Saints add several familiar faces to their practice squad ahead of Week 6 Texans game

The New Orleans Saints added several familiar faces to their practice squad ahead of Week 6’s road game with the Houston Texans:

The New Orleans Saints brought back several familiar faces to their practice squad ahead of Week 6’s road game with the Houston Texans — adding depth at the skills positions and maintaining structure along the offensive line in the wake of some injuries.

Here’s what you need to know about each pickup:

Saints open another practice squad spot by releasing RB Kirk Merritt

The New Orleans Saints opened another practice squad spot by releasing running back Kirk Merritt. Are they making room for new additions?

Should we start a transactions counter for Kirk Merritt like we’ve done for J.T. Barrett and Will Clapp? The New Orleans Saints released the running back from their practice squad on Tuesday just a week after they re-signed him upon clearing waivers, having been let go from the 53-man roster before Week 3’s road game with the Green Bay Packers.

Maybe this is just another procedural move. But you can’t help but wonder if the Saints are going to add some new faces. We’ve seen a lot of movement up and down the depth chart over the last 24 hours with:

Got all that? Expect more movement. The Saints are now at capacity on the 53-man roster with two vacancies open on their practice squad. They have an obvious need for improvement along the offensive line but it’s tough to see many free agents signing with the practice squad and upgrading the starting lineup in a matter of days (not even La’el Collins, a fan-favorite pick online). Stay tuned.

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Saints promote linebacker Ty Summers to their 53-man roster

The Saints promoted LB Ty Summers to their 53-man roster, opening a spot on their practice squad for recently-waived RB Kirk Merritt:

The New Orleans Saints continued to tweak their roster on Thursday ahead of Week 3’s kickoff with the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. Per the daily NFL transactions wire, the Saints have promoted linebacker Ty Summers from their practice squad to the 53-man roster, which opened a spot for recently-waived running back Kirk Merritt to return.

Summers primarily plays special teams. He initially signed with the Saints practice squad after roster cuts in August but was let go to facilitate other moves, and the team brought him back after linebacker Ryan Connelly (another specialist in covering punts and kickoffs) went down with an injury. He played the fifth-most snaps in the kicking game last week against the Carolina Panthers.

Coincidentally, Summers is a former Packers draft pick (selected in the seventh round out of TCU in 2019). The Saints signed him off the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad late last year. He now joins Demario Davis, Pete Werner, Zack Baun, Nephi Sewell, and D’Marco Jackson on the 53-man roster. Jaylon Smith and Anfernee Orji are still on the practice squad.

Merritt, a former wide receiver who converted to running back last season, missed most of the summer with an injury and exclusively lined up at receiver on his handful of snaps in Week 1. He was inactive in Week 2 and waived, but cleared waivers to re-sign with the Saints practice squad. He joins Jordan Mims there with Tony Jones Jr. promoted to the 53-man roster with Jamaal Williams (who is managing an injury) and Kendre Miller.

So where does this leave the Saints in terms of numbers? They have now filled 52 of their 53 roster spots with all 16 spaces on the practice squad accounted for. Alvin Kamara is returning from his three-game suspension on Monday, Sept. 25, and the Saints will not have to waive anyone to make room for him. Barring more changes, of course. Stay tuned.

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Saints waive backup WR-turned-RB Kirk Merritt

The Saints waived backup wide receiver-turned-running back Kirk Merritt from their 53-man roster, meaning they currently have two open roster spots:

This is something. The New Orleans Saints waived backup running back Kirk Merritt on Tuesday, per NewOrleans.Football’s Brooke Kirchhofer. Merritt previously played wide receiver for the Saints but switched positions last season on the practice squad to try and earn more reps.

An injury kept Merritt on the sidelines for most of the preseason, but he made the initial 53-man roster anyway — only to line up as a receiver on both of his snaps in Week 1 (once in the slot, once out wide). He was inactive in Week 2 and has now been let go, though it’s likely he’ll return to the practice squad. So what’s the plan here?

The Saints are suddenly shorthanded in the backfield between Alvin Kamara’s suspension and Jamaal Williams’ injury, though they could elevate Tony Jones Jr. from the practice squad one more time before they’re forced to add him to the 53-man roster outright. Their only other runners are rookie draft pick Kendre Miller (who has been working his way back from an injury the last three weeks), fullback Adam Prentice, and do-it-all playmaker Taysom Hill, who led the team in rushing yards on Monday night.

With two open roster spots and Kamara returning after Sunday’s road game with the Green Bay Packers, that feels like the most-likely course of action. Rookie change-of-pace back Jordan Mims is also on the practice squad but could be subbed out for Merritt if he clears waivers and is willing to stay in New Orleans a while longer.

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Saints say rookie RB Kendre Miller dealing with new hamstring injury

The Saints say rookie running back Kendre Miller is dealing with a new hamstring injury, putting his Week 1 availability in jeopardy:

This is discouraging: rookie New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller is now managing a new hamstring injury after a knee issue slowed him down throughout the summer, per head coach Dennis Allen.

Allen declined to say whether Miller would be able to return in time for Week 1’s home opener against the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 10. But the team’s latest roster moves may tell us something about the state of the depth chart.

The Saints are already thin at running back with Alvin Kamara suspended the first three games. They shuffled the depth chart a bit by signing rookie runner Jordan Mims and swapping first-year pro Ellis Merriweather for a veteran they know well in Tony Jones Jr., both moves on the practice squad.

With just Miller, Jamaal Williams and Kirk Merritt (who missed most of the preseason with a groin injury) remaining on the 53-man roster, the Saints are suddenly looking less-stable in the backfield than they were just a few weeks ago. That’s going to make for tough sledding against one of the league’s best run defenses.

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Saints running backs Kendre Miller, Kirk Merritt practicing vs. Chargers

New Orleans Saints running backs Kendre Miller and Kirk Merritt return from injuries, practicing vs. Los Angeles Chargers

The New Orleans Saints were able to let out a sigh of relief as they get their running back room back to full strength in the next week of practice after the first preseason game.

Kendre Miller had to leave the game against the Kansas City Chiefs early with a knee injury, a scary moment for all. He was able to avoid a major setback and is already back to practice. Kirk Merritt is another running back that was sidelined, he was dealing with a hamstring injury that made him unavailable, he also returned to practice.

Getting both of those running backs back and also signing former LSU Tigers and Arizona Cardinals running back Darrel Williams will give them a much deeper room for the upcoming game against the Los Angeles Chargers. By the second half of the Chiefs game, they were left with just Ellis Merriweather to carry the load.

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4 burning questions heading into the first Saints preseason game

The Saints are headed into their first preseason game of 2023, and there are several major questions they need to answer against the Chiefs | @southexclusives

The New Orleans Saints head into the first preseason game of the season against the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday. Officially, the 2023 campaign will be underway.

This will be the first time Derek Carr and many rookies put on a Saints uniform. The preseason will be filled with position battles, such as Alontae Taylor versus Paulson Adebo, and certainly a couple of players will surprise.

It all starts Week 1. Here are some of the biggest questions we’re looking to see answered headed into the Saints- Chiefs preseason matchup:

Kirk Merritt getting an extended tryout at running back in Year 2 with the Saints

With a growing crowd at wide receiver, Kirk Merritt is getting an extended tryout at running back in Year 2 with the New Orleans Saints:

With a growing crowd at wide receiver, Kirk Merritt is getting an extended tryout at running back in his second season with the New Orleans Saints. Merritt spent a little time in the backfield late last summer, logging a handful of carries at running back in the Saints’ final preseason games, but for the most part his attention has focused on competing for a roster spot at his natural position as a wide receiver, per Sports Illustrated’s Ross Jackson.

But an offseason full of additions to the receiving corps has him shifting gears to make a better case for a roster spot. Merritt, listed at 6-foot-1 and 214 pounds, has similar size and impressive all-around athletic testing results than other running backs on the roster like Eno Benjamin, his likeliest competition for a spot on the depth chart in the fall.

With Alvin Kamara, Jamaal Williams, and Kendre Miller locked in to the top three spots, odds are the Saints will want either Benjamin or Merritt to make a compelling argument through steady play on special teams covering punts and kickoffs, and that’s an area Merritt has excelled before. Undrafted rookies SaRodorick Thompson (Texas Tech) and Ellis Merriweather (UMass) are also in the mix, but they’re heavier backs like Williams and Miller, all listed at 220 to 224 pounds.

The implied goal here seems to be a search for Kamara’s immediate backup, which makes sense seeing as he’s expected to miss extensive time serving an NFL suspension once his Las Vegas assault case concludes. maybe Merritt has what it takes to fill that role on offense. The next few weeks are going to be critical for him as the Saints test his skills not just as a runner or receiver, but hanging back in pass protection, which they’ve always valued highly.

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Saints 55-man roster vs. Browns: Trio of practice squad players up for Week 16’s game

Saints 55-man roster vs. Browns: Trio of practice squad players brought up for Week 16’s game after losing WR Jarvis Landry, RG Cesar Ruiz

The Mew Orleans Saints filed a series of last-minute roster moves ahead of Saturday’s kickoff with the Cleveland Browns, signing wide receiver Kirk Merritt to their active roster from the practice squad, replacing veteran slot receiver Jarvis Landry after he went to injured reserve, while also bringing up wide receiver Keith Kirkwood and backup offensive lineman Josh Andrews as single-game elevations (meaning they’ll both revert to the practice squad after this game).

It makes sense to reload on receivers after losing Landry to injured reserve and ruling out Chris Olave with a hamstring issue that kept him out of practice all week. Merritt and Kirkwood should both have roles to play behind Rashid Shaheed, Marquez Callaway, and Tre’Quan Smith, but don’t look for many passes from Andy Dalton with the Saints and Browns playing during hazardous winter conditions. With wind and snow in the forecast, each squad should lean on its run game rather than look to throw all over the yard. That helps explain Andrews’ elevation as a backup center and guard, but it’s also worth noting the Saints lost right guard Cesar Ruiz to a Lisfranc injury this week and left guard Andrus Peat is questionable to play due to an illness.

So while some players will be healthy inactives this week, the Saints are going to again be without some key contributors due to injuries and illnesses. That includes standout rookie receiver Chris Olave and breakout linebacker Pete Werner, both managing hamstring injuries, and it’s unclear whether star cornerback Marshon Lattimore (abdomen) will be able to play this week. Here’s this week’s Saints roster:

Jarvis Landry’s season with the Saints ends on injured reserve

Jarvis Landry’s season with the Saints is likely ending on injured reserve. He’s done with an ankle injury, and the Saints are calling up Kirk Merritt in his place:

That’s disheartening. Jarvis Landry went down with an ankle injury this week, and it’s going to end his season — the New Orleans Saints put the veteran slot receiver on injured reserve ahead of their Week 16 game with his old Cleveland Browns team. His first season with his hometown team totaled 25 receptions for 272 yards and a single touchdown through 9 games, all marks the lowest of his pro career. The nature of his ankle injury is unclear, so he could hypothetically return in time for the playoffs, but come on — we’re talking about the playoffs?

It’s been a disappointing homecoming for Landry. He exploded onto the scene in Week 1 with 7 receptions for 114 yards in a fourth-quarter comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons, but he couldn’t keep up the pace while dealing with injury. When he did return to the lineup, Landry struggled with contested catch opportunities and didn’t look the part of a reliable possession receiver. It’s a shame things didn’t work out differently.

Now Landry is headed back to free agency a year older and another year removed from his last productive season in the NFL. There should still be suitors for his services in the spring, but this one-year prove-it deal with the Saints didn’t pan out as either side expected. We’ll see how things work out for him.

With Landry out of action and Chris Olave down this week due to an injury of his own, the available Saints wide receivers on Saturday include Rashid Shaheed, Marquez Callaway, and Tre’Quan Smith on the 53-man roster with Kevin White and Keith Kirkwood on the practice squad. Kirk Merritt’s agent announced that he was signed from the Saints practice squad to their 53-man roster on Thursday, likely as a corresponding move to Landry’s season ending.

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