Tag: lewis kidd

Saints’ offensive line health looking bleak with Aaron Donald up next

The Saints’ offensive line health is looking bleak with Aaron Donald up next. They could be without three of their five starters in Week 11:

Things are going from bad to worse for the New Orleans Saints offensive line. They went into their Week 10 game with the Pittsburgh Steelers missing two key starters — center Erik McCoy and left guard Andrus Peat. And then they lost left tackle James Hurst to a concussion in the second half, putting his status in jeopardy for Week 11’s matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.

It means the Saints could hit the field on Sunday without three of their starting five offensive linemen against the Los Angeles Rams defense, anchored by a future Hall of Famer in Aaron Donald. The big-time defensive tackle is a game-wrecker. New Orleans has blocked him well in the past, limiting him to 2 sacks and 8 quarterback hits with 6 tackles for loss in their 4 previous meetings, but that was with significantly better health across the board.

When asked whether he could see one of those three injured starters returning for Week 11’s game, Saints head coach Dennis Allen told Nola.com’s Rod Walker on Monday that, “I don’t know if that’s a possibility right now.”

So that means we should expect Landon Young to start at left tackle, with either Lewis Kidd or Calvin Throckmorton getting the nod at left guard and Josh Andrews filling in again at center. Kidd and Throckmorton rotated in and out of the lineup last week so that could be the move again. It’s possible that rookie left tackle Trevor Penning is activated from injured reserve in time for this game, but he only returned to practice on a limited basis last week and it’s unlikely he’ll be ready to play a full game so soon.

It makes for a dicey situation for whoever starts at quarterback this week, whether Andy Dalton remains the starter or if the Saints pivot to Jameis Winston instead. New Orleans built its offense on the strength of its offensive line through years of careful drafting, developing, and investing through hefty contracts, but the depth they cultivated is about to experience a serious trial by fire. Let’s see if they’re up to the challenge.

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Lewis Kidd is the only undrafted rookie to make the Saints’ initial 53-man roster

Lewis Kidd is the only undrafted rookie to make the Saints’ initial 53-man roster, but time will tell if he hangs on:

Former Montana State offensive lineman Lewis Kidd was the only undrafted rookie to make the New Orleans Saints’ initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, but time will tell if he hangs on. The Saints will continue to churn its roster over the next week and assemble their practice squad, with some players moving on and off the team in procedural moves. A couple of players will also go on injured reserve, where they can return to the active roster after being sidelined for at least four weeks (up to eight players can do this in 2022).

But Kidd is in a good spot. He impressed as a run blocker in preseason but needs to work on his pass protection reps, and he has time to improve behind Ryan Ramczyk and Landon Young at right tackle. With injuries thinning out the position group — backup left tackle Trevor Penning is one of those players who will miss time with an injury, while the starter, James Hurst, as well as Young have also been on the mend — retaining Kidd was an easy decision.

Hopefully he can continue to do his part to stick around. Kidd has held his own at right tackle after converting from left tackle in college (he has some experience lining up at right guard, which may have helped with the transition), and it speaks more to the strengths of the team than the quality of this year’s undrafted rookie class that he’s the last man standing. It’s possible the team ends up waiving him to try and sneak him on the practice squad after other squads are established around the league, but he’s passed the first test. It’s on Kidd to keep it up in the days and weeks ahead.

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Undrafted free agents face an uphill battle on the Saints’ roster this year

Will an undrafted free agent make the Saints’ roster this year? It says more about the team’s depth than the rookies that this is a real question:

Few teams have as strong a history with undrafted free agents like the New Orleans Saints. They’ve consistently found diamonds in the rough for years, making players like Pierre Thomas and Lance Moore into fan favorites during the early years of Sean Payton’s tenure. That success has continued recently with Marquez Callaway, Deonte Harty, and, hey, Taysom Hill finding success. It’s extended to the trenches, too, with Calvin Throckmorton, Carl Granderson, Shy Tuttle, and Malcolm Roach all carving out roles for themselves.

But a downside to assembling such a strong depth chart is that it gets increasingly harder for those players on the roster bubble to make the cut. And the Saints are as strong this year as they’ve ever been on both sides of the ball. Some promising undrafted rookies have already been let go, like former Baylor running back Abram Smith. It’s a legitimate question as to whether a single UDFA sticks on the opening-day 53-man roster.

If anyone has a good shot at accomplishing that feat, it’s probably rookie linebacker Nephi Sewell (out of Utah). He led the defense in tackles this preseason (5 of them constituting stops, per Pro Football Focus) while playing 50 snaps on special teams. He got on the field with five of the six kicking units, primarily playing with the coverage and return teams on punts and kickoffs. New Orleans has been trying to find a way for him to make their roster, but it remains to be seen if he showed enough to surpass a veteran like Jon Bostic or Zack Baun.

There’s another option on offense, too. Let’s talk about right tackle Lewis Kidd (Montana State). Kidd saw more snaps as a blocker (147) than anyone, but he wasn’t charged with allowing a sack through three preseason games and drew just one penalty. He did yield six pressures and he probably isn’t someone you want seeing meaningful snaps, but he’s worth holding onto as a project behind Ryan Ramczyk and Landon Young. And that’s valuable considering the many injuries the Saints have sustained along the offensive line. At some point you just need bodies to fill out the depth chart.

As for other former undrafted free agents in the mix: look for rookies like wide receivers Dai’Jean Dixon (Nicholls) and Rashid Shaheed (Weber State), as well as defensive backs DaMarcus Fields (Texas Tech) and Vincent Gray (Michigan) to get some consideration for the practice squad. It would be a big surprise to see them on the 53-man roster, but the door slams open if the Saints trade a veteran like Deonte Harty or Bradley Roby. Other teams see how deep the Saints run at receiver and corner, among other position groups, and they’ve already begun calling New Orleans to see who may be available. If a more-experienced player is moved before the roster cuts deadline, one of those undrafted rookies stands to benefit. That may be what it takes for one of their number to make the team.

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