Dennis Allen making no excuses for Payton Turner in his third Saints training camp

Dennis Allen isn’t making any excuses for Payton Turner in his third Saints training camp, but he hopes to encourage the young pro after a difficult start to his career:

Actions speak louder than words, and the New Orleans Saints showed everyone what they think of Payton Turner when they picked former Notre Dame defensive end Isaiah Foskey at No. 40 overall in the 2023 NFL draft. Turner, the No. 28 pick in the 2021 draft, has only appeared in 13 of 34 games through his first two seasons — largely due to injuries.

But his first season started as a healthy scratch in the 2021 opener, and his second year with New Orleans ended the same way in the 2022 finale. He hasn’t made enough progress when healthy to earn those reps, and the Saints are already making moves to account for it. Now entering his third training camp in black and gold, Turner won’t receive any excuses from head coach Dennis Allen.

“Well, I just think we need to see him, number one, be available,” Allen said bluntly during his opening press conference at Saints training camp. “And number two, just continue to improve every day. I thought it was good to have him there for a full offseason (last year). And I thought he improved throughout OTA’s and training camp. I’m looking for more development out of him this year.”

Still, Allen isn’t negging Turner. He’s not going out of his way to be critical. At the end of the day it’s going to take encouragement to help Turner become the best version of himself, and that’s what Allen wants to help the young pro accomplish. He added: “I’m not focused on the end result, I’m focused on the process. I just want to see him be available and then continue to get better day in and day out.”

The Saints drafted Turner with intentions of him replacing either Marcus Davenport or Cameron Jordan someday, and now’s the time for him to step up. Davenport left in free agency. Jordan is currently negotiating an extension with the front office. Turner is facing competition from Foskey to push Carl Granderson for snaps at the right defensive end spot, and it’s on him to use what he’s learned, stave off the rookie, and show the Saints he still belongs in their long-term plans. He put in the work this offseason. Let’s see if it paid off.

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Another 2024 NFL mock draft links the Saints to Washington DL Bralen Trice

Mock Draft Monday: Another 2024 projection draft links the New Orleans Saints to Washington Huskies defensive end Bralen Trice, a prospect on the rise:

It’s too soon to guess who the New Orleans Saints might pick in the 2024 NFL draft, but that doesn’t mean we can’t work on our watch list. The 2023 college football season will be here before we know it. The Saints’ scouts will be busy evaluating the next crop of college talent, so it doesn’t hurt for us to do some early scouting either.

To that end, 2024 mock drafts have some usefulness in highlighting which players we should be looking out for. Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy has the Saints picking Washington Huskies defensive end Bralen Trice, whose name has come up before in other 2024 projections. But what’s so appealing about him?

For one thing, Trice has the rare combination of size and speed that the Saints value at defensive end. The junior is listed at 6-foot-4 and 274 pounds this season. For another, he’s coming off off a breakout season in which he led the Huskies with 9 sacks and won the coaches’ pick as defensive player of the week five times. The Saints have a type at this position (Isaiah Foskey is listed at 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds, Payton Turner at 6-foot-6 and 270) and Trice fits the bill.

And defensive end could very well be a position of need for the Saints in the spring. They’re working on a contract extension to help Cameron Jordan close out his career in black and gold, but Carl Granderson will be a free agent next year. Turner hasn’t met expectations to this point in his career. Foskey is promising but he hasn’t done anything in the NFL yet. It shouldn’t shock anyone if Trice is on New Orleans’ radar.

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How Madden NFL 24 rates every New Orleans Saints defensive lineman

Madden NFL 24 revealed player ratings for the New Orleans Saints defensive line, with a wide gulf between Cameron Jordan and his teammates:

The developers at EA Sports revealed player ratings for the New Orleans Saints defensive line in Madden NFL 24, with a wide gulf separating Cameron Jordan from his supporting cast. Jordan is the only Saints defensive lineman to earn a grade over 80 in the version of the game accessible to fans at launch; every other player in the position group, including top rookies Bryan Bresee and Isaiah Foskey, carry ratings at 73 or lower. That’s not great.

It’s on them to turn that narrative around and prove why the Saints have invested so many resources in them. Here’s how they all stack up:

Isaiah Foskey finally signs rookie deal with New Orleans Saints

Go get that money, Isaiah!

It took nearly three months, but former Notre Dame defensive end [autotag]Isaiah Foskey[/autotag] finally has his rookie deal in place. Foskey signed a four-year contract with the New Orleans Saints, who selected him as the 40th overall pick in the second round of this year’s NFL draft. He was last of the Saints’ rookie class to sign, but better late than never. He took to Twitter to celebrate the big bucks he now knows he’ll be making for sure:

The Saints have fallen into mediocrity since Drew Brees retired after the 2020 season, so they’re trying to return to that level of excellence. Foskey will help shore up a defensive line that hasn’t had a lot of young talent develop lately. Irish fans know how good he was at the collegiate level, but how well will his game translate in the NFL? All we know is if anyone with his drive and production came make it, it’s him.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

New Orleans Saints sign Isaiah Foskey to his 4-year rookie contract

The New Orleans Saints signed Isaiah Foskey to his four-year rookie deal, meaning their entire rookie draft class is now under contract:

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There we go: the New Orleans Saints signed Isaiah Foskey to his four-year rookie deal, meaning their entire rookie draft class is now under contract. The former Notre Dame defensive end was picked by the Saints in the second round at No. 40 overall in the 2023 draft, and now he’s signed his name on the dotted line.

Expectations are high for Foskey in his first year with the Saints. The team has swung and missed on a couple of first-round defensive ends like Marcus Davenport and Payton Turner, so they’re hoping Foskey can turn the tide. He certainly has an encouraging resume as Notre Dame’s all-time leader in sacks (26.5, having broken Justin Tuck’s record) and forced fumbles (7).

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With rookies reporting soon, Saints second-round pick Isaiah Foskey remains unsigned

With rookies reporting soon for training camp, Saints second-round pick Isaiah Foskey remains unsigned. But this isn’t a problem unique to New Orleans:

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Let’s roll back the clock — it looked like some momentum was building towards the New Orleans Saints signing their last remaining pick in the 2023 NFL draft in early June, when two of the players selected in front of Saints defensive end Isaiah Foskey inked their deals within hours of one another. That established a precedent we’ve been looking for as teams and players’ agents look to the market to settle any remaining contract disputes.

Only a deal didn’t materialize. Foskey still has not signed anything more than a month later, and with Saints rookies reporting for training camp on Tuesday, July 18, it’s fair for fans to feel a little concern.

But this isn’t a problem unique to Foskey and the Saints. Per NFL salary cap analyst Miguel Benzan (PatsCap on Twitter), 23 of 31 first-round picks have signed their rookie deals (74.1%). A 94.8% majority of the league’s third-round picks are under contract, as are 93.9% of fourth-round picks. Everyone selected in the fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds have put pens to paper.

It’s all about the second rounders; Benzan’s research found that only 19 of the 32 players have signed with their teams (59.3%), with more unsigned sign-round picks (13) than every other round combined (12). So Foskey isn’t the only second-round draft pick dragging this out.

We saw the same thing last summer with Alontae Taylor, who didn’t sign until July 19. Why is the second round such a minefield in NFL contract negotiations?

Because the most important figures in NFL rookie contracts — length and per-year salary — are now tied to draft slots, there aren’t many points left for teams and agents to haggle over anymore. The remaining hurdles center on contract guarantees and offset language in case the player is released before the four-year deal expires (leaving the Saints with some dead money to pay out). Foskey is projected to receive a fully-guaranteed third year in his contract but that’s something the Saints and his representatives are likely debating. Cash flow, guarantee trigger dates, and signing bonus structure are also points of contention.

Let’s look at the second rounders and their contract status. Six of the players taken in front of Foskey have signed with their teams, but ten of the twelve rookies selected immediately after him have not (including the next eight in a row). His agents probably represent some of those players as well, and the precedent they’ll set in negotiating his contract with New Orleans will impact their discussions with other teams. They owe it to their clients to get the best deal, even if it means drawing out negotiations with some teams late into the summer.

The good news is that the frustrating contract holdouts and public disputes we’ve seen before are a thing of the past. Because so many factors in contract negotiations are standardized under the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, it’s only a matter of time until the Saints get Foskey to sign on the dotted line. He’s been a full participant in their offseason program so far and is expected to report on time and do everything he can to find success when the team kicks off training camp later this week. Hopefully the team can formally put a pin in this (and a pen in his hand) sooner rather than later.

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Saints could fill their biggest team need with these free agents

Defensive end is the biggest team need for the New Orleans Saints. Unproven commodities on the roster could push them into exploring free agency | @southexclusives

As the New Orleans Saints prepare for the beginning of training camp, the defensive end spot on the other side of Cameron Jordan still remains an uncertainty. Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton highlights this issue by labeling the Saints as an ideal landing spot for multiple free agent defensive ends.

There’s a strong argument it is the biggest hole in the starting lineup. The other unknowns are the other starting cornerback alongside Marshon Lattimore and the third linebacker. The cornerback battle between Alontae Taylor and Paulson Adebo is between two players we’ve seen perform well before. The third linebacker rarely sees many snaps in the Saints defense behind Demario Davis and Pete Werner with New Orleans favoring nickel and dime personnel to get more defensive backs on the field.

Beyond Payton Turner, who has been missed most of his first two seasons either with injuries or as a healthy scratch, the options at defensive end include Carl Granderson, Tanoh Kpassagnon and Isaiah Foskey. Those are two rotational pass rushers and a rookie. Granderson seems primed to step into a larger role. But there isn’t a proven commodity there. Most other positions on the roster either know who is going to lead that position or have players who have shown more in their potential role. Defensive end doesn’t check either of those boxes, so it’s the biggest hole on the team. Here are three players highlighted by Moton:

Best non-Round 1 rookie from each team on Colts’ schedule

Taking a look at the best non-Round 1 rookie from each team on the Colts’ schedule.

The Indianapolis Colts are preparing for the upcoming season as they hope to turn the page following a disastrous 2022 campaign.

The 2023 season will bring plenty of ups and downs considering the addition of first-year head coach Shane Steichen as well as rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson. Along with a 12-man rookie class, the Colts will have some inexperience to battle.

As for the other teams across the league, the Colts will face some of the best rookies from the 2023 class. Excluding Round 1 selections, we decided to take a look at the best rookies the Colts will face during the 2023 season.

No Saints were selected for NFL.com’s All-Rookie Team watch list

No New Orleans Saints players were selected for this All-Rookie Team watch list, which features a puzzling snub for RB Kendre Miller | @DillySanders @crissy_froyd

There are some exciting New Orleans Saints rookies with the chance to make an immediate impact in 2023, but it seems that they’re being overlooked around the country. When Chad Reuter of NFL.com released his All-Rookie Team watch list for the 2023 draft class, it did not include a single member of the Saints.

Bryan Bresee and Isaiah Foskey were both skipped over for the four defensive line spots despite being in line for a lot of playing time off the jump. The one defensive tackle, Jalen Carter, is joining a very busy defensive line with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Houston Texans No. 2 pick Will Anderson being chosen for the defensive ends is very understandable and obvious, but Reuter selected BJ Ojulari and Lukas Van Ness over Foskey. Foskey is a pro-ready defensive end that will come in and have an important role in the Saints pass rush unit; Ojulari will have the snaps but is further away from a finished product. Van Ness is also more of a potential player, coming in younger and with less experience than the rest of the guys.

On the offensive side, Reuter selected Los Angeles Rams sixth-round rookie Zach Evans at running back. Kendre Miller pushed Evans out of the running back rotation at TCU and was drafted three rounds earlier but Reuter still likes Evans better. To be fair, Evans has Cam Akers as his only competition which is a nod in his direction. But with Alvin Kamara’s possible suspension and Miller having a much better team around him, it’s hard not to imagine Miller making a case for All-Rookie recognition by year’s end.

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Bold predictions for the New Orleans Saints rookie class

Bold predictions for the New Orleans Saints rookies; what is expected of the 2023 draft class? | @DillySanders

The New Orleans Saints looked to the draft to fill some of the bigger holes on the roster, which could lead to some early playing time for some Saints rookies.

The obvious ones on defense would be Isaiah Foskey and Bryan Bresee, but on offense Kendre Miller and AT Perry could have their names called a bit as well for some big situational roles. Last season, Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and Alontae Taylor were some rookies with big roles. The Saints aren’t afraid to let the first-year pros ride if they can contribute.

Here are some bold predictions for those rookies that will see early playing time in 2023: