Tag: Juwan Johnson

Juwan Johnson spotted at Saints training camp practice on Friday

This is good to see. Juwan Johnson was spotted at Saints training camp on Friday, out of a walking boot and catching passes:

This is good to see. Juwan Johnson was spotted at New Orleans Saints training camp on Friday, out of a walking boot and catching passes from a JUGS machine. The team’s starting tight end underwent foot surgery in mid-June after developing a stress fracture throughout minicamp. So this was a big development for him, even if he’s still on the PUP list.

Johnson worked with a member of the training staff before and after team drills got started. He was wearing a helmet for probably the first time in more than a month and, for now, was just looking to knock off the rust. He had been wearing a protective medical boot on his surgically-repaired foot in recent public appearances but on Friday he was dressed out in cleats like everyone else.

How long is his road to recovery? This type of surgery can take four to twelve weeks to receive a clean bill of health, depending on where the stress fracture occurred and how severe the damage was. So it’s a good sign if Johnson is already putting in light work under team supervision. His target date to return has always been Week 1’s kickoff game with the Carolina Panthers (on Sept. 8) so he’s at least on track for that. We’ll see if he’s able to return sooner.

In the meantime, Foster Moreau has gotten more opportunities to run routes and catch passes while working with Derek Carr on the first-team offense, just as he did when they were both with the Las Vegas Raiders. But two other tight ends have emerged as intriguing depth options. Dallin Holker built up some momentum when the Saints invested a lot in him as an undrafted rookie. And Michael Jacobson has continued to make plays after spending most of last season on the team’s practice squad. If they both keep it up, the Saints might have to carry four tight ends this year instead of the usual three.

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Dennis Allen expects Alvin Kamara, Chase Young to practice at Saints training camp

Dennis Allen expects Alvin Kamara and Chase Young to participate at the first Saints training camp practice on Wednesday:

The New Orleans Saints will formally kick off their 2024 training camp with the first day of practice on Wednesday, July 24, and head coach Dennis Allen is expecting strong attendance. Two big names who have been the subject of a lot of speculation are both going to be on the field: Alvin Kamara and Chase Young.

“Every indication that we’ve gotten is that he’s going to be out here practicing tomorrow, so that’s what we expect,” Allen responded. “We’re looking forward to working with him, you know? I think having him out here, and having him practice, and having him work, that’s beneficial for all of us. Obviously with the new system and new offense, I think that’s important. And yet I think we all understand there’s a business aspect to the game of football. But every indication that we’ve gotten is that he’ll be out here practicing tomorrow.”

A conventional holdout would have been very expensive for Kamara, so it’s not too surprising that he’s reported for camp while negotiating a new deal with the Saints. The question is whether he’ll limit his participating as a “hold-in” but it doesn’t sound like that’s something Allen is anticipating. Kamara’s spot on top of the depth chart isn’t as secure as you’d think given Kendre Miller’s big-play potential, so it’s important the veteran shows he’s as great a fit in Klint Kubiak’s offense as everyone hopes.

And what about Young? The Saints’ big free agent acquisition underwent neck surgery the day after he signed his one-year contract, but his recovery progressed better than expected, and he isn’t going to miss any time at training camp after all. Allen added that while the Saints will monitor his reps out of an abundance of caution, he’s going to be active for the first day of practice.

“Chase Young will participate in some form at practice tomorrow. We have three players, Tanoh (Kpassagnon), Nephi (Sewell), and Juwan Johnson, those three players will not be practicing tomorrow. Everybody else on the roster will be practicing in some form or fashion. Some maybe a little bit more limited coming off injury and things like that, but everybody else is going to be practicing tomorrow,” Allen said.

Kpassagnon suffered an Achilles injury training this offseason and is likely out for the year, but that hasn’t been confirmed yet. Sewell is still recovering from a knee injury he sustained during Dec. 31’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And Johnson is on the mend after requiring foot surgery in May.

Allen confirmed that wide receiver Chris Olave may also be limited at practice while dealing with a back issue, but it’s not serious and he’s expected to take on a heavier workload as camp progresses. Ryan Ramczyk is done for the year on the physically unable to perform list. But for the most part the Saints are starting camp healthier than many other teams around the league.

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ESPN ranks Saints’ skills positions among NFL’s worst group of playmakers

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell isn’t impressed by the Saints’ skills positions. He sees few difference-makers at tight end and running back:

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell ranked every set of skills positions for all 32 teams, and while he didn’t put the New Orleans Saints at the bottom, it was a near thing. Barnwell sees few difference-makers supporting Derek Carr in the New Orleans offense at running back and tight end, and he’s skeptical about their ongoing youth movement at wide receiver.

Here’s why Barnwell argues the Saints have the 25th-ranked set of pass-catchers in the NFL:

Do the Saints have two playmaker standouts? Depends on how optimistic you are about Alvin Kamara. I’m confident in Chris Olave, but Kamara hasn’t been an efficient runner for three seasons now since Drew Brees retired. He has averaged 3.9 yards per carry and generated minus-277 rush yards over expectation during that stretch. New Orleans’ other backs have been about as disappointing over the same time frame, but Kamara is being paid a premium to be something more than Jamaal Williams and Kendre Miller. His top-end speed is also down from where it was three years ago.

Does this group go as far as Kamara can take it? That seems to be what Barnwell is suggesting. It’s true that Kamara’s numbers have fallen off in recent years as many of the factors around him turned from strengths (like an elite offensive line, intuitive play caller, and rare talent at quarterback) to weaknesses for the team as a whole. But Kamara has lost a step, too. Of the 35 running backs who had at least 166 carries last year (50% of the league leader), Kamara ranked 30th in runs that gained 10 or more yards (15). He’s never been a home-run threat like other guys around the league, but that extra gear he did have has gone away.

What about wide receiver? There’s a lot of optimism surrounding Shaheed as the No. 2 with Chris Olave, but he must prove he can stay on the field when the Saints need him to block someone out on the perimeter. He lost snaps to backups like Lynn Bowden Jr. and Keith Kirkwood last year because of that concern. And after those two, it’s a total projection for A.T. Perry, who hasn’t yet won the WR3 job from Cedrick Wilson Jr. It would be nice to add another veteran to the group who has experience drawing a lot of targets in case one of those young players stumbles.

That brings us to tight end. Johnson isn’t out indefinitely, but he may as well be with the Saints not expecting him back from foot surgery until September. Foster Moreau’s first year with his hometown team left a lot to be desired, and much of that can be chalked up to poor coaching decisions. He followed Derek Carr to New Orleans after catching 63 passes for 593 yards and 5 touchdowns their last two years together with the Las Vegas Raiders. Pete Carmichael miscast him as a blocking specialist and Moreau tied for the second-fewest targets (25) of his pro career. He has some receiving ability, and he has a strong connection with Carr. Klint Kubiaak must do a better job than Carmichael of tapping into it.

Still, the group is what it is. This is their lowest ranking (No. 25) in three years of Barnwell’s series, having risen to No. 14 last offseason after starting out at No. 21 the year before. Moving on from Michael Thomas without investing in a credible replacement is worrisome. So is a running backs room that lacks big-play potential, and a group of tight ends that don’t exactly move the needle. Kubiak can change the perception with better play calling but at the end of the day it’s on these players to make plays.

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NFL shares highlight reel of Saints’ top 10 plays from 2023 season

The Saints’ dynamic receiving tandem of Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed make up the 7 of the Saints Top 10 plays of 2023:

The NFL shared a highlight reel of the New Orleans Saints’ 10 best plays from the 2023 season on social media, which included a large presence of Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave. Of the 10 plays, the Saints’ leading receivers accounted for seven of them.

This goes to show just how dynamic the Saints wide receiver tandem is. Olave made an appearance in four plays including the top two spots and Shaheed showed up three times. One of Shaheed’s appearances came on special teams, as well.

All of the offensive plays were passing plays. Juwan Johnson made an appearance with a catch from the Week 17 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a season best for the tight end. Demario Davis’ strip fumble was the lone defensive play on the list, and a Nephi Sewell punt block capped off the Top 10.

Two plays immediately jump to mind that didn’t make the cut. Tyrann Mathieu’s pick-six against the New England Patriots should have been a candidate. His 74-yard interception return likely would’ve made the cut had he not chose to go down early. It was surprising to not see the “Shid run” play from the Tennessee Titans game.

The problem with putting a play on the list is you’d have to take one off, so let’s just call these honorable mentions.

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NFL announces key dates for 2025 draft, start of free agency

The Saints will have some high-profile free agents in 2025 like Paulson Adebo and Rashid Shaheed. The NFL just announced when they could hit the market:

Yes, 2025 is still a long ways away — but it’s important to keep an eye on the future. That’s how the New Orleans Saints operate, and so does every other NFL team. The league office announced key dates for the 2025 offseason this week, highlighting the 2025 NFL draft and the start of free agency.

Here’s what we learned:

  • Feb. 18 to March 4: This is the window for teams to use the franchise tag (or the less-common transition tag).
  • March 12: This is the start of the new league year and free agency signing period.
  • April 24-26: The three-day 2025 NFL draft, which will be held in Green Bay.

We can infer some other things, like the real start of free agency being March 10. That’s when the legal tampering period opens, where teams court free agents and discuss contracts, but deals may only be agreed to, not signed. Every year a couple of players renege on those handshake agreements so nothing is guaranteed until pens go to paper a few days later.

Will the Saints use the franchise tag in 2025? Maybe. They’d like to avoid it given their complex salary cap situation, but they have several high-profile players headed for free agency after the 2024 season: Paulson Adebo, Pete Werner, Chase Young, Willie Gay, Juwan Johnson, Payton Turner, and Rashid Shaheed (who will be a restricted free agent, making him ineligible for the tag but easier to re-sign).

No one expected the Saints to use the franchise tag the last time they brought it out, at least not the summer before. It certainly wasn’t expected to be such a difficult decision between tagging Marcus Williams or Trey Hendrickson. Letting Hendrickson walk away in free agency (while tagging Williams only to fail to re-sign him later) has turned out to be one of Mickey Loomis’ biggest blunders, but going into his breakout season with the Saints he had just 6.5 sacks in three years. We’re in the same position now that we were then. Maybe one of those players we just listed performs so well in 2024 the Saints can’t afford to let them go in 2025.

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Countdown to Kickoff: Jesper Horsted is the Saints Player of Day 79

There isn’t a No. 79 on the Saints right now, but Jesper Horsted just signed and chose his jersey number. He’s our Saints Player of the Day as we count down to kickoff:

We’re counting down the days until the New Orleans Saints kick off their 2024 regular season with the Carolina Panthers, and while normally we’d be highlighting the player of the day in the corresponding jersey number (or a fan-favorite from the past who used it, when one isn’t available), we’re doing things a little different today.

Tight end Jesper Horsted has chosen to wear the No. 88 jersey with the Saints, and because he signed so recently he’s our pick; no one had taken it when we reached Day 88 in our countdown, and he had yet to sign with the team. Coincidentally, there also isn’t currently a No. 79 on the roster. We’ll take this opportunity to highlight Horsted, so let’s get to know him a little better.

  • Name (Age): Jesper Horsted (27)
  • Position: Tight end
  • Height, weight: 6-foot-3, 237 pounds
  • Relative Athletic Score: 4.70
  • 2024 salary cap hit: $985,000
  • College: Princeton
  • Drafted: Undrafted in 2019 (Chicago Bears)
  • NFL experience: 5 years

Horsted’s connection to the Saints runs through tight ends coach Clancy Barrone — who held the same position in Chicago when the Bears signed him as a rookie free agent. He’s primarily played special teams in the NFL (527 career snaps, including a career-high 216 last year with the Las Vegas Raiders) and that might be his path to making the team.

But the Saints signed Horsted after a foot injury sidelined Juwan Johnson for much of the summer. Like Johnson, he’s known as more of a pass-catching tight end than a blocker, so expect him to pick up the slack in receiving drills once training camp begins in late July. Guys like Michael Jacobson and Dallin Holker are ahead of him on the depth chart, but this is also an opportunity for Foster Moreau and Tommy Hudson to show the coaching staff they have hands, too.

Ultimately it’s on Horsted to prove he can handle a range of assignments and win the job as their third tight end behind Johnson and Moreau when roster cuts are decided at the end of August. He may have joined the team as a temporary fill-in because of an injury to another player, but that doesn’t  have to define his time on the team. Let’s see how he chooses to write his story.

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Countdown to Kickoff: Juwan Johnson is the Saints Player of Day 83

Juwan Johnson’s focus right now should be recovering from offseason foot surgery, but what are his big-picture goals in 2024? He’s our Saints Player of Day 83:

Juwan Johnson’s focus right now should be recovering from offseason foot surgery, but what are his big-picture goals in 2024? We’re counting down the days until the New Orleans Saints kick off their 2024 season against the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 8, and with 83 days left to go he’s our Saints Player of the Day.

Here’s a quick look at Johnson’s status with the Saints, and what he should be looking to achieve in 2024:

  • Name (Age): Juwan Johnson (27)
  • Position: Tight end
  • Height, weight: 6-foot-4, 231 pounds
  • Relative Athletic Score: 7.79
  • 2024 salary cap hit: $7 million
  • College: Oregon
  • Drafted: Undrafted in 2020 (New Orleans Saints)
  • NFL experience: 5 seasons

Johnson is in the final year of his contract, and he’s one of several big names the Saints will have to choose whether to re-sign in 2025 — along with guys like Rashid Shaheed, Paulson Adebo, Pete Werner, and maybe Chase Young and Payton Turner, plus Alvin Kamara if he and the Saints don’t reach an agreement on an extension this summer.

It’s tough to see the Saints reupping him next spring if Johnson’s performance last year is any indication. He regressed from his 2022 breakout with lower numbers in every category: fewer games played (13, down from 16), fewer catches and yards (37 for 368, from 42 for 508), fewer touchdowns scored (4, from 7) and first downs converted (23, from 25), and a lower catch rate (62.7%, from 64.6%).

Injuries were a problem for Johnson early on — he tweaked his calf muscle warming up for Week 4’s kickoff with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and missed four games, and clearly wasn’t himself once he return — but so was effort. Head coach Dennis Allen challenged Johnson personally to step up and make the most of his opportunities at midseason, and he responded well. Johnson finished his season with 17 catches for 216 yards, scoring three touchdowns in the Saints’ last four games.

Johnson was very productive once he was healthy, motivated, and locked in he established a strong connection with Derek Carr. It’s unfortunate that he’s back where he started while dealing with an injury that’s going to sideline him for much of the offseason, though the Saints hope he’ll able to suit up in Week 1. Johnson must prove he’s a different player than who the Saints saw last season. If he’s going to earn another lucrative extension, with New Orleans or someone else, he’ll need to bounce back from a down year and make a lot of plays in Klint Kubiak’s offense..

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Countdown to Kickoff: Dallin Holker is the Saints Player of Day 85

Dallin Holker is the New Orleans Saints Player of Day 85 as we count down to kickoff. The rookie tight end has a big opportunity in front of him:

It’s always exciting to see an undrafted rookie drawing attention in the spring, and Dallin Holker has earned it. The former Colorado State tight end signed with the New Orleans Saints after the 2024 draft and has already begun making plays at spring practices.

But what are reasonable expectations for him in his rookie year? We’ll seek to answer that while highlighting Holker as our Saints Player of the Day while counting down to kickoff with the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, which is 85 days away. So let’s get to know Holker a little better:

  • Name (Age): Dallin Holker (24)
  • Position: Tight end
  • Height, weight: 6-foot-3, 241 pounds
  • Relative Athletic Score: 7.36
  • 2024 salary cap hit: $798,333
  • College: Colorado State
  • Drafted: Undrafted in 2024 (New Orleans Saints)
  • NFL experience: Rookie

The Saints have experienced a lot of injuries at tight end this spring. Juwan Johnson is set to undergo foot surgery that will sideline him until the start of the regular season. Veteran backups Michael Jacobson and Tommy Hudson both missed time at minicamp after getting banged up. So Holker has been a big beneficiary of the extra practice reps to go around.

Now, that doesn’t mean he’s a lock to make the roster. Saints head coach Dennis Allen said the staff wants to know where Holker is as a blocker, characterizing the missing gap in their evaluations as coming from “a physicality standpoint” after minicamp. But between the positive early returns in passing drills, Holker’s obvious movement skills, and what’s been invested in him (his $235,000 in guarantees were more than two of their draft picks) it’s tough to see him not making the 53-man roster.

As for what Holker can achieve this season? If he does make the team he’ll be playing behind Johnson and Foster Moreau. But Jimmy Graham showed last year that the team’s third tight end can still make plays. It’s unfair to expect Holker to make such an outsized impact as Graham, who either converted a first down or scored a touchdown on all six of his receptions, but Holker should get some opportunities to make plays. Getting bumped up the depth chart over the summer with Johnson on the mend will only help speed up his development.

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Saints sign tight end Jesper Horsted, waive rookie wide receiver Kyle Sheets

The New Orleans Saints signed former Raiders tight end Jesper Horsted after an injury to Juwan Johnson, waiving rookie wide receiver Kyle Sheets to make room:

The New Orleans Saints announced Friday they had signed tight end Jesper Horsted, waiving undrafted rookie wide receiver Kyle Sheets to make room. Formerly of the Las Vegas Raiders and Chicago Bears, Horsted was brought in to reinforce the depth chart after an injury to starting tight end Juwan Johnson.

Horsted has mostly played special teams after turning pro out of Princeton, though he has caught 14 passes for 131 yards and three touchdowns in his four-year NFL career. He has also made ten tackles in the kicking game. He’s someone they know well. Horsted was teammates with Derek Carr on the Raiders in 2022 and he was coached by Clancy Barone with the Bears before that.

Johnson is expected to return in time for the start of the regular season so the Saints weren’t going to look for a big name to replace him. Look for Foster Moreau and rookie favorite Dallin Holker at practices over the summer with veteran backups Michael Jacobson and Tommy Hudson in the mix, plus Taysom Hill.

As for Sheets: the rookie from Slippery Rock was guaranteed just $30,000 in his contract with the Saints so there won’t be much of a salary cap impact from letting him go. We’ll wish him well in catching on with a new team.

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Pro Duck Juwan Johnson to undergo offseason surgery, miss time going forward

New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson to undergo off-season surgery that will cause him to miss some time.

One of the more prominent Oregon Ducks in the NFL is undergoing some off-season surgery in the coming days to deal with a foot injury that popped up recently.

According to multiple reports, New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson will undergo surgery on his foot, a procedure that is expected to cause him to miss time going forward.

“The hope and belief for now is that he will be back for the start of the season,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Johnson has been a big piece of the Saints offense over the past three seasons, hauling in 15 touchdowns with over 1,000 yards receiving. We will see how quickly he can recover from this procedure and get back onto the field during the 2024 season.

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