Saints bring back safety Johnathan Abram, an important keep for 2024

The New Orleans Saints are bringing back safety Johnathan Abram. The veteran safety was a nice get in 2023, and a big priority for 2024:

Johnathan Abram is back with the New Orleans saints for 2024, the team announced Wednesday. The sixth-year pro was a good pickup in 2023 and retaining him was an offseason priority for New Orleans. Having released Marcus Maye at the start of the new league year, the Saints needed more depth at safety, and Abram figures to have a good opportunity to compete for a starting job next to Tyrann Mathieu and Jordan Howden.

Abram, 27, played well for the Saints while coming in off the bench, totaling 208 snaps across nine games. He started ahead of Howden for the last two games on their schedule including a breakout performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Abram intercepted Baker Mayfield and broke up another pass while forcing a fumble and logging 5 tackles. There were other games where his deficiencies in coverage were exposed, but games like that are good examples of what he can do when he’s locked in.

He was also an underrated source of leadership in the locker room, which is something Derek Car said he expected when the Saints first signed him. Younger teammates pointed to Abram as a positive influence during heated moments, and new free agent acquisitions like linebacker Willie Gay have singled him out as a big recruiter for the team. Whether or not Abram continues to start in 2024, he’s going to be someone the Saints continue to lean on.

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Willie Gay has already changed his New Orleans Saints jersey number

Willie Gay has already changed his New Orleans Saints jersey number. He’s going back to the same number he wore in college at Mississippi State:

It only took a week for Willie Gay to go through two different jersey numbers. The New Orleans Saints initially listed their newest linebacker in the same No. 50 he wore with the Kansas City Chiefs — but he’s now slotted into No. 6, which is the jersey number he used in college at Mississippi State. It ties in well with Gay reuniting with so many familiar faces from his college days, like teammates Johnathan Abram and J.T. Gray, as well as his old defensive coordinator Todd Grantham (the current defensive line coach for New Orleans).

The number only became available when the Saints released safety Marcus Maye at the start of the new league year last Wednesday, the same day Gay’s signing was announced. Before the NFL relaxed its rules for jersey numbers in 2021, just seven players had used No. 6 in Saints history, all specialists (most notably punters Thomas Morstead from 2009-2020 and Tommy Barnhardt from 1987-1999).

Now, it’s in high demand. But Gay isn’t the only Saints free agent pickup to have chosen his new jersey number. Backup quarterback Nathan Peterman is using No. 10, which is new for him; he wore No. 14 with the Chicago Bears  last year but opted for a different number in New Orleans. But veteran wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. is using the same No. 11 jersey he wore for the Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys. No word yet on which number defensive end Chase Young is going to wear, though.

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6 options for the Saints to replace Marcus Maye at safety

The Saints will be replacing Marcus Maye at safety, but who are their choices? Between in-house options, draft prospects, and free agents, here are six candidates:

Here’s another challenge for the New Orleans Saints offense: replacing Marcus Maye at safety. It’s been reported that the Saints will release Maye at the start of the new league year on March 13, buying them time to make decisions on other players before filing his release with the league office.

Even if Maye’s availability was a concern (he missed a full 17-game season’s worth of time with injuries and a suspension through two years), the Saints still need to account for his loss in the secondary. Between in-house options, draft prospects, and free agents, here are six candidates to watch:

Saints free agent report card: Was Johnathan Abram a good veteran signing?

Saints free agent report card: Was Johnathan Abram a good veteran signing?

The New Orleans Saints defense had an up-and-down season in 2023, but they found some smooth sailing in the latter half of the season. A lot of that had to do with some veterans stepping up and performing well

One of the players that broke out in the second half of the season was veteran safety Johnathan Abram, who spent the first half of the year on the practice squad.

To wrap up the series for last season’s most impactful free agent signings (we previously discussed Foster Moreau, Jamaal Williams, Nathan Shepherd, and Khalen Saunders), here is Abram’s 2023 report card:

Stay or go: Predicting the fates of all 24 Saints free agents in 2024

Stay or go: Predicting the fates of all 24 New Orleans Saints free agents in 2024, from Jameis Winston and Michael Thomas to Zack Baun and Lynn Bowden Jr.

We’re just one month away from the start of free agency, and the New Orleans Saints have some tough decisions to make. Between players whose contracts are running up and those whose deals are designed to be torn up (we’ll get to them in a bit), it’s going to be tough to keep this team together.

At the same time, some changes are obviously needed. And free agency and the start of a new league year give the Saints an opportunity to shake up their roster and try to improve. That doesn’t mean it’s an easy process. New Orleans is in the red by more than $80 million and must make some heavy decisions on how to reach salary cap compliance.

So with that in mind, here are predictions for which Saints players will return for 2024 or seek better opportunities in free agency:

Saints free agents: Ranking the 10 most important players to re-sign

We ranked the top 10 New Orleans Saints free agents who must be re-signed for the 2024 season:

How can the New Orleans Saints end their playoffs drought? There aren’t many key players headed for free agency in the spring, with just one of their pending free agents having played more than 50% of his snaps in 2023: offensive lineman Andrus Peat.

But the rest of their class is lukewarm, without many heavy contributors headed for the open market. So while retaining talent is going to be a concern in the spring, this free agency cycle is going to be more about acquiring upgrades (once the Saints get under the salary cap, of course). New Orleans doesn’t have to prioritize their own players as heavily as in years past.

Still, there are some players going into free agency that we’d like to have back. Here are the top 10 pending Saints free agents, ranked by how important it is for New Orleans to re-sign them:

WATCH: Dennis Allen addresses the victorious Saints locker room after Week 17

WATCH: Dennis Allen addresses the victorious Saints locker room after Week 17 vs. Buccaneers

It’s not often we get a look inside the New Orleans Saints locker room, but the team shared head coach Dennis Allen’s postgame speech after beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. Allen gathered the team around and praised their effort in practice before handing the microphone over to Demario Davis.

And Davis brought in his own special guest: veteran safety Johnathan Abram, who got the starting nod at free safety while rookie draft pick Jordan Howden was dealing with an illness. And Abram’s words were powerful.

Abram thanked his teammates for their support in a big spot and urged them to keep perspective about what’s next: competing for a win in the regular season finale. He acknowledged that the playoffs are still just out of grasp but made it clear he’s going to push to reach the postseason, and by all accounts that’s something the locker room can agree on.

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Why was Johnathan Abram, not Jordan Howden, starting at safety for Saints?

Why was Johnathan Abram, not Jordan Howden, starting at safety for the Saints? The coaches had a good reason, and Abram made the most of his opportunity:

Jordan Howden has been a regular face in the New Orleans Saints secondary, so it was a little jarring to see him not in the starting lineup next to Tyrann Mathieu on Sunday. But the Saints coaching staff had a good reason for making a change: Howden was sidelined in practice to start the week with an illness that was still limiting him.

That prompted them to call up Johnathan Abram, who took Howden’s place as Marcus Maye’s fill-in. And Abram certainly made the most of that opportunity. He tied with Mathieu for the second-most tackles in Sunday’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while also forcing a fumble, intercepting a pass, and breaking up another throw into his coverage.

Saints head coach Dennis Allen complimented Abram’s performance after the game, saying: “I thought he played really well, I was extremely proud of him. Happy for him, the way that he played. Great effort play on the strip to cause a fumble that Demario (Davis) recovered. There was a number of things he did well, but that stands out.”

Allen pointed to Abram as a veteran in the defensive backs room who has spent more time studying game tape than maybe anyone else on the roster; Abram started out on the practice squad to start the year before getting chances to dress out for games here or there prior to this start. Props to him for seizing his opportunity.

Maybe it’ll lead to a larger role for him with free agency on the horizon. A former Raiders first-round draft pick out of Mississippi State, Abram suited up for a couple of different teams last year before he reunited with Derek Carr in New Orleans. He quickly established himself as a valuable player on the depth chart, and the Saints are fortunate to have him. We’ll see if he can continue to make a positive difference in Week 18’s regular season finale.

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Studs and Duds from Saints’ 23-13 win over the Buccaneers

Our Studs and Duds from the Saints’ 23-13 win over the Buccaneers highlight Juwan Johnson, Demario Davis and other standouts from Sunday:

It took a team effort to put away the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the New Orleans Saints are left feeling pretty satisfied. This was a complete win with the offense, defense, and special teams units each pulling their weight.

But who were the standouts? Who made a difference on Sunday afternoon — for good or bad? Who stood out for positive and negative reasons? Let’s break down this week’s Studs and Duds:

Saints promote practice squad safety Johnathan Abram to their 53-man roster

The Saints promoted practice squad safety Johnathan Abram to their 53-man roster after another injury for Marcus Maye:

An injury to Marcus Maye has prompted the New Orleans Saints to promote practice squad safety Johnathan Abram to their 53-man roster, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Abram made several appearances earlier this season as a standard elevation from the practice squad — but NFL rules dictate that players must be signed to the 53-man roster in order to suit up for more games after hitting that three-game limit.

Maye was a new addition to the injury report on Wednesday with a shoulder issue, so it makes sense to bring up Abram in case he’s needed on Sunday against the Detroit Lions. The Saints have other backups on the roster like Lonnie Johnson Jr., Ugo Amadi, and J.T. Gray, but it won’t hurt to make Abram available too.

Abram totaled 8 tackles in three games with the Saints earlier this year. Before arriving in New Orleans, the 27-year-old started 34 of his 36 games with the Raiders as a teammate of Derek Carr’s and spent time with the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks.

As for Maye: availability has been a concern with him ever since he signed with the Saints. He was limited to 10 of 17 games last season due to injuries and missed three games this season with a DUI suspension. His five-year run with the New York Jets was marred by injuries, too. He’s in the second year of his three-year contract and needs to prove he’s someone the Saints can count on moving forwards.

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