Tag: Kaden Elliss

Saints designate their first two players to COVID-19/reserve list

The New Orleans Saints placed linebacker Kaden Elliss and long snapper Zach Wood on the COVID-19/reserve list on Thursday’s NFL transactions

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The New Orleans Saints tested their entire roster for COVID-19 infections when players arrived for training camp last week, and they were one of a few NFL teams to not report any positive cases.

That changed on Thursday’s update to the NFL transactions wire, when the Saints placed linebacker Kaden Elliss and long snapper Zach Wood to the COVID-19/reserve list. Details are confidential, but this means that they either tested positive themselves or came in contact with someone who had. They will need to test negative twice before they can rejoin the team.

Elliss, 25, joined the Saints last season as a late-round draft pick out of Idaho. His path to the roster lies on special teams, though he’s shown some of the athleticism and smarts needed to be more than a backup on defense. As for Wood: the 27-year old out of SMU signed a four-year contract extension with the Saints earlier this summer, and it’ll be interesting to see how the Saints replace him during his absence. Free agent tryouts are difficult right now given how busy doctors are in fighting a public health crisis.

Hopefully neither Elliss nor Wood will be seriously affected by the coronavirus. Some additions to the COVID-19/reserve list should have been expected, even if the Saints got off to a great start in training camp. Saints coach Sean Payton has been the first to acknowledge that cases will be inevitable in a contact sport with such large rosters.

It’s also worth noting that false positive test results are possible; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is one recent example. So we should look for some movement on these situations in the days ahead.

The Saints had two players opt out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the NFL deadline for opt outs passed by without more of their teammates joining them, which was also expected. So they’re all in for the long haul.

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Kaden Elliss talks injury progress, new Saints linebackers coach Michael Hodges

New Orleans Saints linebacker Kaden Elliss saw his rookie year ended by injury, but he’s working to return in 2020 and work with a new coach

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New Orleans Saints linebacker Kaden Elliss didn’t have quite the rookie he anticipated last season, going down in Week 3 with a torn ACL. He’s been diligently rehabbing his surgically-repaired knee, and took some time to speak with host Chris Rosgovlou on the “Straight-Up Saints” podcast about his experience. Last year’s seventh-round pick out of Idaho also shared his take on the Saints’ replacement for linebackers coach Mike Nolan, who was hired away by the Dallas Cowboys.

Nolan was succeeded by his former assistant, Michael Hodges. And that’s a move that Elliss welcomed, having seen firsthand the work Hodges had put in to earn it. Elliss said, “I’m so excited about Coach Hodges getting that promotion. He’s an amazing guy and has such a hunger and passion to get better everyday. The move [Nolan to Dallas] is what it is — it’s a business. But I’m also very excited where we are. I’m super excited to have Coach Hodges running this room and I know the other guys are too.”

Like teammate Alex Anzalone, who recently announced that he was “Good to go,” following 2019 shoulder surgery, Elliss is eager to get back on the field. While he projects as a backup middle linebacker in 2020 (filling in as Anzalone’s understudy, incidentally), Elliss was also a prominent member of the special teams units during his brief appearances early last season. He also suggested this year’s organized team activities as a potential return date.

Elliss continued, “I’m working down here with the staff and they’re doing an awesome job helping me get better than I’ve ever been. It’s been a goal of mine to be ready for OTAs. We’re still working toward that goal, but we’ve got a little while longer to see how a couple more things go.”

The Saints typically hold OTAs in late May and early June, following weekend-long rookie minicamp practices. This gives them an opportunity to fill out the offseason 90-man roster while auditioning undrafted rookies and veteran free agents. If Elliss is able to suit up, it would give the coaching staff a great barometer of where he’s at as a player post-surgery, and where he might be able to slot in for 2020. With a familiar presence on hand in Hodges, it’s a safe bet that the Saints will do what they can to put Elliss in the best position to succeed.

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Kiko Alonso suffered torn ACL in wild-card round loss to Vikings

The New Orleans Saints lost starting linebacker Kiko Alonso to a torn ACL in their wild-card round defeat to the Minnesota Vikings.

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New Orleans Saints linebacker Kiko Alonso received tough news on Monday, learning that he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings. It’s the third ACL tear for Alonso in his career, following previous injuries in 2014 and 2015. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero first reported the injury news, which was confirmed by Nola.com’s Amie Just.

This is a big blow for Alonso, 29, who is projected to start at linebacker next season. It’s unclear who plays where — starting weakside linebacker Demario Davis is returning, as is versatile backup Craig Robertson. Alonso replaced former middle linebacker Alex Anzalone in the starting lineup when the Saints acquired him in a trade with the Miami Dolphins, and Anzalone will be entering a contract year coming off of season-ending shoulder surgery. Starting strongside linebacker A.J. Klein’s contract will expire in March. Rookie backup Kaden Elliss also ended his year with a torn ACL back in September.

In other words: Davis is the only healthy starting linebacker the Saints have slotted in for 2020. The good news is that the Saints run so deep at defensive back that they often play just two linebackers at a time, so these are hits they can absorb. The position shouldn’t be seen as a glaring need given deficiencies at other spots on the roster, but the Saints could look to add more-durable options in free agency or through the 2020 NFL Draft. It’s just disappointing to see Alonso go into the offseason like this after he played so well during his first year in New Orleans.

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Saints designate Keith Kirkwood to return from injured reserve

The New Orleans Saints started a 21-day countdown for wide receiver Keith Kirkwood to practice with the team and return from injured reserve

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Reinforcements might be on the way for the New Orleans Saints wide receiver corps. Second-year pro Keith Kirkwood practiced on Wednesday, hours after Saints coach Sean Payton commended his progress in recovering from an early-season hamstring injury. Kirkwood has been on the shelf since hurting himself in pregame warmups back in Week 2, but the Saints designated him to return from injured reserve on the official league transactions wire.

This starts the clock on a 21-day window for Kirkwood to practice and be promoted to the 53-man roster, or else revert to the injured reserve list. It’s unclear which game the Saints are targeting in-house for him to make his return, though the earliest he’d be eligible would be Week 13’s game with the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 28, per NFL rules.

If Kirkwood is able to suit up again this season, it’s easy to see how he could help the team. They have a wide-open void at the wide receiver position opposite Michael Thomas, who has caught 86 of the groups’ 116 receptions this year. The Saints weren’t able to find any last-minute upgrades at the NFL trade deadline, so Kirkwood might be their last remaining hope for to receiving corps to suddenly improve.

Teams are allowed to bring back two players from injured reserve each season, though it’s tough to say which Saints players may qualify. We can parse the list down a bit, however, because NFL rules stipulate only players who started the year on the 53-man roster may return from injured reserve later that season. That excludes most of the players on the list, which you can find below:

 

  • C/G Cameron Tom (ineligible)
  • LB Alex Anzalone
  • LB Kaden Elliss
  • LB Colton Jumper (ineligible)
  • LB Josh Martin (ineligible)
  • TE Garrett Griffin (ineligible)
  • WR Keith Kirkwood (designated to return)

Payton said earlier this year that starting middle linebacker Alex Anzalone would miss the rest of the season after shoulder surgery, so he won’t be a candidate. That leaves rookie linebacker Kaden Elliss as the only option left, but he tore his ACL on Sept. 22. There’s no way he’ll be recovered from that in time to play later this season. So don’t expect anyone but Kirkwood to return from injured reserve in 2019.

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