Tag: john ridgeway III

John Ridgeway III could make his Saints debut in Week 2 vs. Cowboys

John Ridgeway III could make his Saints debut in Week 2 against the Cowboys. He has a shot at payback on the team that drafted him:

The New Orleans Saints are putting their final touches on Week 2’s game  plan for dealing with the Dallas Cowboys, and John Ridgway III might be a factor. The big defensive tackle was acquired in a trade with the Washington Commanders at the NFL roster cuts deadline but wasn’t active for the Saints’ season-opening win over the Carolina Panthers. Maybe his coaches wanted him to get another week of practice before activating him.

Instead, it was veteran backup Kendal Vickers coming up from the practice  squad for Week 1. Vickers rounded out the interior rotation with 21 snaps, just ahead of rookie draft pick Khristian Boyd (18), while trailing Bryan Bresee (36) and Nathan Shepherd (24). The 6-foot-3, 295-pound Vickers is better suited to games with a lot of throwing while Ridgeway figures to play more into run defense at a listed 6-foot-5, 321 pounds.

And the Cowboys fit that profile. They still attempted plenty of passes (35) against the Cleveland Browns last week, but they also leaned heavier on their run game than the Panthers did with 24 carries compared to Carolina’s 17. It could make more sense to go bigger in the middle especially now that Ridgeway has had more time to settle in.

So this could be an opportunity for payback on the team that drafted him. Ridgeway was selected by the Cowboys out of Arkansas in 2022’s fifth round but was waived that September, where Washington claimed him. He’s already played against his old Cowboys teammates a few times but only enjoyed a single win (26-6 in 2023’s regular season finale). Here’s hoping he has cause to celebrate on Sunday.

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John Ridgeway expected to be traded from Commanders

New Saints DT John Ridgeway knew he’d be traded from the Commanders but wasn’t sure where or when.

The New Orleans Saints traded for defensive tackle John Ridgeway on Wednesday afternoon. It was a move that fans didn’t expect, but Ridgeway himself did. He wasn’t sure when or where he’d be traded. One thing he did know was he wouldn’t be suiting up for the Washington Commanders this upcoming season.

Saints media asked Ridgeway if he was surprised by the trade. He had been in Washington for two years. Ridgeway responded, “I was kind of just waiting on it to happen honestly.”

He looked at how the Commanders roster was falling during preseason and kept in contact with his agent. Ridgeway didn’t want his agent to tell him any teams that were interested, so the defensive tackle had no idea the Saints were interested.

He’s new to the Saints but there are a couple of familiar faces. Khaleke Hudson and Chase Young were both teammates with Ridgeway last year in Washington.

Ridgeway enjoys seeing familiar faces and suggests those guys could help get him acclimated to the city and facilities if necessary.

Dennis Allen on roster moves: ‘This is who we’re going to battle with’

Some roster moves will be made over the next few weeks, but Dennis Allen makes it clear options are slim at this point

The initial 53 man roster and practice squad is never the final roster and practice squad. The New Orleans Saints have already made a few transactions since roster cut day. Dennis Allen made it clear there isn’t going to be many huge moves made and the what you see is the core of the team.

Allen was asked if there was any particular area on the roster he wanted to add more depth, and he expressed comfort in the guys currently on the roster.

Over the next couple weeks, the Saints will continue to search for players that fit. For example, the Saints made a trade for John Ridgeway shortly after roster cuts. The trade featured a player and late round picks. The Saints aren’t in play for a Brandon Aiyuk-type player, so the Ridgeway trade is the type of move that could be made.

Dennis Allen said, “You’re always looking for ways you can improve the roster. But the reality is that when you get to this point. there’s not a lot of options that come available. There are a few moves to take place, but for the most part this is who we’re going to battle with.”

This is the team for better or worse. People may want a new right tackle, for example, but it’s unlikely that guy comes along via roster cuts. At this point, New Orleans has to go out and win or lose with who’s on the roster.

Commanders GM Adam Peters on trading John Ridgeway III to the Saints

Washington Commanders GM Adam Peters on trading John Ridgeway III to the New Orleans Saints: ‘There was a lot of interest in him’

The New Orleans Saints agreed on a trade with the Washington Commanders to acquire John Ridgeway III, getting some help at defensive tackle with Khalen Saunders on the mend. On Wednesday, Commanders general manager Adam Peters shared his reaction to the move.

“There was a lot of interest in him,” Peters told ESPN’s John Keim. “Good opportunity for him to go somewhere and play more probably than here and a scheme that fits him a little more.”

Peters added that he thought Ridgeway had put together “some of his best tape” in the Commanders’ final preseason game with the New England Patriots. Ridgeway was their highest-graded defender in that matchup at Pro Football Focus, with an 87.0 overall player rating and three tackles (all solo defensive stops), plus a quarterback pressure. Not bad for a big nose guard.

Ridgeway has been an effective run-stopper for Washington the last two years, having played college football at  Arkansas before being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys (who waived him during his rookie year). But the Commanders have made a lot of other investments in the trenches and they viewed this as an opportunity to get something back for a player it had cost them nothing to pick up. All it cost the Saints was next year’s sixth-round draft pick, but they’re getting back a seventh rounder, so really it’s nothing more than a pick swap.

Here’s the state of the Saints at defensive tackle once this trade becomes official:

  • On the 53-man roster: Bryan Bresee, Nathan Shepherd, Khalen Saunders (injured), Khristian Boyd, John Ridgeway III
  • On the practice squad: Kendal Vickers

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Saints swap draft picks in trade for Washington DT John Ridgeway III

The New Orleans Saints have traded for Washington Commanders DT John Ridgeway III, improving their depth after an injury to Khalen Saunders:

The New Orleans Saints recently were tasked with managing a calf injury to Khalen Saunders, and figuring out who may replace him for the few weeks he may be out. With that, they decided to add another piece to the mix in a trade with the Washington Commanders for defensive tackle John Ridgeway III, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Adam Schefter reports for ESPN that the compensation will be a pick swap. The Saints’ 2025 sixth-round pick is going to the Commanders, in return for Ridgeway and a 2025 seventh-round pick.

Ultimately, the pickup is a solid one, as Ridgeway ended up playing 31% of the Commanders’ defensive snaps his first two seasons (280 and 356 snaps per year) as well as 18% and 21% of their special teams snaps. He has immense size at the position as well, coming in at 6-foot-5 and 321 pounds, with 33 3/8″ arms.

Ridgeway was a fifth-round selection in the 2022 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys, before being waived and catching on with the Commanders instead. He has started six games for them and played in 32 matchups, primarily being utilized in run-blocking packages. Pro Football Focus credited him with 29 run stops and a dozen quarterbacks pressures through his first two years.

We will see if he ends up getting much run time in the coming weeks, as Bryan Bresee, Khristian Boyd, and Nathan Shepherd all also look for additional snaps as well. The depth chart will change but at the moment the Saints also have Kendal Vickers on the 53-man roster.

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