Tag: Moves

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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Saints waive running back Tony Jones Jr. to make room for another offensive lineman

The Saints waived running back Tony Jones Jr. to make room on the 53-man roster for another offensive lineman, promoting Tommy Kraemer from their practice squad:

The New Orleans Saints waived running back Tony Jones Jr. to make room on the 53-man roster for another offensive lineman, promoting Tommy Kraemer from their practice squad — meaning they’ll go into Week 5’s matchup with the New England Patriots while dangerously thin at running back.

Now that Jones (whose pair of touchdown runs in Week 2 make up half of the Saints’ offensive touchdowns scored this season) is off the roster, New Orleans is left with just two running backs available to play Sunday at New England: Alvin Kamara (49 snaps last week) and Kendre Miller (5 snaps in Week 4). Jones was limited to just 11 snaps on offense last Sunday once Kamara returned from suspension. It’ll be a few more weeks until Jamaal Williams is eligible to return from injured reserve.

As for Kraemer: the former Detroit Lions backup worked at both guard spots for the Saints this summer, primarily on the right side. He was quickly re-signed to the practice squad after roster cuts in August and has hung around ever since. The Saints could be thin at guard with Andrus Peat (concussion) and James Hurst (hip) both questionable to play tomorrow due to injuries, so Kraemer’s services may be needed. Their only other healthy guards are Cesar Ruiz, part-time center Max Garcia, and rookie draft pick Nick Saldiveri.

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Saints sign former Browns first-round OL Cam Erving

NOF’s Nick Underhill reports the Saints have signed former Browns first-round pick Cam Erving to their practice squad, improving depth along the offensive line:

New Orleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports the Saints have signed free agent offensive lineman Cam Erving to their practice squad, improving depth along the line. They had an open spot after waiving pass rusher Terrell Lewis, with just two other offensive linemen on the practice squad: former Detroit Lions backups Tommy Kraemer and undrafted rookie Mark Evans II, who recently returned to the team after being let go during roster cuts.

Erving was one of four free agents the Saints brought in for a group workout. Here’s what we wrote about Erving after his tryout last week:

“Erving, 31, was also picked in the 2015 draft out of Florida State — but he was a first rounder with the Cleveland Browns. He won a Super Bowl championship with the Kansas City Chiefs and has also made stops with the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers during his 95-game career (56 starts), predominately lining up at left tackle (1,514 career snaps) and left guard (1,156) while sometimes getting looks at center and right guard. He’s only logged 41 snaps at right tackle in the NFL.”

Erving likely won’t see many snaps (if any) in the immediate future with the top of the depth chart set, but right guard Cesar Ruiz missed last week’s game with a concussion and it’s unclear when he’ll be able to return to the lineup. In the meantime, look for the Saints to continue to start Trevor Penning and Ryan Ramczyk at tackle with Andrus Peat, Erik McCoy, and James Hurst manning the interior. They’ve activated backups Max Garcia and Nick Saldiveri (at guard) as well as Landon Young (at tackle) during Ruiz’s absence.

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Saints open a spot on their practice squad by releasing Terrell Lewis

The Saints opened a spot on their practice squad by releasing defensive end/linebacker Terrell Lewis. Who are they adding?

The New Orleans Saints opened a spot on their practice squad by releasing hybrid defensive end/linebacker Terrell Lewis, per Monday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire.

Lewis was signed after Week 1 to help the team prepare for games with the Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so they’re now going in a different direction. Niko Lalos and Jaylon Smith are still on the practice squad, as is Anfernee Orji.

Who could they be adding? The Saints hosted a group workout for four offensive linemen last Thursday and it’s likely one of them is going to be signed to reinforce the depth chart; you can read more on the tryouts here.

The offensive line did improve in Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers, relative to what we’d seen before, but you can always use better depth. Right now the Saints have just two blockers on the practice squad in Tommy Kraemer and the recently re-signed Mark Evans II.

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