New Orleans Saints linebacker Kwon Alexander did not waste time waiting to play against the San Francisco 49ers team that traded him.
Injuries took a toll on the New Orleans Saints during their Week 10 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, but they were able to overcome it thanks to a quality depth chart and effective execution in all three of the game’s phases (after some early goofs and gaffes, of course). Here’s how snaps were distributed on Sunday:
New Orleans Saints fans will see a new number in their defense when the black and gold kick off with the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday: linebacker No. 58, Kwon Alexander. Acquired in a Nov. 9 trade with the 49ers, Alexander initially spent a week going through COVID-19 testing before practicing with his new teammates during the last week. It didn’t take him long to pick up the playbook.
Reporters on the scene noted that Alexander was warming up with the Saints first-team defense, along with incumbents Demario Davis and rookie Zack Baun. Former starter Alex Anzalone was pushed down to the second unit with backups Craig Robertson and Kaden Elliss, while reserve Chase Hansen was inactive.
How often Alexander will play against his old squad is anyone’s guess, but he practiced fully after missing time in San Francisco with a high-ankle sprain and expressed confidence in his understanding of the playbook. If he can offer them an edge against an offense he knows well, he might be difficult to take off the field.
Be sure to wear your “Sunday best,” because the New Orleans Saints will be. The team announced their Week 10 uniform combination for Sunday’s game with the San Francisco 49ers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in an email to season ticket holders: black jerseys and matching black pants.
It’s the fifth time the Saints have used this combo in 2020, having twice paired white jerseys with black pants and worn their “Color Rush” alternates in two games. Brand-new linebacker Kwon Alexander said Saturday that he’ll be playing “full go,” against the team that traded him to New Orleans just weeks ago, and he’ll be wearing No. 58.
And here is the record for each uniform worn by the Saints since Sean Payton came to town in 2006, for the superstitious (or those who are just a little stitious):
A popular topic on the minds of New Orleans Saints fans this week has been whether Kwon Alexander would suit up to play against the San Francisco 49ers team that traded him to New Orleans not too long ago. The linebacker was granted a one-week roster exemption to go through COVID-19 testing protocol and acclimate to his new surroundings, which expired on Tuesday.
From there, it was a process of picking up the playbook and new terminology. And joining his new teammates in practice so coaches could see how he compares to players he might be replacing.
And when asked if he would be playing this week in his introductory media conference call on Friday, all Alexander could do was grin and answer the affirmative.
“Oh, I’ll be playing on Sunday. I’ll be out there, man. I’ll be working with the squad. I’ll be out there,” he added, “Full go.”
Alexander’s arrival should push linebacker Demario Davis back to his natural spot on the weak side, where he was a first-team All-Pro in 2019. A career middle linebacker, Alexander is a logical fit to patrol the center of the field, slotting in ahead of fourth-year pro Alex Anzalone.
We won’t know for sure if Alexander is starting against his old team until they all take the field, but he doesn’t sound like someone expecting to play a bit part. Given his familiarity with 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan’s system, it makes sense for the Saints to get him reps in what may be a favorable situation.
Very little changed on the New Orleans Saints injury report following their second practice of Week 10. Every player listed as managing an injury practiced on a limited basis, with one new addition: backup running back Dwayne Washington, who was limited with a new back issue.
Washington is a key special teamer for New Orleans, having averaged 63.8% of snaps played in the kicking game since returning from the COVID-19/reserve list back in Week 3. This is hopefully nothing serious for him, but it’s worth noting that backup Ty Montgomery was a healthy scratch last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If Washington misses any time, Montgomery is a logical call-up.
Meanwhile, the 49ers downgraded wideout River Cracraft (quadricep) and upgraded slot receiver Trent Taylor (back). Cracraft was also limited on Wednesday while Taylor did not participate; on Thursday, Cracraft rested and Taylor turned in a full day’s work. Starting receiver Deebo Samuel (hamstring) still has not returned to practice, likely making him a longshot to dress out on Sunday.
The full Saints-49ers injury report for Thursday, Nov. 12:
Here’s some good news to close out your Wednesday: the New Orleans Saints injury report featured perfect attendance, including trade deadline acquisition Kwon Alexander.
The former Pro Bowl linebacker is set up to get on the field against the team that traded him to New Orleans should he continue to pick up the playbook and receive good feedback from the ankle injury that sidelined him for three games in San Francisco. He’s off to a good start after practicing fully on Wednesday.
The same can’t be said for the 49ers. They’ve been stung worse than most by the injury bug this year, losing everyone from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to defensive end Nick Bosa and running back Raheem Mostert to injured reserve. Other players like wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel are being worked back into the rotation after recent absences.
So with all of that in mind: here is your full injury report after the week’s first practice session. The 49ers details will be updated once shared by the team:
The New Orleans Saints were granted a one-week roster exemption for linebacker Kwon Alexander after acquiring him in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers, which expired on Monday per the NFL daily transactions wire.
This means Alexander is now on the Saints’ 53-man roster and immediately eligible to play in Week 10 — against the same 49ers team that just traded him. While there will probably be a bit of a revenge game narrative at work here, the parting was at least amicable on San Francisco’s part with 49ers general manager John Lynch sharing a nice sendoff for Alexander.
Of course, Alexander first has to prove he’s healthy and ready to play. He was limited on the 49ers injury report prior to being traded, having missed three games with a high-ankle sprain. But if he’s healed up and can quickly pick up the Saints’ defensive system, there’s little reason he should not start next to Demario Davis on Sunday.
He’s a long shot to suit up against his old Tampa Bay Buccaneers team this week, but Kwon Alexander has already chosen his New Orleans Saints jersey number. Acquired days ago in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers, the 26-year old LSU Tigers standout is back in Louisiana and looking to make an impact with the Saints.
And he’ll be doing it in No. 58, which he wore in his first NFL stop at Tampa Bay. Alexander wore No. 56 with the 49ers, which wasn’t available in New Orleans (it was already claimed by defensive captain Demario Davis), so it makes sense for him to go back to a familiar number.
For the curious, Alexander wore No. 17 in high school at Oxford, Ala., and he used No. 25 in his first two seasons for LSU before switching to No. 4 in his junior year.
It’ll be interesting to see where Alexander fits into the Saints defense once he’s cleared by COVID-19 protocol and allowed to join them in practice next week. A career middle linebacker, he projects to be a good fit next to Davis (who plays his best at the weak side) in the Saints’ nickel defense, which they run on a majority of their snaps. But he’ll have to outplay the incumbent starter Alex Anzalone first.
How would you grade the New Orleans Saints’ trade deadline pickup? The Saints shipped out backup linebacker Kiko Alonso and a conditional fifth-round draft pick for San Francisco 49ers linebacker Kwon Alexander in a bid to improve their inconsistent-at-best defense.
NFL Network’s Cynthia Frelund is a fan of the move to acquire Alexander, citing the Saints’ vulnerabilities in defending the middle of the field. While Frelund did take time to temper expectations due to Alexander’s injury history, she still graded the trade with a B+ for New Orleans. Here’s some of what she wrote to explain that praise:
“The middle of New Orleans’ defense has been an area of weakness this season, especially at critical times. On third down, the Saints have allowed the second-most yards per play (7.0) and fourth-highest passer rating (74.4). For New Orleans, first downs yielded on passes to the middle of the field — where Alexander will roam — are up about three per game from the first eight weeks of last season (18 in 2020, 15.2 in 2019). Alexander hasn’t played since Week 5 due to an ankle injury; however, PFF still credits him with 10 defensive stops — only one fewer than Saints star Demario Davis. Trading Alexander for Alonso actually nets the Saints a small cap gain for the season.”
Frelund spoke about her background in analytics and how she applies those skills to NFL analysis with the Saints Twitter Podcast, also sharing some of her takes on the team earlier this season:
🔥🔥EPISODE ALERT🔥🔥
#SaintsTwitterPod had the pleasure of having @cfrelund of NFL Network to nerd out on football analytics. We hit on advanced stats that no one else tracks, her NFL SKYNET, Brees, Saints D, and MUCH more 🔥
Evaluating the 2020 NFL trade deadline for the Buffalo Bills.
The Buffalo Bills were sitting at 6-2 as the NFL trade deadline expired with the team not making any sort of changes. That may have come as a surprise due to the fact that the team’s general manager, Brandon Beane, has a reputation of being one of the best general managers in the NFL.
The Bills have problems that’s a fact, so let’s take a look at a few of these problems, how severe they are, and if the anything could have been addressed at the trade deadline:
Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes. Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Pass rush
The Bills have recorded 19 sacks this season, which is tied for ninth in the league, but they aren’t generating consistent pressure. According to Pro Football Reference, the Bills have only hurried opposing quarterbacks 16 times, which is tied for 30th . They have also only hurried the quarterback on 5.4% of dropbacks, which is tied for last in the league (Titans). To put this into more context, the Steelers, the league leader in both categories, have hurried the quarterback 38 times, which means they’re hurrying the quarterback on 13.9% of their plays. Per PFF, the Steelers have generated the most pressure on opposing quarterbacks per dropback, at an outstanding 33.9% of passes. The Bills on the other hand are sitting at 19th in the league by generating pressure on 19.2% of dropbacks.
The Ravens acquired premier pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue from the Vikings. The Ravens sent over a 2021 third-round pick and a 2020 fifth rounmder. Since 2016 Ngakoue has had 42.5 sacks, the Ravens spent pennies on the dollar for one of the best pass rushers in the league.
Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley/ Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Pass catchers
When the Bills traded for Stefon Diggs in the offseason their receiving corps looked infallible. The trio of Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley, and John Brown had the potential to be the best trio of receivers in the NFL, but halfway through the season it hasn’t quite panned out. Diggs has lived up to his billing so far though. He’s second in the NFL with 695 receiving yards, he’s caught 54 passes, and has three receiving touchdowns.
The rest of the receivers haven’t been up to snuff. Brown, the Bills’ No. 1 receiver from last season, has just 15 catches for 215 yards, and two touchdowns. In most games, Brown is a non-factor with the likes of Gabe Davis, Beasley, and tight en Tyler Kroft out performing the speedster. Speaking of Davis, he had a bright start to start the season, but in the last four games he has been another non-factor. Receivers haven’t been the only disappointment though, Buffalo’s tight ends haven’t produced consistently.
The two starting tight ends, Dawson Knox and Kroft, have just 211 yards and two touchdowns combined. If Buffalo wants to contend they will need to see more production from their tight ends and the rest of their receivers.
Could this have been fixed at the trade deadline? Yes and no.
While this is a cop-out answer, this is due to that not many pass catchers were traded during the regular season. But receiver John Ross III of the Cincinnati Bengals tweeted that he requested a trade from the team.
