Tag: Khalen Saunders

Saints free agent report card: Was Khalen Saunders a good defensive signing?

Our next New Orleans Saints free agent report card: Was Khalen Saunders a good defensive signing from the Kansas City Chiefs?

The New Orleans Saints retooled their defensive line last season, replacing most of the players that were roster in 2022. They lost Shy Tuttle and David Onyemata to big contracts within the NFC South with other players leaving the rotation like Kentavius Street, but were they able to replace them with some other nice players on the inside.

One of the players they brought in was former Kansas City Chiefs nose tackle Khalen Saunders. Saunders became an immediate fan favorite due to his athletic ceiling made apparent by his viral front-flip ability.

It’s time for the next free agency report card as we keep this series going and evaluate his first season in black and gold, just as we did with fellow defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd. Here’s Saunders’ 2023 report card:

3 players who could have bigger roles for the Saints in 2024

The New Orleans Saints are going to be looking for players to take a step up in 2024, here are three prime candidates to do so next season:

The New Orleans Saints had a tough 2023 campaign, while finishing 9-8 they struggled immensely with consistency and ended up losing the division. However, there were some flashes of high-quality play from younger players, especially those who may not have had a ton of playing time overall.

These types of players are critical to the success of the Saints, as many have started off in a limited role but ended up becoming high-value players. In this article, we will be discussing three players who could end up with bigger roles for the Saints in 2024, why they could see this increase, and whether or not they are likely to break out due to this uptick in snaps.

So without further ado, let’s start with our first player:

Dennis Allen says DT Malcolm Roach may need knee surgery after injury

Dennis Allen says defensive tackle Malcolm Roach may need knee surgery after suffering an injury late against the Lions:

This could be a key loss for the New Orleans Saints. Head coach Dennis Allen said Monday that defensive tackle Malcolm Roach is exploring his options after suffering a knee injury that may require surgery in Sunday’s loss tot he Detroit Lions. With just five games left on the schedule, this could be a season-ending injury for Roach.

And that would be a crushing blow for him. Roach, 25, is headed for free agency in the spring and figures to cash in after setting new career-highs in tackles (38), assists (25), tackles for loss (3), and passes defensed (3).

Hopefully a second opinion and further evaluation leaves Roach in a more positive position. He’s brought a lot of energy to the rotation and is an active player in the trenches, ranking third on the team with 10 tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage despite playing the fewest snaps (290) at defensive tackle behind Nathan Shepherd (415), Bryan Brsee and Khalen Saunders (366).

If he’s going to be sidelined, look for the Saints to bring up preseason standout Jack Heflin from their practice squad or take a look at outside free agents to reinforce the position group. They’ve been gashed on the ground this season and may need more upgrades at defensive tackle regardless of injuries.

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Fullback Adam Prentice re-signs with the Saints practice squad after whirlwind week

Fullback Adam Prentice re-signed with the New Orleans Saints practice squad after a whirlwind week. So much for a restful bye week:

The bye week is supposed to be restful, but that hasn’t been Adam Prentice’s experience. The fullback re-signed with the New Orleans Saints practice squad after a whirlwind week that saw him activated from injured reserve, active for his first game in a month, and then waived days later — only to clear waivers and re-sign with the team, which the Saints announced on the daily NFL transactions wire.

Prentice, 26, has had a unique career. He played college football at Colorado State and South Carolina before signing with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2021; they waived him after training camp and the Saints picked him up, and he’s been their go-to option at fullback ever since. He experienced some uncharacteristic struggles early this season with an untimely fumble and some dropped passes, and he missed four games with a knee injury before being cleared to return.

Now he’s back on the practice squad and is eligible to be elevated for three games before returning to the 53-man roster. But how big of a role will he play? Nose tackle Khalen Saunders has taken some valuable snaps at fullback in the Saints’ red zone package in recent weeks, and Prentice saw just one snap on offense in his first game back against the Vikings (though he logged a dozen reps on special teams). We’ll have to wait and see what the plan is for him coming out of the bye week.

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Saints activate fullback Adam Prentice from injured reserve for Week 10 vs. Vikings

Saints activate fullback Adam Prentice from injured reserve for Week 10 vs. Vikings

This was expected: the New Orleans Saints activated fullback Adam Prentice from injured reserve for Week 10’s game with the Minnesota Vikings, the team announced Saturday, bringing back their preferred lead blocker.

Prentice suffered a knee injury in Week 5’s win over the New England Patriots and had been on the mend ever since, but he was able to return to practice this week and should play on Sunday.

What does that mean for Khalen Saunders? The charismatic nose tackle has quickly become a fan-favorite in New Orleans for his work on the other side of the ball, lining up in the backfield at fullback and paving the way for his teammates in short-yardage situations. Saunders will likely see his workload go down offensively, but he’s very much an asset, so don’t look for him to disappear altogether.

And the Saints completed a corresponding roster move to bring up Prentice by waiving veteran wide receiver Keith Kirkwood. Kirkwood mainly worked as a run-blocker out in space earlier this season but saw his reps steadily eroded by players like Lynn Bowden Jr. and rookie draft pick A.T. Perry, who is still searching for his first regular season target. There’s a good chance Kirkwood signs with the Saints practice squad should he clear waivers; undrafted rookie Shaquan Davis is still on the injury list with an undisclosed ailment.

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Saints designate fullback Adam Prentice to return from injured reserve

The New Orleans Saints have designated fullback Adam Prentice to return from injured reserve:

The New Orleans Saints designated fullback Adam Prentice to return from injured reserve this week, leaving them with six more slots to do so. NFL teams are allowed to bring back up to eight players from injured reserve each season, so Prentice is the second to do so after running back Jamaal Williams was sidelined earlier this year.

Prentice went down with a knee injury after a rough start to his season, dropping a critical pass and fumbling deep inside New Orleans’ territory during Week 4’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Still, it’s a positive that he’s able to return from injury and try to turn things around. He’ll have three weeks to practice and prove he’s healthy and able to play on Sundays.

With that said, it’s worth asking if it’s worth spending one of those few return slots on him. The Saints could have flown in some free agent fullbacks for tryouts after Prentice’s season started so poorly and waived him with an injury settlement, as they did with Tre’Quan Smith. Nose tackle Khalen Saunders has emerged as a legitimate asset in short-yardage situations in Prentice’s old role, too, paving the way as a blocker and commanding attention as a receiving threat. But Prentice won the job in training camp and they’re determined to ride with him further.

On the other hand, the Saints aren’t hurting for return slots as it is. Just one other player is on injured reserve right now with the possibility of returning later this year: defensive end Payton Turner, who is still a ways off from activation after early-season foot surgery. With half the regular season already behind them and so few players on injured reserve (an objectively good thing!), the Saints can afford a small luxury like bringing back Prentice. Let’s hope he justifies that decision with a positive impact down the stretch.

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Khalen Saunders takes credit for Juwan Johnson’s TD: ‘I got triple teamed’

Khalen Saunders took some credit for Juwan Johnson’s touchdown catch, having drawn a lot of coverage from the Bears defense on Sunday:

Now this is funny. The New Orleans Saints added a new element to their offense in recent weeks by working nose tackle Khalen Saunders into short-yardage sets as a fullback. And on Sunday, they took things a step further by having Saunders run a route in scoring position after he had previously worked as an extra blocker. The play was designed to flow to him with Tayson Hill dropping back to pass.

But the Chicago Bears didn’t take the bait. They weren’t about to be the first defense to allow a touchdown pass to the big man, with linebacker T.J. Edwards and safety Eddie Jackson both running with him in coverage. The extra attention freed up Juwan Johnson on the other side of the field, so Hill simply looked the other way and connected with him on a too-easy touchdown pass.

And Saunders rightfully wants everyone to know about his role on the play. It wouldn’t have happened without him forcing the defense’s hand.

“Binkatron, that’s my new nickname. I feel like Calvin (Johnson) out there,” Saunders told reporters after the game, referencing his nickname of “Binky” and Johnson’s famous “Megatron” moniker. He continued, “I looked up, had to turn around and count each one of them to let them know, ‘Y’all got three people on a D-lineman right now.’

“I got triple teamed. Count them. Binkatron,” Saunders added.

There were other defenders in the area and just two were covering him, but we won’t hold it against Saunders. Whether it’s two or three opponents covering him, he’s still commanding respect from the defense, and it’s helping the team. Saunders should continue drawing attention given his resume.

He didn’t get many opportunities to play offense with the Kansas City Chiefs, but he scored touchdowns as both a runner and receiver in college at Western Illinois, and he’s been playing both ways dating back to his high school career at Parkway Central in St. Louis. He isn’t someone defenders can overlook. But here’s hoping he gets his own touchdown someday.

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Saints DT Khalen Saunders paves way for Taysom Hill to find end zone

Taysom Hill followed a Saints DT into the end zone for a touchdown

At 6-0 and 324 pounds, Khalen Saunders is an impressive force on defense. He’s also doing well as a blocker in some offensive situations for the New Orleans.

Derek Carr was in charge for 15 plays and 74 yards of a drive that bridged the third and fourth quarter on Thursday Night Football against the Jacksonville Jaguars in New Orleans.

The veteran had no luck getting his team into the end zone.

So, on fourth down from the one, Dennis Allen sent in Taysom Hill and Saunders in what amounted to a make-or-break play with his Saints down 24-9.

Saunders cleared the path and Hill ran into the end zone.

After the PAT, New Orleans trailed, 24-16

Saints stock watch: Who’s rising, who’s falling after Week 2 Chargers win

Jaylon Smith popped off the screen while Bryan Edwards had some costly penalties. 3 risers and 3 fallers from our Saints preseason stock watch | @southexclusives

The New Orleans Saints have one more week of preseason action remaining and are looking to end with a perfect 3-0 record. Before moving forward, let’s take a look back on Sunday’s game versus the Los Angeles Chargers. The Saints came out of the matchup victorious. Within the matchup, there were some standout players for good and bad reasons.

Let’s break down the players who rose their stock and the players who dropped their stock with their performance in Week 2 versus the Los Angeles Chargers.

Top quotes from Chiefs vs. Saints preseason Week 1 postgame press conference

Check out all the top quotes from the #Chiefs postgame press conference after Kansas City’s loss to the #Saints on Sunday.

The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t get off to the start they were hoping for against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday but learned valuable lessons that should serve them well in the coming season. The team will get back to practice tomorrow ahead of their preseason Week 2 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.

Check out the top quotes from Sunday’s postgame press conference: