Tag: Jarvis Landry

Jontre Kirklin shares emotional reaction to signing with the Saints

Former LSU standout Jontre Kirklin shared an emotional reaction to signing with his hometown Saints:

Football is more than a game for players with local ties, and that’s the case for Jontre Kirklin. The former LSU Tigers standout played high school ball at Lutcher, a community less than an hour away from the Caesars Superdome — and the same alma mater as Jarvis Landry, whose jersey was retired there last season. Now he’s suiting up for his hometown New Orleans Saints team.

And there’s just one person Kirklin would like to share the news with: his late father, who died earlier this year. “Pops” had a big influence on Kirklin’s life, and it’s clear to see how badly he’s missed. Kirklin will keep his career going in his old man’s memory.

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List of notable free agents after first week of training camp

There are some big-name options still available in free agency.

It’s usually slim pickings on the free agent market around this time of the year, but surprisingly, there are still several big-name players out there that remain unsigned.

Most of the notable talent is at the running back position with at least two or three potential NFL starters on the list. The Patriots could certainly use help at that position with Ty Montgomery going down with an injury.

They have mostly leaned on Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong Jr. as their top options behind Rhamondre Stevenson. Harris looks the most improved of the two, and they could make the decision to stick with him in the end.

However, they have visited with a few players on this list, including Ezekiel Elliott, Darrell Henderson and Leonard Fournette.

They’ve also reportedly considered a future visit with Dalvin Cook.

But there are more than just running backs on this list of NFL talent. Let’s take a look at some of the more notable unsigned free agents.

10 free agent wide receivers Broncos should consider signing

Going forward without Tim Patrick and KJ Hamler, the Broncos will need more depth at WR. Here’s a quick list of 10 free agents to monitor.

Following the losses of wide receivers Tim Patrick (Achilles) and KJ Hamler (pericarditis) on Monday, the Denver Broncos will likely sign at least one receiver in the coming days.

Hamler might be able to return to the team later this year, but Patrick is set to miss the entire 2023 season.

The biggest name free agent available is Julio Jones, but he is 34 years old and coming off a quiet season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Other big-game players available are Jarvis Landry (30) and T.Y. Hilton (33), who have both seen their production drop in recent seasons.

One unflashy name to watch is Nick Williams, who has had two different stints with the Broncos this spring. Williams is a local prospect who played high school football at Cherry Creek and started his college career at CSU-Pueblo before later transferring to UNLV ahead of the 2022 college football season.

With those names in mind, here’s a quick look at the full list of 10 free agent wide receivers the Broncos should consider signing.

The NFL’s best available free agents as training camps begin

As training camps begin, and the preseason is nearly upon us, here are the best free agent players left in the NFL.

Rookies and veterans are reporting to training camps around the NFL, which means that our long national nightmare of life without professional football is nearly over. Yay, but for a lot of veterans in the league, there’s still an element of waiting by the phone to hear from their agents regarding interests from NFL teams.

Not every veteran — even veterans who are still playing at a high level — have homes when training camps start. A lot of the players listed below will find those homes before preseason games begin in early August, and some will have to wait longer. (Yes, there are veterans who would prefer to eschew training camp entirely, and that has something to do with it).

So, as we head into the pre-preseason, here are the best players who, at this point, are still looking for their new NFL destinations.

5 free agent receivers to help Patriots fill DeAndre Hopkins void

Here are five free agent receivers that could still help the Patriots

The DeAndre Hopkins sweepstakes is over, and as usual, the New England Patriots are left with the option of going bargain bin shopping for whoever is left on the free agent market.

To no one’s surprise, it’s slim pickings when it comes to upgrading the way the Patriots’ wide receiver room needs upgrading. However, there are a few veteran wideouts out there that might have a few big plays left in the tank.

Of course, there’s no replacing a player like Hopkins, a five-time All-Pro that’s still clearly one of the best in the game. But if the Patriots are looking for receiver depth, they can still find it on the open market.

Here are five receivers that could still help New England:

Top 20 remaining 2023 NFL free agents

With DeAndre Hopkins finding a home in Tennessee, here are the top 20 remaining free agents:

Three-time First-team All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins may have been the biggest chip remaining on the table of free agency entering the weekend. But now, as he’s reportedly reached a deal with the Tennessee Titans, he’s gone.

So, let’s take a look at 20 notable players who are still left on the open market.

Without a home: Former Saints who remain unsigned in NFL free agency

Without a home: Jarvis Landry, P.J. Williams among former New Orleans Saints players who remain unsigned in NFL free agency | @DillySanders

The New Orleans Saints made a lot of changes during this offseason and that means leaving some former players behind. Guys like Jarvis Landry, PJ Williams and Chase Hansen have yet to find a new home for next season.

We saw a fan-favorite make the move from football to TV with Mark Ingram joining FOX Sports this week, but that won’t be the case for every veteran as players search for their next teams. We likely will see some names called as we get closer to training camp/

Here are all of the former Saints from last season that have yet to sign to a new team for the 2023 season:

PFF says yet another former Saints player should go turncoat, sign with Falcons

Pro Football Focus says yet another former Saints player should go turncoat and sign with the Falcons: Jarvis Landry, who was courted by Atlanta last year

Hey, if you can’t beat them, why not sign them to a lucrative free agent contract? That’s the proposal Pro Football Focus has for the Atlanta Falcons, suggesting the Falcons put their finishing touches on their offense by signing former Saints slot receiver Jarivs Landry.

But haven’t they taken enough from the Saints this offseason? Atlanta poached Saints free agents like defensive tackle David Onyemata and linebacker Kaden Elliss while promoting longtime defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen to the full-time coordinator gig. Landry has a lot of former teammates in that building.

Here’s why he should go turncoat and sign with the Falcons, from PFF’s Brad Spielberger:

Landry is an underneath slot receiver who could be a safety valve over the middle for quarterback Desmond Ridder, and the Falcons are still thin at pass catcher beyond Kyle Pitts and Drake London. After missing most of the 2022 season with an injury, Landry is likely looking at one-year flier contract offers once again in 2023.

Landry is also known to be a good veteran leader, which could be a positive addition to a team with a lot of young offensive weapons. He’s coming off the two worst seasons of his career, but he was arguably the best slot receiver in the NFL from 2015 to 2020; his 3,938 receiving yards, 1,748 yards after the catch, 1,166 yards after contact and 91 explosive receptions of 15 or more yards all ranked first among qualifying slot receivers over that span. The Falcons buying low on a potential bounce-back could age nicely in the right setting.

Landry certainly played well inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium — he gained 114 of his 272 total receiving yards last year in the Saints’ season-opening win on the Falcons’ home turf, so he’d probably do well on that fast track. And he wouldn’t have great competition for targets. Atlanta’s primary slot specialist, Olamide Zaccheaus, left in free agency.

Beyond second-year wideout Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts, Atlanta’s pass-catching options include Scotty Miller (just 157 snaps from the slot last year) and Mack Hollins (92). Landry would have a clearly-defined role in their offense. He visited with Atlanta last offseason before ultimately signing with the Saints so he could catch passes from Jameis Winston.

But Landry might be cooked. He alligator-armed some passes from Andy Dalton late last season and struggled to draw targets after returning from injury, with youngsters Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed carving out larger roles in the passing attack. Another change of scenery might be good for him but if he’s playing outside New Orleans in 2023 it’ll mean he’s on his third team in three years.

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Where would the top remaining offensive free agents fit on Saints’ depth chart?

Where would the top remaining offensive free agents fit on Saints’ depth chart? There are options to address vulnerabilities on the offensive line | @DillySanders

The New Orleans Saints are always bringing bodies in and out of camp for tryouts and to fill holes in the rotations. The Saints roster is fairly locked in and looks pretty good, but there’s no problem in adding some veterans that could play crucial rotational roles.

And they have the means to do it. The Saints rank around the middle of the league in terms of available cap space for the season, combine that with the fact that they’re in a great spot to make a playoff push and you should feel good about where the team is at right now.

If they do feel like they do want to make some more moves on the offensive side of the ball, here are the best available names and where they would fit in the depth chart: