Tag: Moves

Recently-cut Saints WR is now a free agent after clearing waivers

A.T. Perry cleared waivers, and the Saints have an open spot on their practice squad. But what happens next might be up to him:

Now this is interesting. The New Orleans Saints waived wide receiver A.T. Perry last Friday, and when the waiver wire updated on Monday no team chose to pick him up, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. Now Perry is a free agent, but what happens next may be up to him.

Saints coach Dennis Allen has already expressed an openness to keeping Perry around on the practice squad, and wouldn’t you know it but the team has a spot open after promoting rookie offensive lineman Kyle Hergel to the 53-man roster. But that’s not to say Perry doesn’t have options. He could choose to sign with another team’s practice squad and see if he has more success, depending on whether he’s received any offers.

You just have to wonder what’s out there. 32 teams saw his name on the waiver wire and decided they had better players on their rosters already; had someone claimed him, that team would’ve had to let another player go to make room. Swapping out rostered players with those on practice squads is a much lower-stakes affair.

Perry fell to the sixth round in last year’s draft for unquantifiable “character concerns,” and that may have played a part in the decision to not claim him. And his problems in New Orleans have been with picking up the playbook and executing his role on offense. Maybe that’s what scared off those teams in the first place. There’s a good chance Perry remains with the Saints on their practiice squad, but that’s no sure thing. Otherwise they wouldn’t have risked losing him on waivers at all.

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Saints waive rookie draft pick Josiah Ezirim, a prime practice squad candidate

The New Orleans Saints waived rookie draft pick Josiah Ezirim, a prime practice squad candidate. The young offensive lineman needs more reps:

One of the New Orleans Saints’ first roster cuts on Tuesday was Josiah Ezirim, who they just drafted back in April. The former Eastern Kentucky offensive lineman was selected late in the seventh round at No. 239 overall. NFL insider Josina Anderson reports that Ezirim “is being waived with the expectation to return to the team’s practice squad.”

The 23-year-old needs more reps. Ezirim only lined up on offense for a few years in college (starting two seasons at right tackle) after being recruited to EKU as a defensive tackle. When he joined the Saints, they flipped him to the left side of the line. He’s a gifted athlete and should develop well with more time.

Still, it’s never great to see a draft pick let go before they’ve taken a single snap in the regular season. This is a good reminder that there’s little difference between late-round draft picks and undrafted players. In many cases those prospects are graded the same by scouts and they’re only drafted at all because a coach or someone in the personnel department stood up on a table for them. We’ll see if Ezirim clears waivers and stays in New Orleans.

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Saints part ways with running backs James Robinson and Jacob Kibodi

The New Orleans Saints have begun to trim down on their running back depth, releasing James Robinson and waiving Jacob Kibodi:

The New Orleans Saints have continued their roster cut-down process to get to the 53-man roster needed by this afternoon. This has included multiple running backs, veteran James Robinson and rookie Jacob Kibodi. These reports came out via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill respectively.

This comes after a solid performance by Kibodi in the Saints’ third preseason game, where he had 12 carries for 59 yards and two touchdowns, as well as a solid overall preseason for Robinson after coming off injuries in previous months. Unfortunately, both were caught up in the roster trim down, as Robinson was released and Kibodi was waived due to their respective service time in the NFL.

Ultimately, this leaves the Saints with four running backs available, pending any more moves on the horizon. Alvin Kamara, Jamaal Williams, Kendre Miller, and Jordan Mims are the four remaining, and pending the severity of Miller’s injury, they could be starting off with three for the first week or beyond. Maybe they like someone who has been released elsewhere, or maybe they prefer to ride with these four and see what happens. Regardless, the running back room is trimmed down to about the right size for now.

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Bears trade for star pass rusher Montez Sweat before Week 9 game vs. Saints

The Saints will face one of the biggest trade deadline acquisitions in the NFL this Sunday after the Bears traded for star pass rusher Montez Sweat:

Well that’s something: the Chicago Bears traded for Washington Commanders defensive end Montez Sweat hours before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, meaning the New Orleans Saints are going to be the first team to play against Sweat in his new jersey. The Saints host the Bears at the Caesars Superdome on Sunday.

Multiple reports have the Bears sending a 2024 second-round draft pick to Washington for Sweat, whose 27 quarterback pressures this season would rank third in New Orleans behind Cameron Jordan (33) and Carl Granderson (30). But Sweat’s 6.5 sacks this season are more than both Saints pass rushers and all but seven other players around the NFL.

Sweat almost exclusively lined up on the left side of Washington’s defensive front, though it remains to be seen whether the Bears will keep him there. If so, he’ll be working against right tackle Ryan Ramczyk. He came away with four pressures and five tackles (two solo) when they crossed paths back in 2021, so the Saints know Sweat isn’t someone they can take lightly.

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Saints activate LB Ryan Connelly from injured list, bring back RB Jordan Mims

The Saints activated linebacker Ryan Connelly from the injured list, also re-signing running back Jordan Mims to fill out their practice squad:

Reinforcements are on the way: the New Orleans Saints brought back a few familiar faces on Tuesday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire, with linebacker Ryan Connelly activated from injured reserve and running back Jordan Mims re-signed after being waived last week; both players were added to the practice squad, which is now back at capacity. Tight end/fullback J.P. Holtz was released from the practice squad to facilitate these moves.

Connelly suffered a preseason knee injury and tried to play through it in the season opener with the Tennessee Titans, but that only aggravated the issue. He had to sit out the next six weeks while recovering. But he’s back now, and he should be in line for a role on special teams much like he was before. The Saints have relied on Zack Baun (162 snaps), D’Marco Jackson (161), Nephi Sewell (136), and Ty Summers (117) heavily in the kicking game, but Connelly was playing ahead of Sewell and Summers prior to his injury.

As for Mims: he only played a bit part while coming off the practice squad, but he did well on limited snaps. He got in on the opening tackle against the Houston Texans kick return in Week 6, his first play in the NFL, and the team clearly sees some things they can work with in him. For now he’ll be buried on the depth chart behind Alvin Kamara, Jamaal Williams, and Kendre Miller.

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Saints reinstate Jake Haener after suspension, waive Jake Luton to open roster spot

The Saints reinstated Jake Haener after the rookie served his six-game suspension, waiving backup quarterback Jake Luton to open a roster spot:

This was expected: the New Orleans Saints reinstated rookie quarterback Jake Haener on Monday after he served his six-game suspension to open the season, waiving backup passer Jake Luton in a corresponding roster move.

Luton’s departure opened a spot on the 53-man roster for Haener, who will retake his place in the lineup behind Derek Carr, Jameis Winston, and Taysom Hill. The Saints traded their fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft (to the Jacksonville Jaguars, this week’s opponent, ironically) so they could move up to the 2023 draft’s fourth round and pick Haener. He’s a young player the team values highly.

Still, don’t expect to see much from Haener this season. This is Carr’s offense — frustrating to watch as it’s been — and he’ll continue to run the show with Winston waiting in the wings and Hill wearing a variety of hats at different position groups. Haener needs to focus on watching, learning, and preparing for his chance to compete for the QB2 job next summer.

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New Orleans Saints add depth at RB, DB on 55-man roster for Week 6 at Texans

The New Orleans Saints added depth at running back and safety with a change at fullback for their 55-man roster in Week 6’s game with the Houston Texans:

The New Orleans Saints added depth at running back and safety with a change at fullback for their 55-man roster in Week 6’s game with the Houston Texans. This week, the Saints are bringing up two practice squad players as game-day elevations in tight end/fullback J.P. Holtz and safety Daniel Sorensen, both of whom will revert to the practice squad after the game.

Additionally, the Saints signed running back Jordan Mims to their active roster. He joined the practice squad earlier this season and the team is suddenly thin at the position with Jamaal Williams on injured reserve and Tony Jones Jr. on the Arizona Cardinals’ roster after being waived. The rookie was college teammates with Saints quarterback Jake Haener at Fresno State; Haener’s six-game suspension ends Monday. Look for Mims to back up Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller.

Let’s not overlook the fullback position. Adam Prentice is going on injured reserve for at least the next four games while managing a knee injury he suffered last week, and Holtz is a natural choice to fill in for him after re-signing with the practice squad earlier this week. Holtz played that role last season and has versatility to line up as a blocking tight end, too. Prentice struggled in a couple of games leading up to this injury so Holtz has an opportunity to make the job his own if he plays well.

With all that said: here are the 55 players on the Week 6 roster now that those two practice squad elevations have been added to the 53-man lineup:

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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 waive backup OL Tommy Kraemer to open a roster spot for Marcus Maye

The Saints waived backup offensive lineman Tommy Kraemer to open a roster spot for starting safety Marcus Maye, returning from suspension:

Someone had to leave the 53-man roster for the New Orleans Saints to reinstate starting free safety Marcus Maye, and they’re betting that backup offensive lineman Tommy Kraemer can clear the waiver wire and return to the practice squad. Kraemer was waived Monday upon Maye’s reinstatement from a three-game suspension, having been signed to the 53-man roster just a few days earlier.

Kraemer, who logged seven snaps at right tackle during Sunday’s blowout win over the New England Patriots in relief of Ryan Ramczyk, has spent most of his NFL career at guard. The Saints tried him out at both guard spots during training camp and preseason before re-signing him to their practice squad after final roster cuts. If he clears waivers, there’s a good chance he’ll return to the practice squad and be activated for future games.

Because Kraemer was signed to the active roster rather than activated as a game-day promotion, he still has three games of eligibility to be elevated later this season. That could prove important as the Saints continue to tweak their depth chart. But the first thing they need to worry about is seeing whether any other team claims him now that they have the opportunity.

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Saints elevate two experienced defensive backs for Week 5’s Patriots game

The Saints elevated two experienced defensive backs for Week 5’s Patriots game, bringing up Johnathan Abram and Daniel Sorensen from the practice squad:

The New Orleans Saints elevated two experienced defensive backs for Week 5’s game with the New England Patriots, bringing up safeties Johnathan Abram and Daniel Sorensen from the practice squad. They’ll be without backup safety Lonnie Johnson (one of their core special teams players) as well as starting free safety Marcus Maye, who is serving the final week of his three-game suspension.

Abram cannot be elevated for any more games this season; if the Saints want to continue playing him, they’ll have to sign him to the 53-man roster. He totaled 56 snaps on defense last Sunday. This is the first of three game-week elevations for Sorensen, who only recently re-signed with the Saints practice squad.

But there’s some good news. Rookie safety Jordan Howden is expected to return to the lineup after missing last week’s game, having returned to practice following surgery on his injured finger. He played well in his first career start against the Green Bay Packers in Week 3 and should continue to earn more snaps during Maye’s absence. But having a pair of players with Abram and Sorensen’s experience waiting in the wings is a nice insurance policy to maintain.

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