Tag: Moves

Updated New Orleans Saints practice squad after latest roster moves

Here is the updated New Orleans Saints practice squad after the team’s latest roster moves, having waived RB Ellis Merriweather and LB Ty Summers:

The New Orleans Saints aren’t finished tweaking their depth chart, though another wave of roster moves may have to wait until players return to the team practice facility after the weekend. With their season opener against the Tennessee Titans approaching quickly, the team’s decision-makers will have to act quickly to get the right combination of players up and down the roster.

Here is the updated Saints practice squad after the team’s latest roster moves, having waived rookie running back Ellis Merriweather and veteran linebacker Ty Summers while bringing in a couple of new runners:

Saints announce multiple practice squad roster moves, re-sign RB Tony Jones Jr.

The Saints announced multiple practice squad roster moves, signing running backs Tony Jones Jr. and Jordan Mims. Both pickups were previously reported:

The New Orleans Saints are continuing to tweak their depth chart at running back as the regular season approaches, with head coach Dennis Allen announcing multiple roster moves for their practice squad on Thursday.

“We added a couple of runners to the practice squad and we released a couple of players from the practice squad,” Allen said, confirming that rookie running back Ellis Merriweather and veteran linebacker Ty Summers were both waived. “It’s a lot of transactions that happen in the first weeks of the season, so it’s all about roster management.”

With Alvin Kamara suspended and Kirk Merritt coming off an injury — with Kendre Miller managing a new hamstring issue — it made sense to reinforce the depth chart. But the Saints wanted to get someone they were more comfortable throwing into a game by bringing Tony Jones Jr. back. Here’s what you need to know about each move:

Saints waive rookie RB Ellis Merriweather from their practice squad

The Saints waived rookie running back Ellis Merriweather for the second time this week, opening a spot on their practice squad:

It’s been a tough week for Ellis Merriweather. The rookie running back was waived twice in three days by the New Orleans Saints, with NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reporting that he was let go from the Saints practice squad on Thursday.

Merriweather first signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent out of UMass earlier this year, and he competed hard throughout training camp and the Saints preseason games. Unfortunately, the team chose to go in another direction.

His departure opens a spot on the practice squad for one of two veteran running backs who reportedly signed with the team: Tony Jones Jr. (who has been in New Orleans before) and Jordan Mims (another rookie, who played with Saints backup quarterback Jake Haener at Fresno State). The Saints will continue to put the finishing touches on their depth chart in the days ahead, so this may not be the end of Merriweather’s time in New Orleans. Stay tuned for updates.

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Saints practice squad signs former Bills RB Jordan Mims, Jake Haener’s college teammate

The Saints practice squad signed former Bills RB Jordan Mims, Jake Haener’s college teammate at Fresno State. He’s one of the most prolific runners in school history:

This is cool: the New Orleans Saints are signing former Buffalo Bills running back Jordan Mims to their practice squad, as first reported by Saints News Network’s John Hendrix. Before he joined the Bills, Mims was college teammates with Saints fourth-round draft pick Jake Haener at Fresno State.

And he left Fresno State as one of the most prolific running backs in school history. Mims ranked fifth in all-purpose yards, fourth in rushing yards, third in touchdown runs, and second in rushing attempts. He also ranked second in total touchdowns (45). Not a bad resume despite his poor pre-draft athletic performance in combine drills.

So why was he available? Mims wasn’t given many opportunities in Buffalo’s preseason games before being sidelined by a concussion, but he gained 47 rushing yards on just 11 attempts. He also caught 4 receptions for another 45 receiving yards. Mims has extensive experience in pass protection at the college level (256 snaps in five years), so if he can make the most of his opportunities when his number is called he could hang around for a while.

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Rookie WR Shaquan Davis cleared waivers, signing with Saints practice squad

Rookie wide receiver Shaquan Davis cleared waivers, will be signing with the New Orleans Saints practice squad

Undrafted rookie wide receiver Shaquan Davis cleared waivers and is signing with the New Orleans Saints practice squad, as first reported by NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. The South Carolina State product quickly won over the Saints fanbase with 7 receptions for 101 yards in their three preseason games, flashing a rare combination of speed and size. But he’ll need to do more to dress out on game days.

With Davis on the practice squad, the Saints receiving corps now includes Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, Rashid Shaheed, Keith Kirkwood, Tre’Quan Smith, and A.T. Perry. Smith could go on injured reserve to start the season later Wednesday afternoon, and the Saints could also bring back another receiver to join Davis on the practice squad. Stay tuned for updates.

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Saints release LB Jaylon Smith, but fans shouldn’t say goodbye just yet

The Saints released veteran linebacker Jaylon Smith, but fans shouldn’t say goodbye just yet:

This won’t make many New Orleans Saints fans happy, but don’t go picking up the torches and pitchforks just yet. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that the Saints are releasing veteran linebacker Jaylon Smith, a late pickup in training camp who played really well for them in practice and at their preseason games.

But there’s a catch. Because Smith was been released, not waived, he won’t hit the waiver wire like many other players being let go at the roster cuts deadline. He’s free to choose his next team — or return to New Orleans. The Saints could have a handshake agreement in place to release him on Tuesday so they can place an injured player like Tre’Quan Smith, Landon Young, or Ryan Connelly on injured reserve on Wednesday, at which point they could re-sign Smith.

Maybe. They could also be looking to stash Smith on their practice squad at a significantly lower cost. It’s also possible he’ll choose to pursue other NFL opportunities at this point. We’ll just have to wait and see. But it feels like a safe bet that he’ll be on the roster when they kick off the season with the Tennessee Titans in a few weeks.

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Report: Saints release veteran cornerback Troy Pride Jr.

Report: Saints release veteran cornerback Troy Pride Jr., former Panthers draft pick

The New Orleans Saints are continuing to thin out their secondary ahead of NFL roster cuts by releasing veteran cornerback Troy Pride Jr., per TheScore’s Jordan Schultz. Pride was a former mid-round draft pick by the Carolina Panthers whose career was derailed by an injury. He could be a smart pick to keep on the practice squad, but it sounds like Pride is looking for opportunities to play on Sundays.

Every cornerback outside the top four players faced an uphill battle this summer in competing for roster spots. Having established starters in way like Marshon Lattimore, Bradley Roby, Paulson Adebo and Alontae Taylor makes for a really tough blockade to get through. The Saints do like to stock up on defensive backs, though, so we should expect some of their roster cuts to stay in town and sign with the practice squad later this week.

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Saints waive wide receiver Kawaan Baker, their former 2021 draft pick

Report: The Saints are waiving wide receiver Kawaan Baker, their former 2021 draft pick. He’s spent time on their practice squad before and could return in that capacity

The hits keep coming: the New Orleans Saints waived third-year wide receiver Kawaan Baker, as first reported by NewOrleans.Football’s Mike Triplett. Baker was a seventh-round pick out of South Alabama in the 2021 NFL draft, and this isn’t a new experience for him. He’s been let go by the Saints and returned to their practice squad before while experiencing brief stops with teams like the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles.

Still, it’s tough to see his efforts go unrewarded. Baker put in a lot of work to develop into an asset on special teams, and he was one of the Saints’ most-consistent players covering punts and kickoffs in the preseason. His punt recovery deep inside enemy territory in the first exhibition matchup stands out as a big positive in his favor. Maybe that will help him draw more attention on the waiver wire and as teams build their practice squads later this week.

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Instant analysis on every New Orleans Saints move at roster cuts deadline

Check this space often. We’ve got instant analysis on every New Orleans Saints move at the roster cuts deadline:

The New Orleans Saints have begun the difficult process of trimming their depth chart down from 89 players to just 53 ahead of Tuesday afternoon’s NFL roster cuts deadline, and we’ll be keeping up with every transaction until the team is at capacity. We’ve got a reference here for what all the different terms and rules mean this time of the year.

Here’s our instant analysis on every Saints roster cut:

Saints add more competition, sign former Pro Bowl guard Trai Turner

ESPN reports that the Saints are adding more competition by signing former Pro Bowl guard Trai Turner, a New Orleans native who starred at LSU:

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This is a good get: ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the New Orleans Saints are signing veteran guard Trai Turner after a pre-training camp tryout, though the terms of his one-year contract remain undisclosed. Turner earned $3 million on each of his last two one-year deals with the Washington Commanders and Pittsburgh Steelers, so this is likely falling somewhere similar.

Durability has been a major concern along New Orleans’ interior offensive line. Left guard Andrus Peat has never played a full season, center Erik McCoy has missed multiple games in each of the last two years, and right guard Cesar Ruiz is returning from a season-ending injury. The team signed Billy Price to back them up this offseason but he was released after failing his physical.

Hopefully Turner can help settle things inside. He’ll be competing for the top backup spot with third-year pro Calvin Throckmorton as well as rookie fourth-round pick Nick Saldiveri, with another reserve (Lewis Kidd) and highly-paid rookie free agent (Mark Evans II) also in the mix.

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