Tag: j.t. gray

Demario Davis, J.T. Gray recognized on Pro Football Focus 2023 All-Pro Teams

New Orleans Saints standouts Demario Davis and J.T. Gray were recognized on the Pro Football Focus 2023 All-Pro Teams:

Two members of the New Orleans Saints were recognized on the 2023 All-Pro Teams from Pro Football Focus, with linebacker Demario Davis making the cut (on the first team) along with special teams ace J.T. Gray (on the second team).

Davis was joined by San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner on PFF’s All-Pro first team; PFF analyst Gordon McGuinness wrote that “Davis quietly had an incredible season himself, giving up just 6.6 yards per reception when he was the primary coverage defender and ranking behind only Warner in PFF grade (89.6).”

PFF tracking found that Davis finished the year with 75 solo tackles and 36 assists (48 of them qualifying as stops) and 22 quarterback pressures, his highest pressures total since the 2020 season. Davis only missed 11 tackles all season, ranking third-best among the 16 linebackers with 1,000-plus snaps in 2023.

As for Gray: he was credited with 11 special teams tackles this season, tied for 11th-most in the NFL. He recorded at least 48 snaps with five of the six kicking units while appearing in 14 games. He’s previously earned recognition as a Pro Bowler and Associated Press All-Pro and is still a highly respected player in his role.

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Bill Belichick singles out Saints’ All-Pro special teams ace J.T. Gray

Bill Belichick singled out the Saints’ All-Pro special teams ace J.T. Gray as ‘one of the top players in the league’ in the kicking game:

Bill Belichick knows excellent special teams players when he sees them. The New England Patriots head coach helped develop Matthew Slater into a fan-favorite and ten-time Pro Bowler for his efforts covering punts and kickoffs. And he sees many of the same qualities in New Orleans Saints ace J.T. Gray.

Few things have gone well for the Saints to start their season, but the special teams coverage has been excellent. New Orleans is one of five teams to limit opponents to a single kick return through four games (which was returned for just 24 yards). They’re also one of five teams to face 10 punt returns so far, but the Saints have held returners to just 63 yards. The other four teams in that crowd have given up 99 to 138 return yards. Gray leads the team with 3 special teams tackles in 3 games, having missed the season-opener with a shoulder injury.

“Real solid group led by Gray,” Belichick told reporters Wednesday. Speaking of Gray individually, Belichick said, “One of the top players in the league. Absolutely have to block him and account for him to have any chance of returns on punts and kickoffs.”

Belichick added, “He’s as good as anyone we play.”

Gray was an afterthought when the Saints signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Mississippi State, back in 2018. His first contract with New Orleans carried just $5,000 in guarantees. But he impressed the team throughout his rookie training camp covering kicks, and he’s been a fixture ever since. He’s earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl recognition and signed another extension this spring guaranteeing him $3.5 million. This summer he was selected as a team captain for the third year in a row.

The Saints will be counting on Gray and his squad in the kicking game on Sunday. Points will come at a premium between New Orleans’ struggling offense and Belichick’s stifling defense. If Gray’s unit can help the Saints win the field position battle, maybe their teammates on offense or defense can capitalize on it and get New Orleans back in the win column.

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Kendre Miller and J.T. Gray return to Saints practice on Thursday

Kendre Miller and J.T. Gray returned from injuries to participate at Saints practice on Thursday

Rookie running back Kendre Miller and Pro Bowl special teams ace J.T. Gray returned from injuries to participate at New Orleans Saints practice on Thursday, potentially giving the team a boost in some phases they struggled to get going against the Tennessee Titans in Week 1.

Miller suffered a hamstring injury at practice after the team’s final preseason game and has been sidelined ever since, so his return is especially notable (even if he was reportedly wearing a red non-contact jersey). Jamaal Williams led the Saints with 45 rushing yards and as a team they managed just 69 yards on the ground in the season-opener. It would be huge if Miller can return and inject some big-play ability against the Carolina Panthers on Monday night.

As for Gray: he’s been dealing with a shoulder injury in recent weeks. He’s earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro recognition for his skills covering punts and kickoffs, and that’s another area the Saints could improve after allowing the Titans to average 9.3 yards per punt return last week. Rookie punter Lou Hedley placed four of his five kicks inside the opposing 20-yard line but saw most of them returned for a net average of just 40.8 yards per try.

We’ll get a better idea of each player’s participation level and availability for Monday night’s game once the Saints publish their first injury report Thursday afternoon.

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Saints announce inactive players for season opener vs. Titans

The Saints Week 1 inactive players are headlined by their rookie class, including Kendre Miller and Isaiah Foskey. Here’s the
full list:

Both the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans head into the season opener without many injuries. The Saints had their shortest injury report in years this week. The Saints have already ruled out Tre’Quan Smith. That’s no surprise as he hasn’t practiced since suffering a groin injury earlier in training camp. J.T. Gray was also ruled out with a shoulder injury. Rookie Kendre Miller hasn’t participated all week due to a hamstring injury, but was labeled as questionable.

The Titans only had one player ruled out during the week of practice, cornerback Tre Avery. All other players on their injury report were upgraded to full participants before the week was over.

Here are the final inactives:

Saints name four first-time team captains for 2023 season

The Saints have named four first-time team captains for the 2023 season, including former AFC West rivals Derek Carr and Tyrann Mathieu:

This is really cool: the New Orleans Saints have named their seven team captains for the 2023 season, and four of them are first-timers (in New Orleans, anyway). The team has experienced a lot of turnover in recent years while endeavoring to add talent and remain competitive in the wide-open NFC, so it’s not too surprising to see new names in leadership positions.

Just three of last year’s six team captains are wearing the captain’s patch again this season, and the group has grown to seven players in total.

Two of these first-time Saints team captains are former rivals in the AFC West. Derek Carr is a captain on offense (replacing Jameis Winston), and his old foe Tyrann Mathieu is a new captain on defense (swapping out for Alvin Kamara within the group’s total count). And center Erik McCoy is a captain on offense for the first time, too (replacing Ryan Ramczyk). Long snapper Zach Wood will be wearing the captain patch on special teams (expanding the group from six to seven in total).

Here’s the full list, per Nola.com’s Jeff Duncan:

Demario Davis returns to Saints OTA’s, but 14 others miss Tuesday practice

Demario Davis returned to Saints OTA’s, but 14 others missed Tuesday’s voluntary practice session:

Let’s start with the good news: Pro Bowl linebacker Demario Davis returned to the New Orleans Saints’ voluntary practice on Tuesday, the first of a three-day series of training sessions this week (and one of the few practice dates open to the media). He was joined by special teams ace J.T. Gray, who was also absent last week when the Saints practiced in front of the media for the first time as a team this spring.

But 14 other players were missing from the voluntary session. They’ll have more opportunities to report for work before mandatory practices begin later in June, and some players are sidelined because of injuries, so we shouldn’t make too much of it. Personal and other professional obligations can get in the way. And because the media has such limited access this time of the year, they could just be visiting on a day with abnormally high absentees.

What’s important is that these players have all been in communication with the coaching staff and plan on being available once they’re needed. For some of their younger teammates, veterans stepping aside is a good thing because it opens up much-needed practice reps.

Here’s a quick look at the list:

Saints re-sign special teams standout Isaac Yiadom, giving more depth to DB room

The Saints re-signed special teams standout Isaac Yiadom, keeping an experienced defensive back in an already stout secondary:

Here’s a smart move: The New Orleans Saints re-signed defensive back Isaac Yiadom per Thursday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire, keeping another experienced defensive back in their secondary. But Yiadom was also one of their special teams standouts during the back half of the 2022 season. He made some plays as a gunner on the punt team opposite J.T. Gray and also ran with the kick coverage and return units, as well as the field goal blocking squad.

It’s worth bringing him in for a longer look. Yiadom turned 27 last month and has logged nearly a thousand snaps on special teams in his NFL career among stops with New Orleans, the Houston Texans, New York Giants, Green Bay Packers and the Denver Broncos (who drafted him out of Boston College in the third round in 2018). He’s also put 1,500 defensive snaps on tape over the years, largely as a cornerback playing out wide.

He’s in a cornerback depth chart featuring Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo, Alontae Taylor and Bradley Roby, plus Vincent Gray and Troy Pride Jr. (both returning from the practice squad last year). Yiadom is the latest well-seasoned defensive back the Saints have signed in free agency, along with former Raiders first-round safety Jonathan Abram, position-versatile defender Lonnie Johnson Jr., as well as slot corner Ugo Amadi. That’s been a point of emphasis for Dennis Allen’s team this offseason.

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New Orleans Saints free agency tracker: Every report, rumor, and signing

Our New Orleans Saints free agency tracker is live. Check this space often for every report, rumor, and signing:

Our New Orleans Saints free agency tracker is live. Check this space often for every report, rumor, and signing as the black and gold work to retool their roster for the 2023 season. The Saints are going into free agency with 56 of their 90 offseason roster spots filled, having already brought back several of their own players before the NFL’s legal tampering period begins.

Which brings us to how this process actually works. Then Saints can talk to their own free agents at any time — but league rules mean they can’t approach other teams’ free agents until 11 a.m. CT on Monday, March 13. That’s when teams are allowed to reach out to players around the league. But again, nothing is official until 3 p.m. CT on Wednesday, March 15. That’s when the new league fiscal year begins and when players can sign on the dotted line.

So we’ve got to be careful with how this is all reported. Agreements can fall apart and be broken. We’ll have all of the Saints news from trusted outlets and reporters gathered in this space along with our coverage from every report and rumor. Stay tuned as things heat up in the days ahead:

Saints, All-Pro special teams ace J.T. Gray reach deal on 3-year extension

Saints, All-Pro special teams ace J.T. Gray reach deal on 3-year extension ahead of free agency:

This is good to see: ESPN’s Dianna Russini first reported that the New Orleans Saints reached an agreement on a there-year contract extension with safety J.T. Gray, their top special teams player. This was confirmed by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who added that Gray’s deal includes $2.4 million in guarantees with $500,000 per-year playtime incentives. His new contract is worth $9.6 million over three years with a maximum value of $11.1 million if he earns every bonus and incentive.

Gray led the team with 12 tackles in the kicking game in 2022, having posted 19 of them in 2021. He’s a key player for New Orleans on punts and kickoffs. Gray ranked third on special teams snaps played last season and second in each of the two years before. He’s done really well for himself as a former undrafted free agent out of Mississippi State — Gray was recognized made his first Pro Bowl appearance in 2021, and he’s twice been honored as an All-Pro by the Associated Press in 2019 (second team) and 2021 (first team).

While he’s been limited to defensive snap counts of just 28, 41, and 20 plays in each of the last three years, Gray did rack up 2.5 sacks last season. We’ll see if the Saints have an expanded role for him in mind as starting safeties Tyrann Mathieu and Marcus Maye enter the second year of their deals in 2023.

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The Saints took a big step back in 2022 NFL special teams rankings

The Saints took a big step back in Rick Gosselin’s 2022 NFL special teams rankings. After finishing 1st, 5th, and 5th from 2019 to 2021, they’ve dropped to 20th:

The New Orleans Saints special teams squad had a rough go of it in 2022. Place kicker Wil Lutz had his worst year as a pro by connecting on just 74.1% of his field goal tries, lowest for a team in the NFL, and it took a while for Rashid Shaheed to emerge as their best option returning punts and kickoffs. The Saints struggled to cover their own kicks, too, with injuries sidelining some of their best gunners at different points throughout the year.

It all compounded for New Orleans to rank at No. 20 in Rick Gosselin’s 2022 NFL special teams rankings. Gosselin has been scoring every team’s performance in the game’s third phase for years and he’s seen as the foremost authority on special teams play around the league. So it’s concerning to see the Saints fall within the bottom-third of the league.

That’s a steep drop from their fifth-best ranking in 2021 and 2020. And it’s kind of surprising. The Saints were ranked first in the NFL back in 2019, the first year with special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi in the building. Rizzi added the assistant head coach title in 2022 so it’s possible his added responsibilities in that role led to some gaffes in the kicking game, but that’s impossible to prove from the outside looking in.

Hopefully things turn around in 2023. The Saints may release Lutz as a salary cap casualty, and punter Blake Gillikin is a restricted free agent (as is their special teams ace J.T. Gray). Six of their top seven players in special teams snaps played last year are pending free agents: linebacker Andrew Dowell (379 snaps), safety Daniel Sorensen (319), Gray (320), linebacker Kaden Elliss (278), running back Dwayne Washington (259), and linebacker Chase Hansen (197). Change feels inevitable there, but after a down performance it’s probably needed.

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