Tag: former Saints

At least one of Teddy Bridgewater’s former teams won’t be signing him this season

Teddy Bridgewater has his eyes on an NFL comeback, but it doesn’t sound like one of his former teams is interested, at least not until after the 2024 season:

Former New Orleans Saints backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has his eyes on an NFL comeback after leading his Miami Northwestern High School alma mater to a state championship win, but one of his former teams won’t be signing him, at least before the 2024 season is over.

You’d think the hometown Miami Dolphins would be open to signing him given proximity, Tua Tagovailoa’s injury history and the spotty play of his backups, but head coach Mike McDaniel didn’t suggest anything is imminent when asked about it.

“He’s a young, spry 32,” McDaniel told reporters on Wednesday. “He has years in him. So we’ll see if the comedown stays consistent from his championship win. I support him doing whatever. He’s one of my favorites.”

McDaniel added that he and many of Bridgewater’s former teammates were watching Miami Northwestern’s title game after keeping tabs on them throughout the season, and while he’s a fan of the quarterback a change to the depth chart isn’t something on his mind.

“I’ve been preparing for the San Francisco 49ers. Outside of shooting a text of congratulations to him, it’s not his style to even enter into those conversations before the season’s over anyway just because he knows other guys are trying to do their jobs as well. But I’m sure we’ll connect when the season’s over, I’ll be very interested to see if he’s still in the same mindset,” McDaniel continued.

So while it sounds like there’s a chance for Bridgewater to return to the pros in Miami, that won’t be happening until after the Super Bowl in February, at least given where everyone currently stands. Bridgewater’s stated goal has been to join a team for the rest of the 2024 season (and potentially the playoffs) before returning to coach high school ball in February. Those timelines don’t line up. If the Dolphins aren’t interested in signing Bridgewater for the rest of the regular season, maybe another team he’s played for before like the Saints or Detroit Lions could be a better fit.

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Former Saints DB has standout performance in first game with his new team

Former Saints safety Marcus Maye was cut by the Dolphins this week, but signed with the Chargers and had a standout performance against the Falcons:

Former New Orleans Saints safety Marcus Maye has had a whirlwind of a week. He was cut by the Miami Dolphins early in the week, and then signed by the Los Angeles Chargers to fill in for safety Alohi Gilman who went on IR.

And in his first game with the Chargers, Maye had a very strong showing, ending the game with 3 tackles, an interception in the endzone, and a pass deflection. On top of that, he also broke up a pass on the last drive to Drake London, getting his hand between London and the ball, and forcing it away.

Maye did not get an exceptional amount of playing time with the Dolphins, as despite playing in 11 games, he only had three starts, with 293 defensive snaps (43%) and 111 special teams snaps (39%). These 293 snaps were lower than his 2021 total of 362 in only six games played for reference, so he had seen the field sparingly rather than as a full-time safety.

On top of all of that, he contributed to a 17-13 Chargers win over the Atlanta Falcons, with his interception being one of four off of Kirk Cousins in the game. This pushed the Falcons down to a 6-6 record, and helped the Chargers up to a 8-4 record. He is helping the Saints from beyond the roster, and giving them a chance to get back into the race for the NFC South division lead.

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Here’s when Marshon Lattimore will play the Saints with his new team

Now-former New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore will return to the Caesars Superdome with his new team in December:

The New Orleans Saints’ trade of Marshon Lattimore to the Washington Commanders is complete, and now they will have to face him sooner rather than later. The Commanders have a Dec. 15 date set with the Saints in the Caesars Superdome for a matchup that will likely end up not going the way of New Orleans based on their performances this season.

With the Commanders sitting at 7-2 and atop the NFC East, a matchup with the 2-7 bottom of the NFC South Saints is likely not much of a threat, especially now with their new defensive powerhouse Marshon Lattimore.

This will be the first matchup between these teams since 2021 when the Saints beat the Washington Football team 33-22 in one of their transition years. Overall, however, Washington leads this series all-time with a 17-11-0 record, despite the Saints winning the last three games. In that 2021 matchup, Lattimore held Terry McLaurin to 4 receptions for 46 yards during what was likely the peak of both of their careers statistically. He will now have his first shot at the Saints only a month after being traded away.

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Former Saints first-round pick Marcus Davenport likely out for the season

Unfortunately, Marcus Davenport can’t escape the injury bug. The former Saints first-round pick is likely out for the season after suffering a torn triceps:

Former New Orleans Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport is likely out for the season after suffering a torn triceps in the Detroit Lions’ Week 3 overtime win against the Arizona Cardinals. Lions head coach Dan Campbell announced the bad news on Monday, and said the team will look for other opinions.

Unfortunately, Saints fans are too familiar with this series of events. The big defensive end dealt with many injuries that derailed his seasons in New Orleans. For many years Davenport was viewed as the talented player who couldn’t reach his ceiling due to poor health.

His injury history has only gotten worse since leaving the Saints after the 2022 season. Davenport’s next stop was the Minnesota Vikings. He only played four games in 2023, which was the lowest total of his career.

Davenport had already missed a game earlier in 2024 with a groin injury. If he does miss the rest of the season, Davenport will reset his career-low from four matchups to two games.

Things were never this bad in New Orleans. He played in at least 11 games every year in a Saints uniform. Regardless of how long he plays into a season, you hate to see this unfortunate trend continue for as long as it has for Davenport.

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0 more days until Saints’ season opener: Every player to wear No. 0

With our countdown to the Saints’ Week 1 kickoff completed, let’s take a look at the few players to wear No. 0 or No. 00:

The New Orleans Saints Week 1 matchup is upon us! The Saints will be taking on their division rival Carolina Panthers today, as they look to hopefully start the season off strong. With that, our daily countdown of jersey numbers has reached its end, as we take a look at the three players to wear the No. 0 or No. 00 for the Saints throughout their entire history.

It is worth noting that the Pro Football Reference page below does not track No. 00 as it was no longer allowed in the NFL as of 1973, and is still banned despite No. 0 being allowed again as of 2023. We will be adding Ken Burrough to this list, as one of only two players to ever wear No. 00 in the league, and a deserving addition to any all-time list.

Here are the players to wear No. 0 and No. 00 from Pro Football Reference and historical data:

  • Ugo Amadi (2023)
  • Ken Burrough (1970)
  • Obert Logan (1967)

Burrough was the last player to ever wear No. 00 in the NFL, with center Jim Otto being the only other to wear it. Burrough and Otto both received a grandfather clause from the NFL, allowing Burrough to play out his career with the number through 1981 as well, despite the 1973 rule taking it out of available numbers. He played only 12 games for the Saints, accruing 13 receptions for 196 yards and 2 touchdowns before moving on to the Houston Oilers where he would play the next 11 seasons. He is third all-time in receiving yards for the franchise (Oilers/Titans) as well as third in receiving touchdowns.

In terms of all-time lists, he ranks 85th in yards per reception (16.9) as well. Despite Burrough having a short tenure with the Saints, his story is a very intriguing one, and to this day the number remains ineligible. No. 0 being returned led to a dozen players wearing it in the 2023 season, and presumably more to come for the 2024 season across the league.

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Former Saints DB signs with Panthers, says ‘I got smoke’ for the front office

Former Saints DB Lonnie Johnson Jr. signed with the Carolina Panthers, and he’s eager for Week 1. He says ‘I got smoke’ for the Saints front office:

It’s safe to say former New Orleans Saints defensive back Lonnie Johnson Jr. is eager for Week 1. Johnson aired his grievances with the Saints front office after signing with the Carolina Panthers on Wednesday, saying that he’s ready to prove them wrong for not re-signing him.

This comes after Johnson completed a one-year stint with the Saints in 2023 in which a knee injury limited him to playing 12 of 17 games. He wound up not re-signing with the Saints this offseason, instead opting to return to his former team, the Houston Texans. But Houston opted to release him before the roster cut-down deadline. This led to Johnson signing with the Panthers Wednesday, the Saints’ rival and Week 1 opponent.

Johnson and the Saints seemed to have a mutual interest in him returning at one point, based on his tweet before signing with the Texans stating;

Johnson will now be trying to catch on with the Panthers’ roster, and if he ends up sticking in the lineup come Week 1, may have his chance to play the Saints in New Orleans and prove they should have signed him when they had the chance.

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Watch: Jahri Evans learns he’s going into the Saints Ring of Honor

These days Jahri Evans works for the Saints as an assistant coach. News that he’s going into the team’s Ring of Honor was met with applause and a great speech:

News recently broke that legendary New Orleans Saints offensive lineman Jahri Evans would be the next addition to the team’s Ring of Honor, one of the most prestigious honors a player can receive with the black and gold. Evans has worked with the coaching staff since 2022, when he started as a training camp intern, and was hired full-time as an assistant coach since 2023.

So it’s convenient that he was on hand when head coach Dennis Allen announced his induction during a team meeting. It allowed Evans to speak in front of players and coaches about what this means to him. The announcement came to thunderous applause, and Evans stood to speak about what an honor this is to him.

“I don’t know what to say, you know what I mean, this is,” Evans said. “I was not expecting this. I’m holding back tears.”

He continued: “This is awesome man, it was always a dream of mine to play this game, and when I got the opportunity to play it, it was as hard as I could, as tough as I could, and the biggest thing was winning games. Biggest thing is winning games as a team, not letting my teammates down, you know? And, obviously having the chance to win a Super Bowl.”

He addressed the team for about two minutes, and with how uncommon these inductions are (Allen noted that there are just seven people in the Saints Ring of Honor), it is great to see how special it really is to Evans and those around him. It’s almost as exclusive as the Pro Football Hall of Fame; Evans reached the finalist stage last time after reaching the semifinalist stage in his first year of eligibility. He just needs to get over that last hurdle.

Evans will be formally inducted to the Saints Ring of Honor at halftime of their Nov. 17 game with the Cleveland Browns.

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New York Jets worked out former Saints receiver Jarvis Landry

The New York Jets have been kicking the tires on some veteran free agents, including former New Orleans Saints receiver Jarvis Landry:

The New York Jets have been looking into some veteran pieces in workouts recently, including former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Jarvis Landry, according to KPRC 2 Houston’s Aaron Wilson.

Landry has not played in the NFL since his one-season stint with the Saints in 2022, missing the entire 2023 season. In his time with the Saints, Landry played only nine games and started three, accruing 25 receptions on 39 targets for 272 receiving yards and a touchdown, with a 64.1% catch rate. Those stats would include a Week 1 masterclass against the division rival Atlanta Falcons where he had 7 receptions on 9 targets for 114 yards, including a spectacular 40-yard reception over two defenders during the Saints crunch time drive to win.

Unfortunately, Landry would eventually be injured and placed on season-ending injured reserve with an ankle injury. He would ultimately end up receiving an invite to rookie mini-camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars in April, however a signing was not made at the time.

It would be nice to see Landry back in the league in some capacity, especially working with a high-end quarterback such as Aaron Rodgers, to potentially end his career on a higher note than his injury in 2022. We will see how this develops and if the Jets make the choice to take a shot on him.

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Darren Sproles’ punt return TD is the Saints Play of Day 43

Darren Sproles introduced himself to Saints fans in a big way as their new No. 43. His punt return TD against the Packers is our Saints Play of the Day:

We are now only 43 days away from the New Orleans Saints season opener in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers, which makes Darren Sproles’ (who wore No. 43) punt return touchdown our Saints Play of the Day. Despite happening in a loss, this was a phenomenal showing for Sproles, who had 7 receptions for 75 yards, 2 kick returns for 76 yards, and 2 punt returns for 92 yards with the touchdown in his Saints debut.

This Week 1 matchup was a battle of the offenses, as the score ended up being 42-34 in this shootout between Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers. At the time of the play the Saints were down 21-10, with 8:55 left in the half. The punt ended up traveling 52 yards, down to the New Orleans 28-yard line, where Sproles received it and took off to blow by every Green Bay Packers defender on his way to the end zone. A 72-yard punt return touchdown in his Saints debut was certainly one way to endear himself to fans.

Despite this game ending with a loss, the Saints had a chance because of this play before halftime by Sproles, and he was able to show off his prowess in returning both punts and kicks for New Orleans over the course of the next three years. While this was his only return touchdown for the Saints, he did have 70 kick returns for 1,827 yards, and a long return of 92 yards during those three seasons. He was a special player and big plays like this have done a lot to maintain a strong reputation among Saints fans ever since.

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Former Saints Pro Bowler Terron Armstead makes NFL Top 100 list

Former Saints offensive tackle Terron Armstead has made the NFL Top 100 Players of 2024. Hindsight is 20/20, but should they have let him leave?

The New Orleans Saints now have two of their former players listed on the NFL Top 100 list, with Terron Armstead coming in at No. 67 this year. He isn’t alone. We also noted ex-Saints defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who ranked No. 77. The players ranked nearby included Cooper Kupp at 69, Brandon Aiyuk at 66, Jaylen Waddle at 63, and Bradley Chubb at 62, among others.

Armstead moved on to join the Miami Dolphins back in 2022 after a few seasons of dealing with injuries made the Saints want to look elsewhere. Armstead signed a 5-year, $75 million deal with the Dolphins, including $43.37 million guaranteed, which the Saints frankly could not reasonably match.

Since leaving, Armstead has gone to the Pro Bowl in back-to-back seasons, playing in 13 games in 2022 but just 10 in 2023, showing that while he still is dealing with injuries from time to time they are not limiting his quality of play. According to Pro Football Focus charting, he played 524 offensive snaps in 2023, giving up only 1 sack with 3 penalties against him. In 2022, he played 687 snaps with 5 penalties and 1 sack allowed.

At the end of the day, he would have been a positive player to retain for New Orleans no doubt, but the monetary investment they would have had to make to do so was unlikely to borderline not possible given the current players in need of extensions. It is good to see him back in form though regardless of where it is. At the same time it’s disappointing that the Saints have struggled so badly to replace him. Hopefully Taliese Fuaga can bring the stability at left tackle they’ve been searching for.

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