Tag: Jacob Kibodi

Two former Saints running backs sign with new teams ahead of Week 16

Two former New Orleans Saints running backs have signed with new teams

The New Orleans Saints have had many former players moving around the NFL this season, and two more have now signed with new teams ahead of the Week 16 slate of games. Both players are former Saints running backs who have been on the team within the last year or so and were cut due to the team already having relatively substantial running back depth with four on the active roster and two more on the practice squad.

The first player is Jacob Kibodi, who has signed with the Cleveland Browns practice squad, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 Houston. Kibodi was an undrafted free-agent signing for the Saints and had a decent showing in the preseason before being waived and added to the practice squad. He ultimately was released by the Saints earlier in the month and has found a new landing spot with the Cleveland Browns after an injury to Nick Chubb. Kibodi had two touchdowns in a preseason game against the Tennessee Titans earlier in the year, along with 12 rushes for 59 yards.

The second running back is Tony Jones Jr., who will be signing with the Arizona Cardinals practice squad, according to Wilson. Jones has had stops with a few different teams in the last few years, including the Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, and Arizona Cardinals. He had previously been released by the Cardinals with an injury designation in August, however, they have now brought him back a couple of months later. He had two separate stints with the Saints, as well, starting off with New Orleans as an undrafted free agent and remaining from 2020 to 2022, and then returning in 2023 to score his first two career touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers.

Ultimately, with the signing of Clyde Edwards-Helaire, the Saints did not have much room for another running back addition, and now two of their former ones will move on to new teams prior to the Week 16 slate of games.

Saints running back lost to injured reserve with new hamstring injury

Kendre Miller’s recent hamstring injury has forced the Saints to place him on injured reserve, meaning he will miss 10 of the first 12 games in 2024:

The New Orleans Saints injury bug bites again, this time we see Kendre Miller once again with another hamstring injury, the third of his short NFL career to date. This new hamstring injury, separate from the one he suffered in July of this year, has forced the Saints to place Miller on injured reserve, meaning he will miss an additional four weeks. It isn’t the same leg he injured last time.

This also means he will miss 10 of the first 12 games of the 2024 season, and 19 total (since being drafted) by the time he is able to return, assuming he only misses the next four games.

The Saints will now have to rely on Alvin Kamara even more than usual, which is not good given his recent injuries in the past few seasons. The Saints will also be without Jamaal Williams (groin) in this game as he was downgraded at the same time. This leaves the Saints with Kamara, and their two recent signees Jordan Mims and Jacob Kibodi as their options at the running back position.

Unfortunately, we will not get a good chance to see Miller for awhile again, especially after a few quality runs against the Los Angeles Chargers.

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Saints re-sign a running back to their practice squad

The Saints have re-signed a familiar running back to their practice squad. Preseason fan-favorite Jacob Kibodi is back on the team:

The New Orleans Saints have re-signed running back Jacob Kibodi to the practice squad, per a report from Saints News Network’s John Hendrix.

This comes shortly after Saints rusher Kendre Miller went down with a hamstring injury after he only played 10 snaps offensively on Sunday.

The undrafted rookie out of ULL was originally released from the practice squad at the beginning of October. He received a lot of love from the fan base and took advantage of the opportunity to play for a team that was all but completely in his own backyard.

“That was a dream come true. Coming from Louisiana, that’s a blessing. Everybody dreams of that as a kid,” Kibodi said after his two-touchdown preseason gamje against the Tennessee Titans, adding that his mother Meta and brothers Uriah and Caleb were in attendance.

It will be interesting to see how this venture with the Saints pays off for Kibodi in his second shot in New Orleans.

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Saints bring back rookie returns specialist Jermaine Jackson

The Saints re-signed rookie returns ace Jermaine Jackson. He might bring an alternative on special teams after Rashid Shaheed’s muffed punt:

This is interesting. The New Orleans Saints announced a couple of changes to their practice squad on Tuesday, with rookie running back Jacob Kibodi being waived to open a spot for first-year wide receiver Jermaine Jackson.

Jackson, 5-foot-6 and 174 pounds, first signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent out of Idaho earlier this year. But he suffered an injury during training camp and was let go from injured reserve with a settlement. Now he’s back.

It’s tough to not connect Jackson’s return to Rashid Shaheed’s big mistake against the Atlanta Falcons, muffing a punt deep in his own territory that was recovered for an opposing touchdown. Jackson was known for his skills in the return game at Idaho and picked up 604 punt return yards with 666 kick return yards, plus four return touchdowns (three off of punts, one from a kickoff).

The Saints spent big to get him in the building as a rookie free agent by guaranteeing $160,000 of his rookie contract. That’s more than some draft picks got from their teams, so they clearly valued him then and now by bringing him back for a second look now that he’s healthy.

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Rookie RB Jacob Kibodi waived from Saints’ practice squad

The New Orleans Saints waived rookie running back Jacob Kibodi from their practice squad, which may signal Kendre Miller’s return is imminent:

The New Orleans Saints waived rookie running back Jacob Kibodi from their practice squad on Tuesday, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. It’s a tough break for the former Ragin’ Cajun from Baton Rouge. Kibodi ran hard in the preseason finale but didn’t dress out for the first four regular season games.

His departure may signal Kendre Miller’s return is imminent. The second-year pro is eligible to be activated from injured reserve any day now, but the Saints won’t hit the practice field until Thursday. It’s been reported that Miller is expected back at practice soon so keep an eye out for movement.

Alvin Kamara has been the team’s unchallenged go-to running back through four games. Jamaal Williams has seen only a handful of touches and Jordan Mims hasn’t been a factor to this point in the season. Miller could provide a spark but he hasn’t even taken a snap in Klint Kubiak’s offense yet during a padded practice. Stay tuned.

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Saints part ways with running backs James Robinson and Jacob Kibodi

The New Orleans Saints have begun to trim down on their running back depth, releasing James Robinson and waiving Jacob Kibodi:

The New Orleans Saints have continued their roster cut-down process to get to the 53-man roster needed by this afternoon. This has included multiple running backs, veteran James Robinson and rookie Jacob Kibodi. These reports came out via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill respectively.

This comes after a solid performance by Kibodi in the Saints’ third preseason game, where he had 12 carries for 59 yards and two touchdowns, as well as a solid overall preseason for Robinson after coming off injuries in previous months. Unfortunately, both were caught up in the roster trim down, as Robinson was released and Kibodi was waived due to their respective service time in the NFL.

Ultimately, this leaves the Saints with four running backs available, pending any more moves on the horizon. Alvin Kamara, Jamaal Williams, Kendre Miller, and Jordan Mims are the four remaining, and pending the severity of Miller’s injury, they could be starting off with three for the first week or beyond. Maybe they like someone who has been released elsewhere, or maybe they prefer to ride with these four and see what happens. Regardless, the running back room is trimmed down to about the right size for now.

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Jacob Kibodi on big day: ‘That’s what you dream of, being a kid from Louisiana’

Jacob Kibodi was all smiles when looking back on his big day against the Titans: ‘That’s what you dream of, being from Louisiana’

Talk about seizing your moment. Jacob Kibodi was a big-time playmaker for the New Orleans Saints in their preseason game with the Tennessee Titans, twice scoring touchdowns. And that meant a lot for the Baton Rouge-born running back. Kibodi played college football for the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns and he made sure to enjoy every moment on Sunday.

“That was a dream come true. Coming from Louisiana, that’s a blessing. Everybody dreams of that as a kid,” Kibodi said after the game, adding that his mother Meta and brothers Uriah and Caleb were in attendance. He was given a game ball, his first touchdown ball, and it’s something he clearly cherishes. “That’s a blessing, that’s what you dream of, being a kid from Louisiana.”

Getting to play on the same field he watched stars of yesterday excel was almost a surreal experience: “I used to be a kid here, watching Deuce (McAllister) and Reggie (Bush) and Drew Brees play. Marques Colston, you know what I mean?”

Kibodi had a few opportunities to play at the Caesars Superdome before in high school — when he was in college his teams twice qualified for bowl games in New Orleans, but he wasn’t able to dress out either time. So he made sure to capitalize on this chance, and he clearly accomplished that mission. He finished the day with a dozen carries for 59 yards, also catching a 13-yard pass. He said his first big game in New Orleans was worth the wait.

Was it enough to help him make the team when the Saints file their roster cuts on Tuesday? We’ll see. Kibodi has a good chance at catching on with the team’s practice squad after this performance and the growth he’s made day over day at training camp is commendable. But we’ll excuse some living in the moment here. Kibodi worked hard for this opportunity and he’s certainly made the most of it. On this day he got to score a couple of touchdowns for his hometown team and lead a packed stadium in the “Who Dat” chant with other Louisiana natives on the team.

As for tomorrow — we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

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Broncos met with RB Jacob Kibodi ahead of 2024 NFL draft

The Broncos met with Louisiana running back Jacob Kibodi ahead of the NFL draft. They are likely considering him as an UDFA prospect.

The Denver Broncos met with Louisiana running back Jacob Kibodi before the NFL combine, according to The Draft Network’s Ryan Fowler.

Kibodi (6-1, 225 pounds) started his college career at Texas A&M, spending three seasons with the Aggies (2017-19). He was a rotational player, rushing 45 times for 270 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games.

Kibodi then transferred to Incarnate Word, but their 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19. After sitting out the 2020 campaign, Kibodi transferred to Louisiana as a walk-on and had a redshirt year in 2021.

He dressed for nine games in 2022, rushing 37 times for 169 yards. Kibodi finally got his big break last fall, rushing 129 times for 729 yards and seven touchdowns with the Ragin’ Cajuns.

After seven years at the college level, Kibodi will enter the NFL draft as a 25-year-old rookie set to turn 26 in October. The Broncos are likely considering him as an undrafted free agent prospect.

The 2024 NFL draft will be held in Detroit from April 25-27. We are tracking all of Denver’s pre-draft prospect visits on Broncos Wire.

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