Tag: free agents

Chiefs sign former Saints wide receiver Kyle Sheets

The Kansas City Chiefs signed a former New Orleans Saints wide receiver. Rookie free agent Kyle Sheets has already landed his next NFL opportunity:

It didn’t take long for Kyle Sheets to find his next NFL opportunity. The New Orleans Saints signed him as a rookie free agent out of Slippery Rock after April’s NFL draft, but he was let go after minicamp practices in the spring. And now he’s signing with the Kansas City Chiefs, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Good for him. Sheets caught a tough break after being waived so soon, but he has the physical tools to succeed at a listed 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds. He dominated his level of competition so it isn’t surprising to see him land with another team before training camp. We’ll see if he’s still around when the Saints visit Arrowhead Stadium for a prime-time game in October.

Sheets isn’t the only former Saints player in Kansas City. The Chiefs brought in 2021 fourth-round pick Ian Book to compete for their backup quarterback job. Book and Sheets will probably see a lot of each other early in training camp on Kansas City’s third-string offense, and they’ll need to work hard to climb the depth chart from there.

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Ranking the Saints’ five best offseason additions: No. 3, Chase Young

Chase Young ranks third in our list of the Saints’ biggest offseason additions. He can transform the defense if he even gets close to his ceiling:

Chase Young is entering a pivotal season in his career with the New Orleans Saints. He signed a one-year deal with them this offseason, and his sky-high ceiling earned him the third spot on our list of the five best additions of the offseason.

Deciding between Young and linebacker Willie Gay Jr. was the most difficult part of this exercise. Ultimately, Young got the nod over Gay because of his ability to transform the Saints defense. The Saints defensive line has struggled to rush the passer in the past two seasons despite continuously investing at defensive end in the draft.

New Orleans changed their route and dipped into the free agency pool this year. He is a former Defensive Rookie of the Year who was projected to be a sack machine. He never quite reached that expectation, but showing flashes of being productive rusher. He matched his career-high 7.5 sacks last season, but his total was front loaded at the beginning of the season.

If Young can remain productive all season, he has the ability to hit double-digit sacks. The last Saints player to do that was Cameron Jordan in 2021.

The Saints lean towards big, physical defensive ends who don’t usually get to the quarterback quickly. Young breaks that mold and adds a quickness to the trenches. His speed transforms the defense by giving the team an ability to rush four down lineman more often and more effectively. This allows you to deploy more men in coverage on pass play.

He’s in a prove-it year, so it can go either way for Young. We’ll lean towards the positive projection for the sake of the list. At his best, Young has the potential to give New Orleans an impact player on each level of the defense with other new pickups helping out at the second level and on the back end.

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Ranking Saints’ toughest offseason departures: No. 5, Malcolm Roach

Losing Malcolm Roach to Sean Payton and the Broncos was a blow to the interior of the Saints defensive line, specifically in disrupting the line of scrimmage:

The New Orleans Saints didn’t lose too much in free agency. As we lead into the season, we’ll look at the five biggest departures in order from least devastating to most devastating. The list begins with Malcolm Roach.

The veteran defensive tackle left New Orleans to rejoin Sean Payton with the Denver Broncos. The writing was on the wall for Roach’s departure late in the 2023 season; his comments on the Saints’ preparation level felt more like a player disappointed in the culture than temporary frustration.

Roach’s departure flies under the radar because he was genuinely depth piece. Roach played a season-high of 50% of the defensive snaps in his last game of the season versus the Detroit Lions.

Don’t allow his snap count to devalue his contributions to the team. Roach heading to Denver means the Saints have lost their best run stopper on the interior. According to Pro Football Focus, Roach’s 17.4% run stop win rate was the best in the NFL. More than just the best in black and gold, Roach was one of the best in the NFL. He was highly disruptive at the line of scrimmage. Even though he missed the last five games with an injury, Roach finished the season with the fifth-most tackles at or behind the line for the Saints (10).

The Saints already struggled defending the run last year; they allowed the 11th-most rushing yards in the league, and now they need to find a path forward without Roach. You could argue he should have been on the field more often. That’s not a choice anymore, and he should be missed.

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Saints pick Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter in 2025 mock draft

The Saints picked Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter in this 2025 mock draft. He could help out on either side of the ball:

There’s a chance the New Orleans Saints could pick one of the most  electrifying (and enigmatic) talents in the 2025 NFL draft. We turned the controls over to the Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator to run a first-round projection for next year’s draft, and the computer gave the Saints a fascinating player: Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter.

Hunter has been linked to the Saints before. He was their pick in Dane Brugler’s day-after mock draft in April, with Brugler pointing to Hunter’s ability to make a play with the ball in his hands as a point in favor of keeping him at wide receiver.

But would Hunter play offense or defense in the NFL? The answer may depend on which team drafts him. He’s listed at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, fine size for either position, and last year he saw more snaps on defense (592) than offense (452). He finished with 57 receptions for 721 yards and 5 touchdown catches while bagging 3 interceptions and 5 pass breakups, with 26 tackles.

What could those positions look like a year from now? The Saints’ pending free agents in 2025 at wide receiver include Rashid Shaheed (who should be easy to re-sign as a restricted free agent), Equanimeous St. Brown, and Stanley Morgan. Cornerbacks Paulson Adebo, Ugo Amadi, and Shemar Jean-Charles are also scheduled to test the market. If Adebo leaves in free agency and Marshon Lattimore is ultimately traded the Saints could look to add another corner. If something happens with Shaheed or the other wideouts on the roster fail to make an impact, they’ll need another receiver.

It’s too soon to say where Hunter’s NFL future will take him. What’s certain is he won’t be playing full-time on both sides of the ball like he has in college. The pro game is too fast-paced, too physical, and too specialized to allow it. He’ll need to pick a path eventually. For now, he’s impressing everyone watching him on Saturdays — and that includes a lot of excited NFL scouts.

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Countdown to Kickoff: Tanoh Kpassagnon is the Saints Player of Day 92

Countdown to Kickoff: Tanoh Kpassagnon is the Saints Player of Day 92, but his focus in 2024 should be getting healthy after a serious offseason injury

It’s such a shame that the New Orleans Saints are going to be without Tanoh Kpassagnon while he recovers from an offseason Achilles injury — the big defensive end has been one of their more productive free agent finds in recent years. Kpassagnon’s main goal this year is obviously getting healthy, but there’s a chance he could return to the field before the season ends in January.

Before we get to that, though, let’s get to know him a little better:

  • Name (Age): Tanoh Kpassagnon (29)
  • Position: Defensive end
  • Height, weight: 6-foot-7, 289 pounds
  • Relative Athletic Score: 7.38
  • 2024 salary cap hit: $3,303,000
  • College: Villanova
  • Drafted: Second round in 2017 (Kansas City Chiefs)
  • NFL experience: 8 seasons

Kpassagnon has turned into a great value signing for the Saints. After initially playing out a two-year, $4.5 million deal in 2021 he signed an extension valued at $5 million over two years in 2023. He’s coming off a career-high 34 quarterback pressures last season, but as we said earlier, he’s going to miss some time recovering from that torn Achilles tendon. He’ll be a free agent again in 2025.

So how long will he be on the mend? Recovery times vary, but a good example is Kpassagnon’s former teammate Kwon Alexander. The former Saints linebacker returned to the field in nine months after rupturing his Achilles, so if Kpassagnon can match his pace there’s an outside chance he could return in January, possibly in time for Week 18’s regular season finale. But Alexander was noted as one of the quicker recoveries we’ve seen in recent years, so fans probably shouldn’t expect Kpassagnon to suit up this season. If he beats those expectations, well; that would be fantastic.

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B/R says the Saints are a perfect fit for David Bakhtiari

Bleacher Report says the Saints and David Bakhitari could be a perfect fit as a mentor for their two young offensive tackles:

Former Green Bay Packers All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari remains on the free agent market, and Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox linked Bakhtiari to the New Orleans Saints in what he says would be a perfect marriage. Bakhtiari was once a consistent member of the All-Pro team year in and year out. He was the only offensive tackle to make All-Pro every year from 2016 to 2020.

Unfortunately, injuries derailed what once appeared to be a promising Hall of Fame career. The Saints have seen that story before. A torn ACL on Dec. 27, 2020 left a permanent impact on Bakhtiari’s left knee and he has only played 13 regular season games in three years since. The Saints’ situation at offensive tackle is fluid, specifically at left tackle. Rookie Taliese Fuaga is currently running with the starters at that position, and Trevor Penning is manning the starting right tackle spot.

That situation is in flux, and adding Bakhtiari at left tackle could bring a veteran presence that would benefit either of the young players. He would be a perfect insurance plan in case Penning has to move back to left tackle and doesn’t take a step up from last year. Bakhtiari could also start the year in case Fuaga still needs to get acclimated to his new position at the beginning of the year. One complication? His injury history and public criticism of artificial turf surfaces, which he’d be seeing a lot of inside the Caesars Superdome. That might be a turnoff during any talks about bringing him to New Orleans.

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Bleacher Report says the Saints should bring in an old division rival

Bleacher Report says the Saints should bring in an old division rival as the finishing touch on their 2024 offseason:

There is still time for the New Orleans Saints to put the finishing touches on their roster for the 2024 season, and Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder has an idea for what they should do next.

Holder listed one more move each team should make before training camp starts in late July. For the Saints, that meant signing an old division rival: Tampa Bay Buccaneers left tackle Donovan Smith, most recently with the Kansas City Chiefs. Here’s why:

While New Orleans used a first-round pick on Taliese Fuaga to avoid starting Trevor Penning at left tackle again, Fuaga also has concerns in pass protection. Meanwhile, Derek Carr notoriously struggles under pressure, so the Saints will want to make sure Carr is well-protected to have a chance at winning the NFC South.

Worst case, Fuaga and Penning will have another veteran mentor if the team brings in Smith, who should know the division well after spending the first eight years of his career in Tampa Bay.

Depending on where you look, the Saints are under the salary cap by about $5.7 million. Smith signed with the Chiefs last year on a one-year, $3 million contract with just $1.98 million guaranteed. So New Orleans could afford him if they’re interested. Their safety net behind Fuaga and Penning consists of career backups and journeymen like Landon Young (7 starts), Olisaemeka Udoh (18 starts), and Justin Herron (11 starts). Smith has started 136 games in the NFL and won two Super Bowl rings, so his experience alone would be valuable.

But as Holder alluded to, Smith has a history in the NFC South. He was someone that Cameron Jordan picked on, both on and off the field, so at least those two would have to settle some differences. Still, the NFL is a business, and it’s not like Jordan hasn’t shared the locker room with former foes before.

All that aside, this could be a good move if Smith isn’t insistent on starting while earning an appropriate salary. New Orleans could certainly use help given all the uncertainties surrounding Penning and Fuaga as they each learn a new position on the right and left sides, respectively. There are many weeks to go before the team convenes for training camp. We’ll just have to wait and see how they address the worrisome depth at offensive tackle, if at all.

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PFF says Saints free agent pickup Willie Gay is a bounce-back candidate in 2024

Pro Football Focus says Saints free agent pickup Willie Gay is a bounce-back candidate in 2024. The team is hoping the same:

The New Orleans Saints can’t perform like they did last season and hope to get to the playoffs — repeating the same actions and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. And it’ll take greater efforts from everyone, coaches and players, to earn a playoff berth.

Most teams sign veteran free agents in hopes of them being an upgrade over players already on the roster, so it’s interesting to see one of the Saints’ first pickups characterized as a bounce-back candidate by Pro Football Focus. Linebacker Willie Gay inked a $3 million contract with the Saints earlier this offseason after spending the first four years of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs. Here’s why he needs to step up on a new team in 2024, according to PFF’s Bradley Locker:

Gay earned a career-worst 55.9 overall grade in 2023, mainly due to his 41.1 coverage grade — the third-worst mark among inside linebackers to play 650 or more snaps. Regardless, Gay had plenty of high moments, with five games of notching an overall grade of 76.0 or better. Overall, Gay has proven a solid linebacker throughout his NFL career, racking up 25 or more stops in each of the past three seasons.

As was the case in Kansas City, Gay probably won’t be asked to be the primary force over the middle, joining Demario Davis. But if New Orleans can put less pressure on Gay in coverage and allow him to pin his ears back a bit more, the 26-year-old could flourish.

Gay is entering a training camp competition with Pete Werner for the right to start next to Davis, and there’s plenty at stake. Both Gay and Werner are going to be free agents in 2025, so there’s a real chance that whoever loses this battle won’t be back after the 2024 season. Gay was earning more early looks in coverage at the Saints’ spring practices recently, but it’s a long offseason, and there’s plenty of time for Werner to respond and secure his starting job (and the lucrative contract extension that may come with it).

Still, iron sharpens iron. If Gay does improve on his performance in Kansas City and take Werner’s spot in the lineup, the Saints would have to be left feeling great about the decision to recruit him in the first place. It’s shaping up for a competitive summer in New Orleans. Let’s see if it results in more wins during the fall.

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Mickey Loomis says Saints made several attempts to re-sign Andrus Peat

Mickey Loomis says the Saints made several attempts to re-sign Andrus Peat. But the former Pro Bowler wanted to go somewhere he’s valued:

Every NFL team hopes to draft good prospects and develop them into great pros, and to see them play out their careers in the same uniform — so it’s disappointing when that doesn’t end up as planned. That’s the place the New Orleans Saints found themselves when Andrus Peat, a three-time Pro Bowl alternate left guard, left in free agency to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders.

General manager Mickey Loomis spoke about Peat’s situation at the Saints Hall of Fame golf tournament on Monday. He says the Saints tried to retain Peat once his contract expired, but the two sides couldn’t reach a deal.

“We made attempts to get him re-signed and he chose to go someplace else. Which, that’s what free agency is about,” Loomis reflected. “Andrus was a good pick for us, played for us for a long time, I’m excited for him. I know he’s got a new chapter he’s probably excited about a new team. I wish him nothing but the best of luck.”

It’s easy to understand things from Peat’s perspective. Last year he was asked to take a steep pay cut, and then he was benched to start the season — only to save Loomis and Allen’s skin when they needed him to play left tackle. He stepped into his college position for the first time in years after their handpicked choice, Trevor Penning, became a turnstile. And all offseason Loomis and Allen have spoken about Peat as if he were expendable.

So even if the Raiders aren’t paying him highly or guaranteeing him a starting job, at least they wanted him. The Saints already tried to get rid of him last year and they were willing to take on $13 million in dead money by letting him walk away. Those actions speak louder than their words. With Peat leaving town, the Saints have had to sign a number of veteran free agents like Oli Udoh, Shane Lemieux, and Lucas Patrick. We’ll see if any of them can fill in for him at left guard, and whether Peat is in the lineup when the Raiders visit New Orleans late in 2024.

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Report: Saints were in the mix for former Chiefs WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling

Report: Saints were in the mix for former Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling prior to signing with Bills

It doesn’t look like the New Orleans saints are finished adding wide receivers. They were in the mix for ex-Kansas City Chiefs wideout Marquez Valdes-Scantling before he signed with the Buffalo Bills, per Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, which makes sense.

The Saints were outbid for Valdes-Scantling by the Chiefs just two years ago, and he was someone we suggested as a fit for New Orleans once Kansas City let him go as a salary cap casualty earlier this offseason. The team agreed, but you can’t fault the player for wanting to go to a better situation. Josh Allen is a much better quarterback than Derek Carr, and the Bills are a significantly stronger team than the Saints. He’s joining a Super Bowl contender rather than a squad stuck in a three-year playoffs drought.

So which wideouts could the Saints be looking at now that he’s off the board? Former Las Vegas Raiders slot receiver Hunter Renfrow is still available, and he’s someone the Saints tried to acquire at the NFL trade deadline last season, though it’s unclear whether the new offensive coaching staff sees him as a fit.

Other free agents looking for their next team include Russell Gage, Jamal Agnew, Sterling Shepard, and Jakeem Grant, who briefly tried out at the  recent Saints’ rookie minicamp but left after the first day.

The Saints typically dress four receivers on game days, but they like to roster five or six of them with two or three more on the practice squad. The current depth chart includes Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, A.T. Perry, Cedrick Wilson Jr. and rookie draft pick Bub Means as well as Stanley Morgan, Equanimeous St. Brown, and undrafted rookies Kyle Sheets, Jermaine Jackson, and Mason Tipton.

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