Tag: malcolm roach

NFL changes injured reserve rule for the end of preseason

The NFL changed its injured reserve rule for the end of preseason. Players won’t be let go and brought back the next day as procedural moves anymore:

The NFL announced multiple new rules changes this week during the owners meetings in Orlando, Fla., and one area of focus off the field of play was the way that injured reserve works to start the regular season.

That’s big news for every team, but especially the New Orleans Saints, who have had to start out players like Trevor Penning and Malcolm Roach on injured reserve after preseason before later activating them.

In the past, players who were injured during training camp or preseason with an opportunity to return had to be rostered on the first day of the regular season; otherwise they were not eligible to be activated once healthy. With this change, teams can have two players on the injured reserve list while making roster cuts down to the final 53 during the preseason. That’s going to keep some players from being released, waived, and later re-signed as procedural moves early in the season.

It could also save room for an extra roster spot in the case of someone that is certain to make the roster gets injured. As an example, in 2022 when Penning got hurt during preseason, the Saints could have kept another player around longer as opposed to saving that spot for him on the Week 1 roster. It’s a good change that is going to give teams more options to keep players who have earned the opportunity while allowing those with injuries time to recover.

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Eagles sign another player from the Saints’ 2023 practice squad

The Philadelphia Eagles signed another player from the New Orleans Saints Saints’ 2023 practice squad, joining Shaquan Davis:

The Philadelphia Eagles signed another player from the New Orleans Saints Saints’ 2023 practice squad, joining second-year wide receiver Shaquan Davis. Defensive tackle PJ Mustipher, another second-year pro, was not retained when the Saints signed most of their practice squad to reserve/future contracts after the season ended. Now he’s going to Philly.

Mustipher, 25, was an undrafted free agent pickup for the Denver Broncos last summer (turning pro out of Penn State) who spent most of the season on their practice squad. The Saints poached a player from Denver, for a change, by signing Mustipher to their 53-man roster once injuries hit the position. Ironically, the Broncos ended up signing one of the players Mustipher was replacing in New Orleans — Malcolm Roach. He was later moved down to the practice squad, where he finished the 2023 season.

Now he gets a new opportunity in Philadelphia. Life for young players like Mustipher and Davis can be hectic as they’re tasked with moving from one city to the next, sometimes in the space of just a few months. Good luck to them both on the Eagles.

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George Paton hinted toward Broncos’ free agency moves at the combine

George Paton said at the combine the Broncos needed to improve their run defense and the secondary’s depth. Malcolm Roach ✅ Brandon Jones ✅

Speaking at the NFL combine last month, Denver Broncos general manager George Paton was asked about the state of the team’s defense.

Paton identified a few areas where the squad could improve, notably mentioning the need for a run-stuffer and more depth in the secondary.

“We feel like we need to be better in the run, and we need to stop the run better,” Paton said on Feb. 27. “We were inconsistent, a lot of things we did. Week 1 through [Week] 6 or one through the first six games, we were the worst defense in the league and then the final 11 [games] we were in the Top 10, Top 5 in a lot of metrics so really just be more consistent.

“I think we need to get better inside, stopping the run. Just be more disciplined at times and you saw that earlier. I saw that a little late with some of the busted coverages. You can always use help in the secondary, but I feel good about the young core on defense, and we will just continue to add depth.”

Fans who paid attention to Paton’s remarks at the combine were not surprised by the team’s first two signings during NFL free agency.

Denver added safety Brandon Jones — a key addition after losing Justin Simmons — and defensive lineman Malcolm Roach, who had the best run-stop percentage in the NFL last season.

Paton and Co. set out to improve the run defense and the secondary depth, and they did so early in free agency. There are still remaining positions of need for the Broncos, but the team quickly completed the top two items on Paton’s to-do list this offseason.

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Several former Longhorns sign with the Denver Broncos this offseason

You might as well call them the Denver Longhorns at this point.

Several former Longhorns will be reuniting in Denver soon. Continue reading “Several former Longhorns sign with the Denver Broncos this offseason”

Report: Rams showed ‘a lot of interest’ in DT Malcolm Roach

The Rams missed out on DT Malcolm Roach, who’s heading to Denver on a 2-year deal worth $8 million

The Los Angeles Rams have already been active in free agency but they missed out on a couple of targets, too. They were reportedly interested in veteran edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel, who’s heading to the Vikings, and they also made a push to sign defensive tackle Malcolm Roach.

According to Aaron Wilson, the Rams, Cardinals, Bills and Bengals all showed “a lot of interest” in Roach, who’s signing a two-year deal worth $8 million with the Broncos.

Roach is 6-foot-3 and 290 pounds with one career sack and 90 tackles, so he would’ve given the Rams some additional depth up front and another run stopper.

Even with Aaron Donald and Kobie Turner penciled in as starters next season, the Rams are in the market for defensive line help, especially with Jonah Williams set to hit free agency.

Sean Payton is signing away yet another Saints free agent

Sean Payton is bringing more of his former players to Denver. NFL Network reports the Broncos plan on signing Saints free agent Malcolm Roach:

Sean Payton is bringing more of his former players to Denver Broncos. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports the Broncos plan on signing New Orleans Saints free agent Malcolm Roach at the start of the new league year on Wednesday, ending his four-year run with the team.

A former undrafted free agent out of Texas, Roach developed into an active run stopper for the Saints while averaging about 28 snaps per game last year at the bottom of the defensive tackles rotation; he was sidelined with an injury for the final five games in 2023 but still finished the year with the fifth-most tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage (10). For comparison, Bryan Bresee and Nathan Shepherd each had 11 in 17 games.

Pelissero adds that Roach’s contract is valued at up to $8 million on a two-year deal, so he may qualify for a compensatory draft pick in 2025. We’ll have to wait and see how the rest of the Saints’ moves in free agency shake out.

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Broncos free agency: DL Malcolm Roach agrees to 2-year contract

The Broncos are beefing up their defensive line by signing Malcolm Roach to a two-year contract.

The Denver Broncos have agreed to terms on a two-year deal with free agent defensive lineman Malcolm Roach, according to a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The deal won’t become official until the NFL’s new league year begins on Wednesday.

The two-year contract will be worth “up to” $8 million, according to Pelissero, but the lineman’s base salary is not yet known.

Roach (6-3, 290 pounds) signed with the New Orleans Saints (coached by Sean Payton at the time) as an undrafted free agent out of Texas in 2020. He spent the last four years in New Orleans mainly as a rotational defensive lineman, earning five starts from 2020-2023.

Roach has recorded 90 tackles, seven quarterback hits, four pass breakups, one sack and one interception in 41 career games.

Roach will join a Broncos defensive line depth chart that includes Zach Allen, D.J. Jones, Matt Henningsen and Elijah Garcia. Eyioma Uwazurike is currently suspended and Mike Purcell is a free agent. Roach might be a candidate to replace Purcell as the team’s new run-stuffing nose tackle.

We are tracking all of Denver’s free agency moves on Broncos Wire.

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Projected market value for Saints’ top pending free agents

Here’s a quick look at projected market value for some of the New Orleans Saints’ top pending free agents, including complicated cases like Michael Thomas and Jameis Winston:

We’re just a few weeks away from the start of free agency, and the New Orleans Saints have a couple of players who could hit the open market — including several starters and some ascending backups hoping for larger roles in 2024.

But could the Saints get priced out of their services? Different outlets have projected market values for some of New Orleans’ pending free agents, so let’s take a look at the numbers from Pro Football Focus, Spotrac, and Over The Cap:

Saints free agent preview: DL Malcolm Roach stay or go?

Continuing our New Orleans Saints free agent previews: Malcolm Roach stood out at defensive tackle, should he stay stay or go?

As we wrap up the preview series for the New Orleans Saints upcoming free agent class, we head to the defensive line with Baton Rouge native Malcolm Roach.

Roach joined the team as an undrafted free agent in 2020 out of the University of Texas. After a career year that was cut short with an injury, he’s set to enter free agency this offseason. We will take a look back at his year and figure out whether or not the team should (or can) bring him back for another season.

Here is the free agent preview for defensive lineman Malcolm Roach:

4 free agents the Saints should re-sign this offseason

The New Orleans Saints don’t have many high-profile free agents, but they should make an effort to keep these four players:

The New Orleans Saints don’t have a lot of big-name free agents this year, but the Saints do have a few names that are worth saving. Head coach Dennis Allen is aware of what’s at stake for him this year and should understand there are some holes you can’t go into the season hoping will fill themselves.

Because they were so proactive last summer signing players to early extensions, the Saints also showed better depth than they have in previous years, especially on defense. Injuries are going to happen in the NFL, and the Saints weathered that storm in 2023. This is a quality they should look to repeat next season by keeping some depth pieces in free agency.

These are four players the Saints should re-sign: