Tag: justin herron

Saints offensive line depth being tested early at training camp

The New Orleans Saints’ offensive line depth is being tested early at training camp, with position battles heating up and injuries hitting the unit:

The New Orleans Saints have been shuffling the offensive line around for most of training camp, with left guard and right tackle primarily being the positions where battles are taking place. At Friday’s practice, according to NewOrleans.Football’s Mike Triplett, “Lucas Patrick spent much of the day as the starting LG, with Nick Saldiveri with the 2s. A competition there.”

Left guard has been a battle between Patrick, Saldiveri, and Shane Lemieux, the latter of whom suffered an ankle injury recently and was held out of Friday’s practice. Right tackle is also seeing some competition, with Trevor Penning running with the starters but Landon Young getting reps in walkthroughs. Olisaemeka Udoh has also been getting reps at right tackle occasionally, and the other competitor Justin Herron has been sidelined with a knee injury as well.

Outside of those two positions, the presumed locks for the remaining spots are Taliese Fuaga at left tackle (pending the need to move back to right tackle if it does not work out), Cesar Ruiz at right guard, and Erik McCoy at center. The backups for those positions, as well as the starters at right tackle and left guard, are essentially up in the air for now as the training camp battles continue to become more and more intriguing. We will see who ends up starting where come the preseason games, but there could be changes on the horizon with how much movement there has been thus far.

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Two-time Pro Bowler LeCharles Bentley is our Saints Player of Day 65

Two-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman LeCharles Bentley is our Saints Player of Day 65. Injuries shortened his career, but he has a strong legacy:

We’ve been counting down the days to the start of the New Orleans Saints’ 2024 regular season by profiling each player on the roster in the corresponding jersey number, but there isn’t anyone currently wearing No. 65. So instead, we’re shifting gears to cast a light on one of the players who wore it best: LeCharles Bentley.

Bentley, the team’s second-round pick in the 2002 NFL draft (out of, where else, but Ohio State) , started 14 games at guard in his rookie year and was named a Pro Bowler in 2003. He moved back to his college position, center, in 2004 and was again voted into the Pro Bowl the following season. But he left to sign with the Cleveland Browns as a free agent in 2006 and suffered a career-ending knee injury that summer. Multiple surgeries and a close call with a serious infection kept him from ever playing a snap in Cleveland.

These days Bentley works with the NFL as its senior advisor of player performance and development, an opportunity he earned after founding the L. Bentley O-Line Academy in Ohio. It’s one of the few training facilities specializing in working with offensive linemen, and the resources Bentley has made available have helped send some impressive players to the pros.

Bentley also founded AMDG Sports, an agency focused solely on representing offensive linemen (including current Saints players Shane Lemieux and Justin Herron). He may not have enjoyed a long-running career himself as a player, but Bentley has done a lot to ensure he’ll be proud of his legacy in pro football.

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Countdown to Kickoff: Justin Herron is the Saints Player of Day 77

Countdown to Kickoff: Justin Herron is the New Orleans Saints Player of Day 77. Can the veteran carve out a role at offensive tackle in 2024?

Day 77 of our countdown to the New Orleans Saints season opener lands at the offensive tackle position with newly-acquired Justin Herron, who currently owns the No. 77 jersey. Herron, a former Wake Forest standout, spent his first four years with the New England Patriots and the Las Vegas Raiders playing a total of 35 games in his NFL career.

Before we get into more detail on Herron and his potential role with the Saints in 2024, let’s make sure to highlight him as our Saints Player of the Day.

  • Name (Age): Justin Herron (28)
  • Position: Offensive tackle
  • Height, weight: 6-foot-5, 290 pounds
  • Relative Athletic Score: 3.99
  • 2024 salary cap hit: $985,000
  • College: Wake Forest
  • Drafted: Round 6, Pick 195 in 2020 (New England Patriots)
  • NFL experience: 5 years

Herron is one of the many offensive linemen acquired in free agency by the Saints, a group that was brought in to compete for starting roles or to provide depth along the line. Herron, an offensive tackle by stature, has been provided all the opportunity in the world by joining the Saints.

Before the addition of Taliese Fuaga, the team had two huge voids on both ends of the line. Right now, former first-round pick Trevor Penning has the inside track on the right side of the line but by no means has he solidified the job. Penning struggled mightily in the beginning of last season leading to his benching early on. Herron could move Penning off his spot come training camp, however there will be competition for it. Free agent acquisition Oli Udoh, former sixth-round pick Landon Young and this year’s seventh rounder Josiah Ezirim will be in the mix for that job as well. It’s likely that the team will carry nine offensive linemen come September which could also allow Herron to make the team as a depth player behind the starting five.

All in all, this offensive tackle race is one of, if not the most intriguing on the team. It will ultimately come down to who can maintain consistency throughout camp and even into the start of the regular season. We’ll see how this all plays out very shortly as training camp starts later in July.

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Saints sign free agent offensive linemen Shane Lemieux, Justin Herron

The Saints signed free agent offensive linemen Shane Lemieux and Justin Herron on Monday, adding experienced depth for training camp:

No team accomplished everything it wanted to in the 2024 NFL draft — including the New Orleans Saints, who are still looking to plug holes by signing veteran free agents in the days after the selection event. One obvious vulnerability they need to address is the left guard spot, following James Hurst’s decision to retire.

And here’s a couple of options who could help out. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reported Monday that the Saints signed former New York Giants guard Shane Lemieux following a free agent tryout. Lemieux, who turns 26 in a few weeks, primarily plays on the left side dating back to his college career at Oregon. He was teammates with former Saints backup Calvin Throckmorton, as well as current Saints tight end Juwan Johnson and safety Ugo Amadi. The Giants drafted Lemieux in fifth round of the 2020 draft but he’s started just a dozen games since.

Underhill adds that the Saints are also signed free agent offensive lineman Justin Herron. A sixth-round pick in 2020 out of Wake Forest (by the New England Patriots), Herron was briefly teammates with Derek Carr on the Las Vegas Raiders. He exclusively played left tackle in college but has seen action on either side of the line in the NFL. It’s a cool full-circle moment with both players being represented by AMDG Sports, an agency founded by former Saints Pro Bowl center LeCharles Bentley.

While neither of them feel like threats to start for the Saints, it’s important to add experienced backups like these guys to round out the depth chart for training camp. Someone needs to show the new guys the ropes. But maybe they’ll surprise us and excel in Klint Kubiak’s new offense.

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Ballers & Busters: Raiders preseason Week 1 vs 49ers

Your Ballers & Busters for Raiders preseason preseason opener

Sunday the Raiders took the field for the first time since the end of last season. And just as they did last preseason, there wasn’t much in the way of starters on the field.

Yeah, unlike years ago when the starters would at least play a series in the opener, these days they don’t see the field at all, making the preseason games all about the hopefuls proving themselves to try and earn a roster spot.

With that in mind, here are the standouts among those who took the field against the 49ers.

Ballers

QB Aidan O’Connell

The rookie balled out for three quarters. He completed 15 of 18 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. And two of his three incompletions were drops. Very impressive first impression for the fourth round pick out of Purdue.

DE Jordan Willis, DE Isaac Rochell

The two of them shared a sack on third down to force the 49ers into a three-and-out to open the game. And then they were both forces on the outside the rest of their time on the field.

Willis had a pressure on the next drive that also resulted in a three-and-out and then Rochell had a pressure that helped lead to a sack on the 49ers third consecutive three-and-out to start the game.

Willis ended consecutive drives to end the first half. With a run stuff for no gain on 4th down and then a QB hit that resulted in a bad pass to send the two teams to the locker room with the Raiders holding a 14-7 lead.

The first 49ers possession of the third quarter had Rochell wreaking havoc on them. He got in the backfield to disrupt the play on a one yard run, then had two run stuffs for no gain.

TE Cole Fotheringham

Fotheringham was all over the place. First and foremost, he was the team’s leading receiver with 71 yards on five catches. Knowing that his best chance of making the roster will be with his special teams work, he had a tackle on a punt return as well. And for good measure, he had a couple of run blocks that led to good yardage too.

LB Curtis Bolton

The first tackle of the game was Bolton on the opening kickoff. Late in the third quarter, he came in at linebacker and made a impact there too. He laid the hit that forced the fumble for the Raiders’ first takeaway of the day. Then he ended Sam Darnold’s day with a couple blitzes that both led to incompletions and a 58-yard field goal attempt that missed wide right.

DT Neil Farrell Jr

With the score still tied at seven apiece late in the second quarter, the 49ers lined up to go for it on fourth and one. Jordan Willis would get the run stuff at the line, but it was Farrell who filled the gap to make it possible. Farrell was there again on fourth and one early in the third quarter to stuff Sam Darnold on his QB sneak attempt for another turnover on downs.

DT Adam Butler

On consecutive plays late in the first quarter, Butler got into the 49ers backfield. The first time, Trey Lance managed to escape, though he was only able to scramble for two yards. The next play Butler got pressure again, this time he wrapped up Lance for the sack. Butler later had a run stop as well.

S Roderic Teamer

As Roderic “Special” Teamer is want to do, he made a play as a gunner on special teams, stopping the return man for no gain at the 14-yard-line. He also had a couple assisted tackles in the pass game as well as the run game.

Honorable Mention

CB Sam Webb — Was in the right place when his receiver couldn’t get ahold of a pass and he picked it off and returned it to the two-yard-line.

RB Sincere McCormick — had two touchdowns in the game; one on the ground and one through, both from two yards out.

LB Amari Burney — Had a pursuit sack and made a great read on a pass over the middle to nearly pick it off.

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75 days till Patriots season opener: Every player to wear No. 75 for New England

Here’s a list of every Patriots player to wear the No. 75 jersey number.

There are 75 days left before the New England Patriots’ regular season opener at Gillette Stadium against the Philadelphia Eagles.

We’re celebrating at Patriots Wire by counting down the days and listing every Patriots player to ever wear the jersey number of that particular day.

That puts us at No. 75 today.

It’s hard not to think of legendary nose tackle Vince Wilfork when it comes to the No. 75 jersey. He was a unicorn in the NFL both in talent and personality. There weren’t many players standing at 6-foot-2 and 325 pounds that could move like Wilfork, who finished his career with two Super Bowl victories, four All-Pro nods and five Pro Bowls.

But of course, he wasn’t the only standout to wear the number. Here’s a list of every Patriots player to wear the No. 75 for New England:

Raiders place T Justin Herron on injured reserve

T Justin Herron heads to IR with torn ACL

A couple weeks ago, Josh McDaniels brought over tackle Justin Herron from the New England in an exchange of late round picks. Last week, Herron saw his first game action and tore his ACL, landing him on injured reserve.

Shortly after Herron was acquired on Sep 21, the team waived Jackson Barton. Tuesday, Barton was signed back to the team’s practice squad, so you’d have to figure with Herron now out, Barton could return to the active roster.

Herron played 17 snaps against the Broncos, often brought in as an extra tackle in jumbo packages. Meanwhile Kolton Miller started every snap at left tackle and Thayer Munford and Jermaine Eluemunor split snaps at right tackle.

It seemed clear McDaniels was hoping Herron could compete to be the team’s starting right tackle, but that won’t happen now. They will have to stick with either Munford or Eluemunor at that spot. Or in most cases so far, the combination of the two.

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Patriots trade OL Justin Herron to Raiders

Patriots trade Justin Herron to the Raiders

The New England Patriots have reportedly traded offensive lineman Justin Herron to the Las Vegas Raiders, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Wednesday.

Las Vegas is sending a 2024 sixth-round draft pick to New England in exchange for Herron and a 2024 seventh-round pick.

So the Patriots are letting a reserve offensive lineman walk for future compensation down the road. And to top it all off, the deal was struck with a Raiders team that has former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as the head coach.

The move also opened up a roster spot for defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale, who was serving out a two-game suspension. He returned to practice on Wednesday with his roster exemption expiring. The Patriots have yet to officially confirm the move.

“No,” said coach Bill Belichick, when asked if he could confirm the roster transaction, via NESN’s Zack Cox. “But when we can, if we can, we will.”

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5 takeaways from Patriots’ annual in-stadium practice

5 takeaways from the Patriots’ in-stadium practice.

The New England Patriots were back on the practice field on Friday night for their annual in-stadium practice at Gillette Stadium.

There was a great fan turnout on a night where the team put on the pads and went through the entire pregame process. This practice typically serves as somewhat of a dress rehearsal, but things initially looked to be a bit more amped up in the early-going.

Players split up for a Team Blue vs. Team White matchup. Matt Patricia was calling the offensive plays for Team Blue with Mac Jones at quarterback, while Team White was left to Joe Judge and rookie Bailey Zappe.

It was the final practice of the week with the team slated to be off for the weekend before returning to prepare for Thursday night’s preseason opener against the New York Giants.

Here are five takeaways from the team’s in-stadium practice.

Patriots’ Justin Herron honored for preventing sexual assault in Arizona

New England Patriots offensive lineman Justin Herron was honored after prevent a sexual assault in Arizona

There is so much bad news that when a great story comes around it is so important to recognize it.

That is what happened in Arizona as New England Patriots offensive lineman Justin Herron has been honored for being one of two people who helped prevent a sexual assault against a 71-year-old woman.

The incident happened in a park in Tempe on Saturday.

Murry Rogers, who assisted with Herron, said the victim called him and Herron “her angels.”

Per 12news.com: 

“If not for the swift actions of Mr. Justin Herron and Mr. Murry Rogers, this vicious attack could’ve been much worse,” Tempe police Detective Natalie Barela said.

The Tempe Police Department presented Rogers and Herron with Outstanding Service Awards on Wednesday.

Herron said he heard screaming and knew he had to help.

“At that moment, I was in shock,” Herron said Wednesday. “It was 11 a.m., middle of the day, in a very open field and the fact that it happened there at that time was just very shocking. I wish I could tell you what I was thinking, but I could just tell someone needed help. All I could do was rush myself over there to make sure I could help the victim and I could comfort her and be the best person I can be.”

Herron, who is in Arizona for offseason training, added his upbringing taught him to spring into action.

“My parents always talked to me about it, if there’s someone in need, make sure you can help them and be the best you can be,” Herron said. “I don’t want this to happen again, I don’t want to have to save someone else’s life again, but I’m glad I was able to save someone’s life on Saturday.”