Tag: Moves

Saints promote linebacker Ty Summers to their 53-man roster

The Saints promoted LB Ty Summers to their 53-man roster, opening a spot on their practice squad for recently-waived RB Kirk Merritt:

The New Orleans Saints continued to tweak their roster on Thursday ahead of Week 3’s kickoff with the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. Per the daily NFL transactions wire, the Saints have promoted linebacker Ty Summers from their practice squad to the 53-man roster, which opened a spot for recently-waived running back Kirk Merritt to return.

Summers primarily plays special teams. He initially signed with the Saints practice squad after roster cuts in August but was let go to facilitate other moves, and the team brought him back after linebacker Ryan Connelly (another specialist in covering punts and kickoffs) went down with an injury. He played the fifth-most snaps in the kicking game last week against the Carolina Panthers.

Coincidentally, Summers is a former Packers draft pick (selected in the seventh round out of TCU in 2019). The Saints signed him off the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad late last year. He now joins Demario Davis, Pete Werner, Zack Baun, Nephi Sewell, and D’Marco Jackson on the 53-man roster. Jaylon Smith and Anfernee Orji are still on the practice squad.

Merritt, a former wide receiver who converted to running back last season, missed most of the summer with an injury and exclusively lined up at receiver on his handful of snaps in Week 1. He was inactive in Week 2 and waived, but cleared waivers to re-sign with the Saints practice squad. He joins Jordan Mims there with Tony Jones Jr. promoted to the 53-man roster with Jamaal Williams (who is managing an injury) and Kendre Miller.

So where does this leave the Saints in terms of numbers? They have now filled 52 of their 53 roster spots with all 16 spaces on the practice squad accounted for. Alvin Kamara is returning from his three-game suspension on Monday, Sept. 25, and the Saints will not have to waive anyone to make room for him. Barring more changes, of course. Stay tuned.

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Saints promote practice squad RB Tony Jones Jr. to their 53-man roster

The Saints promoted practice squad running back Tony Jones Jr. to their 53-man roster, a well-earned opportunity after he scored two TD runs on Monday night:

This is cool: the New Orleans Saints could have kept running back Tony Jones Jr. on their practice squad for another week before promoting him to their 53-man roster but they’re going to sign him now anyway, per ESPN’s Field Yates.

It’s a nice pay raise for Jones, who was earning about $21,000 each week on the practice squad. Now that he’s been brought up to the 53-man roster he’ll be receiving weekly game checks north of $56,000. That’s well-deserved after he scored his first two touchdowns on Monday night after 20 games in the NFL.

This move also says a couple of things about the team’s other running backs. It suggests that Jones will remain in their plans after Alvin Kamara returns from suspension on Monday, and that they’ll be needing Jones’ help with Jamaal Williams on the mend with an injured hamstring. Having an experienced runner in the rotation could be key in the weeks ahead.

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Saints sign cornerback Cameron Dantzler to their practice squad

NOF’s Nick Underhill reports that the Saints are signing cornerback Cameron Dantzler to their practice squad, adding some veteran depth:

Here’s some more depth in the secondary. The New Orleans Saints are signing cornerback Cameron Dantzler to their practice squad, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. Dantzler participated in a group tryout in New Orleans last week but wasn’t initially signed.

He’s an interesting pickup. Dantzler is a former Minnesota Vikings third-round draft pick who has bounced around the league a bit. He joined the Houston Texans late this summer and practiced against the Saints for a few days before intercepting Jake Haener in their final preseason game, so he’s someone the coaching staff had an opportunity to evaluate closely.

We’ll have to wait and see what the corresponding roster move is to add him. Other cornerbacks on the team include Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo, Alontae Taylor, and Isaac Yiadom on the 53-man roster with Anthony Johnson and Faion Hicks further down the depth chart; Dantzler could be replacing one of them on the practice squad.

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Saints elevate two practice squad players for Week 2 vs. Panthers

The Saints are elevating practice squad running back Tony Jones Jr. again for Week 2, suggesting Kendre Miller will have to wait a little longer to make his debut:

The New Orleans Saints announced they are elevating practice squad running back Tony Jones Jr. again for Week 2’s game with the Carolina Panthers on Monday night, suggesting Kendre Miller will have to wait a little longer to make his debut.

Jones gained 5 yards on his sole rushing attempt in Week 1 but totaled just 7 snaps on offense in the game while playing behind Jamaal Williams. If Miller’s injured hamstring is going to keep him on the sidelines again this week, expect a similar workload for the veteran backup. Miller practiced on a limited basis and is officially questionable to play.

But this isn’t the only roster move the Saints are making at the last minute. They’ve also elevated practice squad linebacker Ty Summers after an injury took Ryan Connelly out of action; Summers re-signed with the Saints early last week. Connelly has been a core special teams player for New Orleans and played 21 of their 24 snaps in the kicking game last week prior to his injury, so look for Summers to fill in there. Summers carved out a role for himself in special teams late last season.

Saints’ 53-man roster and practice squad elevations for Week 2 at Panthers

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Saints announce 9 roster moves ahead of Week 2 Panthers game

The Saints announced nine roster moves ahead of Week 2’s Panthers game, sidelining two players with injuries and adding four new faces to the practice squad:

The New Orleans Saints announced eight roster moves ahead of Week 2’s Panthers game, sidelining two players with injuries and adding four new faces to the practice squad. We knew some of these changes were coming but now we have a better idea of the state of the depth chart. Here’s what you need to know about each move:

Saints sign 6-foot-7 college basketball player-turned-tight end Michael Jacobson

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before, but the New Orleans Saints added a 6-foot-7 college basketball player who has hopes of making it in the NFL as a tight end:

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before, but the New Orleans Saints signed a 6-foot-7 college basketball player who has hopes of making it in the NFL as a tight end. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that the Saints signed power forward-turned-tight end Michael Jacobson to their practice squad.

He’s not going to be mistaken for Jimmy Graham, but there’s no doubt that Jacobson has potential. The Seattle Seahawks recruited him into their 2021 training camp and coached him up as a tight end, which he hadn’t played since high school while focusing on basketball. He initially hung around on Seattle’s practice squad to start the season, but they released him on Sept. 25 and the Indianapolis Colts picked him up a few days later. He was with the Colts until final roster cuts this summer.

We’ll see if Jacobson can cut the mustard in New Orleans after two other teams gave him a shot. He’s got all of the athletic ability needed to succeed at a listed 6-foot-7 and 244 pounds, but it’ll be of no help if he can’t block or catch passes. With the depth chart set at tight end between Juwan Johnson, Foster Moreau, and Jimmy Graham (with Taysom Hill cameoing here and there), don’t expect Jacobson to see a lot of game-time.

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Saints promote practice squad DE Kyle Phillips to their 53-man roster

The Saints made a move to account for Payton Turner’s injury, promoting practice squad DE Kyle Phillips to their 53-man roster. It doesn’t bode well for Isaiah Foskey:

The New Orleans Saints made a couple of moves to account for Payton Turner’s injury including the promotion of practice squad defensive end Kyle Phillips to their 53-man roster, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. They also reportedly signed veteran free agent Terrell Lewis to take Phillips’ spot on the practice squad.

It doesn’t bode well for Isaiah Foskey, the team’s rookie second-round pick out of Notre Dame. The young defensive end progressed each week in preseason but was still playing behind more-experienced teammates, and he was a healthy scratch in Week 1’s win over the Tennessee Titans (along with most of the team’s draft class). Foskey may still be a ways off from being thrown into a game even in a reserve role behind Cameron Jordan, Carl Granderson, and Tanoh Kpassagnon.

As for Phillips: the 6-foot-4, 277 pounder has appeared in 29 games in his pro career and memorably helped seal a win for the Saints in their first preseason game with a very clutch interception against the Kansas City Chiefs. But he continued to make plays in run defense while generating a couple of pressures throughout the exhibition series, so they must feel he’s a better option to roster than Niko Lalos, who remains on the practice squad with the recently-signed Lewis.

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Saints release practice squad wide receiver Jontre Kirklin

The Saints cut Jontre Kirklin from the practice squad days after putting Tre’Quan Smith on injured reserve. They’re suddenly thin at WR, even if they’re talented at the top:

This is tough. Jontre Kirklin was easy to root for during New Orleans Saints training camp — the former LSU Tiger was a hometown favorite who competed hard on special teams and initially signed with the team’s practice squad after roster cuts. But Kirklin was let go on Tuesday, opening a spot on the practice squad for someone else. Maybe he bounces back like J.T. Barrett and Will Clapp before him, but this might be it for him.

The timing is interesting. The Saints put Tre’Quan Smith on injured reserve for at least the first four games just days ago, so they’re now down to only seven wide receivers between the 53-man roster (Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, Rashid Shaheed, Keith Kirkwood, and A.T. Perry) and the practice squad (with Lynn Bowden Jr. and Shaquan Davis). They previously carried nine receivers. Why are they approaching things differently?

Special teams might hold the answer. The Saints aren’t as deep at cornerback as they might like to be with four corners on the 53-man roster and an undrafted rookie, Anthony Johnson, rounding out the group on the practice squad. They brought in five cornerbacks for free agent tryouts Tuesday and they could be angling to find someone who can play Kirklin’s role in the kicking game (if needed) who also reinforces a position group they feel is thinner than it should be. We’ll have to wait and see what other shoe is dropping.

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Saints elevate two practice squad players for Week 1 kickoff vs. Titans

The Saints elevated two practice squad players for their Week 1 kickoff game with the Titans — including a veteran linebacker, but maybe not who you think:

A veteran linebacker has been called up from the New Orleans Saints practice squad for Week 1’s kickoff game with the Tennessee Titans, but it isn’t who you’re probably thinking of. The Saints declared linebacker Ryan Connelly and running back Tony Jones Jr. as their two allotted game-week standard elevations on Saturday, giving both pros a chance to play on Sunday.

Why Connelly and not Jaylon Smith, the former Pro Bowler and fan-favorite? Saints coach Dennis Allen has made it clear that a role on special teams will be required for any backup linebacker on the active roster, and that’s an area where Connelly shined over the summer with 32 snaps covering punts and kickoffs in two preseason games. Smith didn’t play a single snap in the kicking game in preseason. With Demario Davis and Pete Werner starting any of their backups must help out in the game’s third phase to justify a spot on the active roster.

That’s not to say Smith won’t find a role on this team sooner or later. If he can match Zack Baun’s productivity on the strong side he could climb the depth chart in a hurry, though most of his career thus far has been spent at middle linebacker. Fans may not see much of him unless Davis or Werner goes down with an injury. Hopefully he can find a way onto the field that doesn’t require that.

What about Jones? The Saints brought back their former backup after the Denver Broncos released him during roster cuts and he could play this week. Rookie running back Kendre Miller is questionable with a hamstring injury that’s kept him out of practice for two weeks and it might make more sense to rest him a little longer while having Jones and Kirk Merritt back up Jamaal Williams. The backfield is still missing Alvin Kamara, but Jones is someone the Saints have expressed confidence in as an experienced pro who knows what’s expected of him.

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Saints sign a former Titans player to their practice squad

The Saints signed a former Titans player to their practice squad on Monday — former Arizona State TE Tommy Hudson, who just spent training camp with the Broncos:

It isn’t too uncommon to see NFL teams signing practice squad players who used to suit up for their next opponent, but that hasn’t been a common tactic for the New Orleans Saints over the years. So we probably shouldn’t take that angle with the team signing tight end Tommy Hudson on Monday, but it does add an element of intrigue to the move. Hudson’s signing was reported by the Saints on the daily NFL transactions wire, as the corresponding move of releasing rookie offensive lineman Mark Evans II to open a spot on the practice squad.

Hudson got his NFL start with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent out of Arizona State back in 2020; the 6-foot-5, 255 pounder primarily worked as a blocker in their offense, and he signed with the Denver Broncos this summer for an extended tryout at training camp. The Broncos’ pillaging of the Saints tight ends room landed them Adam Trautman and Lucas Krull, though, so there wasn’t a spot left for Hudson.

He replaces Evans, a former left tackle at Arkansas-Pine Bluff who the Saints auditioned at both guard spots in preseason. Evans was one of the team’s highest-paid undrafted rookie pickups and there’s a good chance he could return after some other roster moves are completed.

As for Hudson? The Saints could have brought back veteran blocking tight end J.P. Holtz after they released him during roster cuts, but they chose to try and get younger at that spot instead. Snaps could be hard to come by for Hudson with Juwan Johnson, Foster Moreau, Jimmy Graham, and part-time quarterback Taysom Hill ahead of him on the depth chart.

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