Tag: Jordan Mims

6 Saints with the most to gain against the Cardinals

6 Saints with the most to gain against the Cardinals: Jordan Mims is in line for heavy snaps, Samson Nacua has some momentum, and Spencer Rattler can take over

The New Orleans Saints will launch their 2024 preseason on Saturday night against the Arizona Cardinals, and while all of their healthy players are expected to get on the field throughout the evening, some have more to gain than others.

Between training camp battles and opportunities created by the injury bug biting their competition, a couple of players must seize this moment. That means making plays and doing things to catch their coach’s eye.

With that in mind, here are six players we’re going to be watching closely at State Farm Stadium when the Saints and Cardinals kick off in exhibition:

Nacua, who wears the No. 89 jersey, might be more than the brother of another team’s young star. He’s been competing hard at Saints training camp and made some acrobatic catches, quickly becoming one of Jake Haener’s favorite targets on the third-team offense. But with so many receivers sidelined by injuries (the Saints may only have six of them healthy for this game), Nacua should see plenty of targets regardless of who’s in at quarterback.

Dennis Allen has already spoken about how eager the Saints are to get Mims more touches and opportunities in the preseason so they can fully evaluate his game. They know he can run well behind Klint Kubiak’s zone-heavy blocking scheme, and he caught a lot of passes in college — from Haener at Fresno State. But can he pick up the blitz in pass protection? Can he add an element to their special teams coverage? Expect Mims to audition in a couple of different roles as he makes his case for a roster spot.

Haener is still ahead of Rattler on the depth chart, but that could change in a hurry if the rookie lights it up. He’s had some turnovers and regrettable throws at training camp but he’s also made a lot of passes that anyone would be proud of on their highlight reel. If Rattler gets out there and commands the offense with authority and keeps the Cardinals defense on their heels, watch out. He just might take that QB2 spot.

Orji might be losing ground in the competition for a roster spot at linebacker. And this is where things fell apart for him last summer — he missed too many tackles in the preseason, which ultimately landed him on the practice squad. He needs to tackle cleanly and prove his coaches can trust him when they call his number. Expect him to play a lot of snaps inn the third quarter and second half behind guys like D’Marco Jackson and Khaleke Hudson.

It almost feels like cheating to highlight a player drafted as highly as McKinstry, but Dennis Allen has spoken about how badly he needs reps this offseason after missing the spring program recovering from foot surgery. Both Marshon Lattimore and Paulson Adebo have missed recent practices while dealing with their own injuries lately, so the rookie should see a ton of snaps. Every rep counts when he’s making his case to get on the field in September.

Did you know this will be the first NFL game of Hergel’s life — as a spectator or player? The rookie guard has quietly enjoyed a very strong summer, and if the Saints didn’t have Cesar Ruiz entrenched on the right side he might already be in the starting lineup. Hergel has taken almost all of the snaps at right guard on the second-team offense while occasionally rotating into the left guard spot with the starters. He’s put himself in great position to win a roster spot, but a productive preseason could seal the deal.

Derek Carr impressed by Jordan Mims: ‘He’s really taken the bull by the horns’

Former Fresno State running back Jordan Mims is already drawing praise from New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr: ‘He’s really taken the bull by the horns’

Training camp is in full swing for the New Orleans Saints with the season on the horizon, and multiple players have already stood out, including running back Jordan Mims. He’s making the most of his opportunity with Kendre Miller on the mend with a hamstring injury.

Quarterback Derek Carr spoke to just how much Mims brings to the table in a recent interview before Saints training camp.

“There’s so much talent. He is doing such a phenomenal job. He’s really impressed me,” Carr told Stephen Hicks at ABC 30 Fresno.

Mims, Carr and backup quarterback Jake Haener all share the Fresno State connection, and while Mims was Haener’s teammate and not Carr’s, the veteran passer was still certainly keeping up with his games on the field for the Bulldogs. Mims finished out his Fresno State career with 3,290 rushing yards and 37 touchdown runs on 680 carries, also catching 91 passes for 971 yards and another 8 touchdowns receptions.

“I knew the kind of player he was, obviously, watching him in the (Fresno State) games,” Carr said. “Then you get around him and he’s an even better person. And the coaches are so impressed with him. He’s doing some really great things.”

To Carr, the possibilities of how Mims can contribute to the Saints offense, particularly in the ground game, are endless. He played his best football in a similar offense built around zone blocking concepts.

Carr continued: “And so I think the sky’s the limit for him. And I’ve told him ‘If you don’t make it, I’m taking it personal, it’s my fault.’ I’ve just been trying to pour into his life, just encouraging him. He’s really taken the bull by the horns and just crushed it. He’s done a great job.”

Entering his second season in the NFL after he was originally signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted rookie after the 2023 NFL draft, Mims will look to capitalize on the opportunity he’s been presented with in New Orleans for another year. Mims saw action in just two games for the Saints last season, but did not record a carry or a reception while primarily helping out the kickoff coverage squad on special teams.

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Jordan Mims is ready to prove he’s more than just Jake Haener’s college teammate

With Kendre Miller sidelined by another injury, Jordan Mims has a big opportunity to prove he’s more than just Jake Haener’s old college teammate:

When Jordan Mims signed with the New Orleans Saints last year, the main storyline surrounding his arrival was his connection to another rookie on the team — Jake Haener. Mims and Haener played together at Fresno State, of course, and becoming teammates again as pros was a cool bit of trivia if nothing else.

But he’s working to make the most of his latest opportunity. Mims was already practicing ahead of Kendre Miller, last year’s third-round draft pick, before the latter exited the first day of training camp with a hamstring injury.  Now Mims is getting even more touches and snaps at practice to prove to the coaches what he can do.

“Young Mims,” center Erik McCoy grinned when asked about him on Saturday. “I’m a Mims fan. I feel like he’s a guy not a lot of people know about. Just because they picked him up last year in Week 2, maybe Week 3. But even throughout all of last year, and seeing him on the P. Squad, seeing him go against our defense, I thought ‘This kid can go.’ I think throughout this camp you can just see that even more. He can go.”

What’s interesting is how poorly Mims fits the Saints’ established preferences at running back. He weighs in at just 6-foot-0 and 205 pounds, 10 pounds lighter than Alvin Kamara and 20 pounds under Jamaal Williams,  and he didn’t exactly blow everyone away in his pre-draft athletic testing. Mims was given a 1.46 Relative Athletic Score after timing the 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds, poor results for an athlete his size.

Still, the Saints clearly saw something in Mims when they signed him. McCoy sees it now. Just look at his production in college. Fresno State asked a lot of him; Mims ran the ball 680 times across five seasons with the Bulldogs while catching 91 passes, scoring a combined 45 touchdowns in 59 games. And he has a lot of success running in former Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford’s zone-heavy blocking scheme, which shares many of the same principles Klint Kubiak is installing with the Saints. That could give him an edge over other backups like James Robinson and Jacob Kibodi — to say nothing of Miller’s status.

Let’s keep it realistic. Alvin Kamara will dominate touches out of the backfield, though the Saints are determined to get more out of Jamaal Williams than they did last season. And Taysom Hill is an X-factor, too, as he’s effectively been their best rusher in recent years. Mims won’t be taking anything away from those guys on top of the depth chart. But he could be more than a challenger for Miller.

Remember, another undrafted running back (Pierre Thomas) once took a fourth-round pick’s job (Antonio Pittman) in the New Orleans backfield. If Mims runs hard this summer and flashes the same vision and playmaking ability he did in college, he might not just make the team. He stands to benefit from every practice session Miller spends in the trainer’s room.

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Saints complete several last-second roster moves before Week 18 vs. Falcons

The Saints completed several last-second roster moves to prepare for Week 18’s game against the Falcons:

We’re hours away from what may be the last New Orleans Saints game of the year. A loss in Sunday’s matchup with the Atlanta Falcons would end the Saints’ season, while a win could only extend it by a few more minutes, depending on how the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ contest with the Carolina Panthers goes, or hours, with a couple of different late-afternoon matchups factoring into the playoff picture.

But it all starts with a win on Sunday. And to that end, the Saints processed a series of last-minute roster moves to bring up reinforcements from their practice squad and the injured reserve list. Here’s what you need to know about each of them:

Saints expected to sign veteran RB James Robinson to their practice squad

The New Orleans Saints are signing veteran running back James Robinson to their practice squad after a group tryout, pending a physical:

This is worth monitoring. Veteran running back James Robinson plans to sign with the New Orleans Saints practice squad after a physical, as first reported by NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill.

Underhill adds that Robinson is one of several running backs who tried out for the Saints this week, along with Jerrion Ealy, John Lovett, and old friend Ty Montgomery. Robinson ran well for the Jacksonville Jaguars early in his career but has since bounced around the league, making stops with the New York Jets, New England Patriots, New York Giants, and Green Bay Packers.

The Saints are shorthanded at the position with Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams alone on top of the depth chart; rookie draft pick Kendre Miller hasn’t practiced since a Nov. 5 ankle injury, and Jordan Mims has only played special teams when coming up from the practice squad.

It’s possible the Saints just wanted more reliable depth in the backfield, but they could be considering shutting down Miller so he can attack the offseason at full health. We’ll get a better idea when the injury report drops on Wednesday afternoon, so stay tuned.

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Saints activate LB Ryan Connelly from injured list, bring back RB Jordan Mims

The Saints activated linebacker Ryan Connelly from the injured list, also re-signing running back Jordan Mims to fill out their practice squad:

Reinforcements are on the way: the New Orleans Saints brought back a few familiar faces on Tuesday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire, with linebacker Ryan Connelly activated from injured reserve and running back Jordan Mims re-signed after being waived last week; both players were added to the practice squad, which is now back at capacity. Tight end/fullback J.P. Holtz was released from the practice squad to facilitate these moves.

Connelly suffered a preseason knee injury and tried to play through it in the season opener with the Tennessee Titans, but that only aggravated the issue. He had to sit out the next six weeks while recovering. But he’s back now, and he should be in line for a role on special teams much like he was before. The Saints have relied on Zack Baun (162 snaps), D’Marco Jackson (161), Nephi Sewell (136), and Ty Summers (117) heavily in the kicking game, but Connelly was playing ahead of Sewell and Summers prior to his injury.

As for Mims: he only played a bit part while coming off the practice squad, but he did well on limited snaps. He got in on the opening tackle against the Houston Texans kick return in Week 6, his first play in the NFL, and the team clearly sees some things they can work with in him. For now he’ll be buried on the depth chart behind Alvin Kamara, Jamaal Williams, and Kendre Miller.

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Saints reveal new jersey numbers for practice squad RB’s Tony Jones Jr., Jordan Mims

The Saints revealed new jersey numbers for practice squad running backs Tony Jones Jr. and Jordan Mims. Update your home rosters accordingly:

The New Orleans Saints announced jersey numbers for recently-signed practice squad running backs Tony Jones Jr. and Jordan Mims on the team’s official website roster; update your home rosters accordingly.

Jones is wearing the same No. 34 jersey that he last used in New Orleans. He’s also worn Nos. 21 and 37 in black and gold, and it’s interesting that they were both available when he signed. Someone must have already laid claim to them after the Saints released cornerbacks Bradley Roby (No. 21) and Troy Pride Jr. (No. 37). Who that may be is uncertain. Or maybe Jones just wanted to go with the same uniform number he used in his last stop with the Saints.

As for Mims: the rookie out of Fresno State swearing No. 35, which is what he also wore with the Buffalo Bills after signing with them as an undrafted free agent this spring. In college he went with Nos. 7 and 22, neither of which were available for him in New Orleans. Taysom Hill and Rashid Shaheed got to them first.

These two backs on the practice squad round out the depth chart. With Alvin Kamara (No. 41) suspended, the Saints will be leaning heavily on their veteran free agent pickup Jamaal Williams (No. 30) and, if he’s healthy, third-round rookie draft pick Kendre Miller (No. 25). They also have former wide receiver Kirk Merritt (No. 33) on the 53-man roster as a Kamara-style change-of-pace back, which is the role envisioned for Mims, too.

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Dennis Allen on the decision to go with Tony Jones Jr. over Ellis Merriweather

Saints head coach Dennis Allen shared his perspective on the decision to let Ellis Merriweather go and bring in a couple of new running backs, including Tony Jones Jr.:

The New Orleans Saints created a stir late this week by releasing rookie running back Ellis Merriweather from the practice squad and bringing in a couple of new runners — one of whom, Tony Jones Jr., Saints fans have seen before and quickly characterized as a retread.

And Saints head coach Dennis Allen didn’t exactly push back on that narrative when asked about the decision behind this roster move. He says Jones’ experience in the offense is exactly what put the running back on their radar.

“Tony’s a guy that’s been in the system,” Allen said Thursday. “He’s really been in the same basic install meetings all throughout training camp, so there’s a familiarity in what we’re doing offensively. So that’s what was intriguing about him.”

Jones was recently released by the Denver Broncos, where he had followed his former coach Sean Payton. The Broncos are deep at running back with five players on their roster (Javonte Williams, Samaje Perine, and Jaleel McLaughlin) and practice squad (Dwayne Washington and Tyler Badie), so there were few snaps to go around for Jones.

How did they compare in preseason? Jones logged 10 rushing attempts and gained 66 yards, though most of his yardage came on a single 43-yard pickup in the second exhibition game. He also caught 4 receptions for another 29 yards and held up in pass protection on a handful of snaps.

Merriweather, meanwhile, had 22 carries for 71 yards with his longest run picking up 11; he caught 8 passes for 48 receiving yards and a score, too, and was clean in blitz pickup situations. But at the end of the day Allen wanted someone with greater NFL experience than the rookie from UMass backing up Jamaal Williams, Kendre Miller, and Kirk Merritt.

But Jones wasn’t the only running back the Saints added this week. They also signed former Fresno State star Jordan Mims to the practice squad, who Allen describes as someone with athletic traits that stand apart from the rest of the running backs: “Mims is a guy that we watched on tape, we felt that he had some little bit of change-of-pace back (qualities), some quickness, some change of direction as well as his ability out of the backfield.”

It’s not a bad group, but it’s going to be tough for any of them to make much headway against the Tennessee Titans next Sunday. The Titans have kept one of the league’s most consistent run defenses together this summer and they’ll be looking to stop the Saints on the ground early and often. We could get a very quick look at whether New Orleans can win on the strength of Derek Carr’s arm this season.

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Saints announce multiple practice squad roster moves, re-sign RB Tony Jones Jr.

The Saints announced multiple practice squad roster moves, signing running backs Tony Jones Jr. and Jordan Mims. Both pickups were previously reported:

The New Orleans Saints are continuing to tweak their depth chart at running back as the regular season approaches, with head coach Dennis Allen announcing multiple roster moves for their practice squad on Thursday.

“We added a couple of runners to the practice squad and we released a couple of players from the practice squad,” Allen said, confirming that rookie running back Ellis Merriweather and veteran linebacker Ty Summers were both waived. “It’s a lot of transactions that happen in the first weeks of the season, so it’s all about roster management.”

With Alvin Kamara suspended and Kirk Merritt coming off an injury — with Kendre Miller managing a new hamstring issue — it made sense to reinforce the depth chart. But the Saints wanted to get someone they were more comfortable throwing into a game by bringing Tony Jones Jr. back. Here’s what you need to know about each move:

Saints waive rookie RB Ellis Merriweather from their practice squad

The Saints waived rookie running back Ellis Merriweather for the second time this week, opening a spot on their practice squad:

It’s been a tough week for Ellis Merriweather. The rookie running back was waived twice in three days by the New Orleans Saints, with NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reporting that he was let go from the Saints practice squad on Thursday.

Merriweather first signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent out of UMass earlier this year, and he competed hard throughout training camp and the Saints preseason games. Unfortunately, the team chose to go in another direction.

His departure opens a spot on the practice squad for one of two veteran running backs who reportedly signed with the team: Tony Jones Jr. (who has been in New Orleans before) and Jordan Mims (another rookie, who played with Saints backup quarterback Jake Haener at Fresno State). The Saints will continue to put the finishing touches on their depth chart in the days ahead, so this may not be the end of Merriweather’s time in New Orleans. Stay tuned for updates.

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