The New Orleans Saints lost WR Deonte Harris and CB Patrick Robinson while activating CB Justin Hardee in their last-minute roster moves.
The New Orleans Saints completed a series of roster moves before their Week 14 game with the Philadelphia Eagles, ranging from the loss of All-Pro return man Deonte Harris to the return of special teams ace Justin Hardee, with two other players promoted from the practice squad. Here’s what you need to know:
The New Orleans Saints called up practice squad wide receivers Juwan Johnson, Austin Carr, and Tommylee Lewis for Week 8 against the Bears.
With absences mounting in the receiving corps, the New Orleans Saints made a handful of roster moves in the leadup to Sunday’s matchup with the Chicago Bears. They called up a trio of wide receivers from their practice squad as well as a reserve offensive lineman, which makes sense with starting right guard Nick Easton still sidelined by an Oct. 12 concussion.
Still, it will take everything this group has got to help replace Michael Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, and Marquez Callaway, leaving Tre’Quan Smith and Deonte Harris as the most-experienced receivers left on the active roster. Here’s a quick run-down of the latest Saints roster moves:
Both wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and cornerback Ken Crawley were placed on the COVID-19 reserve list this week, prompting the New Orleans Saints to promote a pair of wide receivers from the practice squad: veteran Austin Carr and rookie Juwan Johnson. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill first reported the roster moves.
Per an NFL rules tweak, these will not count against each other player for future promotions (the new CBA allows for two practice squad call-ups per player each season). Because they are filling in for teammates on COVID-19 reserve, both players are granted a temporary exemption. Carr has already had one game-week promotion so he is still allowed one more, while Johnson retains both of his future opportunities.
Johnson was signed by the Saints as an undrafted rookie out of Oregon, where the 6-foot-4, 231 pounder struggled to stay healthy after transferring from Penn State. He impressed with his blocking in training camp and was quickly signed to the practice squad after roster cuts.
Additionally, the Saints signed backup guard Will Clapp to the 53-man roster after losing wide receiver Bennie Fowler to injured reserve with a shoulder injury. Clapp has been signed, released, and re-signed six times this year as he bounces between the practice squad and active roster.
And the Saints may not be finished yet. They can call up two more practice squad players as typical game-day roster additions, but they could wait until pregame warmups on Sunday to decide whether more help is needed. So stay tuned for updates.
The New Orleans Saints signed veteran slot receiver Austin Carr to their practice squad, making him the ninth wide receiver on their team.
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Things are very much in flux for rosters around the NFL as teams tweak their depth charts and work last-minute deals before the start of the regular season. That activity extends to the New Orleans Saints, who brought veteran slot receiver Austin Carr back to their practice squad. The Saints reported the move on the daily NFL transactions wire.
Carr will occupy one of the final two available spots on the 16-man practice squad; the Saints previously announced deals with 14 additions. He will also be the ninth wide receiver in New Orleans, including five players listed on the 53-man roster. The full list:
Michael Thomas (roster)
Emmanuel Sanders (roster)
Tre’Quan Smith (roster)
Deonte Harris (roster)
Marquez Callaway (roster)
Lil’Jordan Humphrey (practice squad)
Bennie Fowler (practice squad)
Juwan Johnson (practice squad)
Austin Carr (practice squad)
Carr, a 26-year old slot specialist, has appeared in 23 games with the Saints since 2017 (including the playoffs). He’s totaled 11 catches on 19 targets, gaining 111 receiving yards while converting 6 first downs and scoring a pair of touchdown receptions. He appeared in six games for the Saints last season before his year ended on injured reserve, averaging a career-high 33 snaps per game.
It’s a sign of greatly improved depth in the receiving corps that Carr didn’t make the team after training camp, but keeping him on the practice squad as a reserve option isn’t a bad idea. He’s seen more NFL action than many free agents available right now, and already knows the Saints playbook. If they run into injuries or absences due to COVID-19, the Saints could do worse than calling him up again.
The New Orleans Saints had just one spot left on their 90-man offseason roster, leading to some fun speculation among fans. Would the team use that vacancy to target one of the many veterans out there in free agency, going for broke on another pass rusher like Everson Griffen or Jadeveon Clowney?
No, it turns out. ESPN’s Field Yates reported Thursday that the Saints re-signed veteran slot receiver Austin Carr, which the team confirmed to be a one-year deal. Carr will be the thirteenth receiver to compete for five or six roster spots in training camp later this summer.
While he’s played often in his first three years with the team (averaging 22 snaps per game), Carr has rarely gotten open and drawn just 19 targets, including the postseason. He’s parlayed those opportunities into 11 catches to gain 111 receiving yards, scoring two touchdowns and converting six first downs.
We’ll see if Carr is able to make the roster again in 2020. He faces steep competition, but carries an edge as someone experienced in the Saints’ system. That could give him a leg up over undrafted rookie free agents like Oregon’s Juwan Johnson or Tennessee’s Marquez Callaway.
With the 2020 NFL Draft just around the corner, here’s a look at several Day 3 prospects the New York Giants could target.
There’s not much to do these days except analyze the upcoming NFL Draft and what we’ve done here is line up some possible Day 3 candidates for the New York Giants.
In both of the scenarios below, the Giants did not land Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons. In the first scenario, we passed on him at No. 4. In the second, he was gone before the Giants were on the clock.
Analysis: Wirfs is a versatile, athletic lineman the Giants sorely need. They have a lot invested in Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley and they need some talent up front to help stabilize the trenches.
Day 2
Round 2, Pick 36: Patrick Queen, LB, LSU
Round 3, Pick 99: Nick Harris, C, Washington
Analysis: Queen would be a steal here and more than make up for passing on Simmons in the first round. Queen next to Blake Martinez in a 3-4 would be a nice tandem. Harris is a down-and dirty interior lineman cut from the Richie Seubert cloth. Giant fans will love him.
Day 3
Round 4, Pick 110: Julian Blackmon, S, Utah
Round 5, Pick 150: Isaiah Hodgins, WR, Oregon State
Round 6, Pick 183: Antoine Brooks Jr., S, Maryland
Round 7, Pick 247: Levonta Taylor, CB, Florida State
Round 7, Pick 255: Mitchell Wilcox, TE, South Florida
Analysis: Blackmon is a pretty good fourth round find. I feel he’d start for the Giants right away. Hodgins was a sleeper, but his name has been rising. Not sure he’ll be around at No. 150. Brooks is a physical safety the Giants will find many uses for. Throckmorton would have to excel in camp to make the roster, but he’s got some ability. The final three players are all boom or bust types, but are all good athletes with solid football acumen.
The Oregon Ducks just hosted their Pro Day, and there are four players the Seattle Seahawks could target from Oregon in the 2020 NFL draft.
While many colleges are cancelling their upcoming Pro Day events in light of the coronavirus pandemic, the Oregon Ducks went ahead and held theirs without a hitch.
While standout quarterback Justin Herbert was the main story, this team has tons of other draftable players, many who could appeal to the Seattle Seahawks.
The Seahawks have been known to mine talent from Eugene in the past – including nickel corner Ugo Amadi and former Legion of Boom backup corner Walter Thurmond – and while there are not any defensive backs for Pete Carroll and company to scout from the Ducks, here are four players, including three offensive linemen, the Seahawks could pursue in the NFL draft from the University of Oregon.
Former Ohio State receiver Binjimen Victor among the players to watch in East-West Shrine Game
The NFL season is down to the final four teams, but for the other 28 franchises, the process of draft preparation has begun and that means scouting the collegiate all-star games.
The 2020 East-West Shrine Game is here and although it’s not the Reese Senior Bowl, a ton of mid-round and late-round prospects have taken advantage of the opportunity to put in work in front of the NFL scouts, coaches and executives.
Notable names to achieve greatness after the East-West Shrine Game include Jimmy Garoppolo, who has the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.
Eagles stars Brandon Brooks and Avonte Maddox are also East-West Shrine alums, so the Birds have experience in plucking talent from this game.
Former Purdue signal-caller David Blough turned a 10-of-15, 149 yards and two touchdowns performance in last year’s game into five appearances for the Detroit Lions this season.
With Philadelphia currently having 10 draft picks and several in the later rounds, here are 7 players the Eagles and fans should keep an eye on.
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1. Binjimen Victor, WR, Ohio State
Victor is an intriguing prospect and his Buckeye DNA gives him the benefit of the doubt when breaking down his tape and abilities on the outside.
Although not a star at Ohio State, Victor is a crisp route runner who is fluid coming out of the break with very sure hands. As a Senior for the Big 10 Champions, Victor had 35 catches for 573 yards and six touchdowns.
