-year probation; Saints WR facing 3-game suspension
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So this could be a problem. Deonte Harris was sentenced to a year of probation following an offseason arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol, per Amie Just of the Times-Picayune | Advocate. Now that his case has been closed, the NFL will be able to issue him a potential suspension.
The new collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and its players introduced in 2020 extended first-time suspensions for DUI arrests to three games rather than two, which was the previous standard. The league typically waits until a case is closed to hand down a suspension which explains why no suspension has been announced for Harris yet. We’re going to have to wait and see.
It couldn’t come at a worse time for the Saints, who have seen Harris climb the depth chart to become their most dynamic receiver. He leads the team with 46.1 receiving yards per game while also ranking first in the NFL with 27.6 yards per kickoff return (and second in punt return yards at 15.6 a pop, though opposing teams have only given him 7 returnable tries).
This follows news that Michael Thomas will not play in 2021 after a setback from ankle surgery, and a loss to the Atlanta Falcons in which the Saints’ receiving corps dropped between 3 and 7 passes, depending on which stats service you prefer. They need Harris in the worst way, but his decision to drink and drive this offseason, putting himself and others at risk — and the subsequent arrest — are hurting them.
At this point we don’t know when Harris will be suspended. Here’s how the rest of the Saints’ schedule shakes out:
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Sean Payton preaches faith in Saints WR’s: ‘I’m not interested in your PFF grades’
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Let’s start with the facts. The New Orleans Saints won’t have Michael Thomas leading their receiving corps this season.
Sean Payton acknowledged the Saints could need another receiver, admitting that the team looked into a couple different players before the NFL trade deadline. But ultimately they weren’t able to agree on trade compensation, so now they’re stuck with who they have.
And Payton offered maybe the tersest vote of confidence you’ll get out of a coach who knows he’s backed himself into a corner, saying: “I’m not interested in your PFF grades or any of that other stuff.” For anyone curious, the Saints have three receivers ranked inside the top-100 from Pro Football Focus: Deonte Harris (4th), Marquez Callaway (53rd), and the retired Chris Hogan (66th).
That’s a familiar refrain from Payton and Saints general manager Mickey Loomis, who have repeatedly said that they like their receiving corps better than the media or the team’s own fans do. Maybe they like the pastries Tre’Quan Smith and Kevin White bring to Monday meetings. Maybe Lil’Jordan Humphrey or Easop Winston Jr. make great small talk in the elevator. Whatever Payton and the team’s shot-callers like about the receivers, it can’t be what they’ve done on the field.
The Saints don’t have a single receiver who has averaged better than 50 yards per game. Harris comes closest, leading the team with 45.2 receiving yards per game, and he’s already missed one game this season with an injury. Harris has yet to play a full season (14 games in 2019, just 9 in 2020). He can’t be counted on to lead the passing game, and he shouldn’t be. That’s just not what he’s built for.
“I thought they had a good game last week,” Payton added, referring to the Saints’ win over the Buccaneers in which White led the team with 38 receiving yards. Harris, Smith, and Callaway tied for the team lead with 3 receptions each. Instead of anything meaningful or visible, he turned to coaching tropes: “Those guys are tough, they’re competitive, and I like them.”
Maybe Trevor Siemian and Taysom Hill can get more out of the receiving corps than Jameis Winston was able to. But we shouldn’t expect the Saints to change their run-heavy approach any time soon.
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Breaking down Saints’ final injury report for Week 8 vs. Buccaneers
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The New Orleans Saints filed their final injury report ahead of Week 8’s game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and ruled out a couple of key contributors, but others have a chance to play.
You can find Friday’s injury report here, and here’s everything we learned:
Saints injury report: Taysom Hill, Payton Turner out vs. Buccaneers
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The New Orleans Saints ruled out four players for Sunday’s matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, including quarterback Taysom Hill, defensive end Payton Turner, running back Dwayne Washington, and left guard Andrus Peat. Wide receiver Deonte Harris is questionable after practicing with a limited basis on Thursday and Friday due to a hamstring injury.
Here is the full injury report from both teams:
