Tag: P.J. Williams

5 free agent safeties the Saints could sign to replace Marcus Williams

There’s a good chance the Saints lose Marcus Williams in free agency. Marcus Maye, Quandre Diggs, and Justin Reid may be among their best options to replace him:

It’s looking more and more likely that one of the best New Orleans Saints free agents will test the open market — if not sign with a new team altogether. If standout free safety Marcus Williams does leave for a better opportunity, it’s going to be extremely difficult to replace him. With Friday evening’s news that Williams doesn’t anticipate spending a second year on the franchise tag, New Orleans will have to sign him to an extension to keep him in town. That’s far from certain.

Don’t say that the Saints could just sign one of the other top safeties on the market like Jessie Bates III or Tyrann Mathieu. They’ll be looking for the same market-setting contract Williams is about to get, if they aren’t franchise tagged, anyway. If the Saints aren’t about to pay $16 million per year for a known quantity in Williams, why would they do that for a completely new player who doesn’t already know their system?

And while it may be a stronger free agent market at safety than we saw a year ago, finding players who share Williams’ specific skills set is going to be tough. There just aren’t many centerfielders who can cover from one sideline to the other, tackle well, and intercept passes as often as he does. Anyone the Saints sign to replace Williams will almost certainly be a downgrade.

Still, it’s good to know which options may be available. We’ve already explored which teams may try and sign Williams themselves. If the Saints can’t cut a deal with Williams to pay him what he’s worth, these are the free agents they may have to turn to:

Stay or go: Predicting the top Saints unrestricted free agents in 2022

Stay or go: Predicting the top Saints unrestricted free agents in 2022

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There’s another challenging offseason ahead for the New Orleans Saints. They’ve got to shed tens of millions of negative salary cap space again, and then start to work on re-signing some of their pending free agents. And they’ve got a crop of unrestricted free agents-to-be who are headed for the open market, which brings more hurdles than the restricted and exclusive-rights free agents New Orleans must deal with (check here for the full list of expiring contracts).

Obviously some of these unrestricted free agents are more high-profile than others. Entrenched starters like Terron Armstead and Marcus Williams are on deck, as are key backups like P.J. Williams, Kwon Alexander, and Tre’Quan Smith. And what’s to be done with Jameis Winston?

It’s early, but here is where I’m leaning on which of the top Saints unrestricted free agents will stay or go in 2022:

P.J. Williams with pick six of Tom Brady to seal Saints’ win over Bucs

P.J. Williams of the Saints with a pick six of Tom Brady to seal the New Orleans victory

Tom Brady got away with one as he tried to lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a game-winning drive over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday in the Big East.

The GOAT wasn’t as fortunate on the next play and it turned into a New Orleans Saints touchdown.

After missing Mike Evans with a pass that looked like it could have been intercepted, Brady threw another pass and it wound up in the arms of Saints’ DB P.J. Williams.

Williams took off with the ball and ran 40 yards to paydirt as New Orleans picked up a key 36-27 victory in an NFC South clash.

The Saints improved to 5-2 and the Bucs fell to 6-2.

Saints trade candidates ahead of NFL trade deadline

The New Orleans Saints figure to be buyers, not sellers, but they do have a few trade candidates ahead of the NFL trade deadline:

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It would be a surprise to see the New Orleans Saints trade away players at the NFL trade deadline, but that could help facilitate new pickups. Whether it’s a player-for-player swap or a salary cap-minded move to free up resources to spend at a different position, we can’t rule out anything in the days ahead.

Still, I’d rather see the Saints pursue improvement on offense (especially in the receiving corps). But it’s tough to ignore the quality depth they’ve built up on defense, which could prove useful. Here are a few names on my radar before the Nov. 2 trade deadline:

Former Raiders, Cowboys safety Jeff Heath signs with the Saints

The New Orleans Saints signed longtime Dallas Cowboys safety Jeff Heath, who led the Las Vegas Raiders with 3 interceptions in 2020:

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The New Orleans Saints have brought in another veteran to audition for a roster spot in their next preseason game. The Times-Picayune | Advocate’s Amie Just first reported that the Saints have signed free agent safety Jeff Heath, following a tryout alongside longtime Minnesota Vikings safety Andrew Sendejo.

Heath, 30, has already played eight years in the NFL — all with the Dallas Cowboys until 2020, when he joined the Las Vegas Raiders and led the team with three interceptions. He’s spent most of his snaps lining up free safety (63.5%, per Pro Football Focus charting), though he also ranked fifth on the team in special teams snaps played (279).

New Orleans’ top safeties have been active in practice, with Marcus Williams recently snagging an interception in team drills while Malcolm Jenkins and C.J. Gardner-Johnson continue to play heavy minutes. There’s a gridlock of young safeties behind All-Pro special teams ace J.T. Gray in rookies Deuce Wallace, Eric Burrell, and Bryce Thompson, so Heath adds some veteran experience to the mix.

It’s worth noting that the Saints didn’t re-sign D.J. Swearinger this offseason after he helped out a lot in the bottom of their depth chart in 2020, so maybe Heath has an opportunity to take that spot. Additionally, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport observed that Heath’s arrival could help the Saints maintain their practice rotation should dime back P.J. Williams have to go back to corner after converting to free safety. The Saints have taken a series of hits to the cornerbacks depth chart in training camp and may need the reinforcements.

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After two-week injury absence, Tre’Quan Smith returns to Saints practice

After two-week injury absence, Tre’Quan Smith returns to Saints practice

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Tre’Quan Smith is projected to start at wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints when their regular season kicks off in a few weeks, so it’s good to see him back in practice on Aug. 17. Smith exited the team’s Aug. 3 session with what was reported to be a leg injury; he then wasn’t spotted for the next two weeks while receiving treatment. Now he’s back.

So too are defensive backs Marcus Williams and P.J. Williams, who missed a couple of practice sessions last week with undisclosed injuries. The former is expected to play 900-plus snaps this season as the starting free safety (doing so in a contract year on the expensive franchise tag), while the latter has been a decent dime back filling in at multiple positions when needed.

But P.J. Williams can’t afford to get complacent — there are a number of hungry rookies competing for snaps, and the team could very well move on from him if someone like Bryce Thompson or Eric Burrell makes a strong enough audition.

At any rate: getting these reinforcements back now is welcome news. Here’s hoping they avoid further injury issues in the weeks ahead.

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Saints re-sign Tommylee Lewis again, clear Wil Lutz and P.J. Williams to practice

Saints re-sign Tommylee Lewis again, clear Wil Lutz and P.J. Williams to practice

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Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the New Orleans Saints have re-signed Tommylee Lewis. The fifth-year wide receiver has had an on-again, off-again relationship with the team, but a recent spat of injuries and suspensions have brought him back to New Orleans yet again. Saints coach Sean Payton announced Lewis’ return in his post-training camp press conference on Friday, a day after Lewis tried out for the team as a free agent.

Expect Lewis to compete for a backup role to Deonte Harris, whose offseason DUI arrest could sideline him for a few weeks during the regular season. Lewis has appeared in the lineup sporadically over the years, primarily on special teams as a returner on punts and kickoffs, though he’s seen his share of gadget plays. Unfortunately, his most memorable moment in a Saints uniform would be no-selling the uncalled illegal hit he took in the 2018 NFC championship game. Hopefully brighter days are ahead for him.

Because the Saints had a few roster spots still available, they won’t have to release anyone just to make room for Lewis. It’s possible that further free agent tryouts or underwhelming practices prompt the team to shuffle the bottom of the depth chart, but for now Lewis’ addition brings them to 89 of 90 roster spots filled. They’ve got room for one more player with more than $11 million to burn.

Additionally, Payton said that both Wil Lutz and P.J. Williams passed their physicals and will begin practicing with the team after starting training camp on the non-football injury list. They only missed the first day, so New Orleans elected not to sign a new kicker in Lutz’s absence. Williams faces real competition at the dime spot in the secondary; he and veteran free agent pickup Brian Poole must outplay some younger teammates for snaps as the team’s sixth defensive back.

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Wil Lutz, P.J. Williams start Saints training camp on non-football injury list

The New Orleans Saints open training camp without kicker Wil Lutz or defensive back P.J. Williams, who are on the non-football injury list:

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The New Orleans Saints won’t exactly be at full strength when training camp kicks off, beyond Michael Thomas landing on the physically unable to perform list. They also will be without several players on the non-football injury list, in addition to backup offensive lineman Derrick Kelly.

This will be official on the next update to the daily NFL transactions wire, but Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said Wednesday evening that kicker Wil Lutz and defensive back P.J. Williams are going to unavailable to start camp. Both players are landing on the NFI list with Kelly with what Loomis characterized as soft-tissue injuries, suggesting neither of them are expected to be out for any significant time.

Additionally, the Saints don’t even plan to try out free agent kickers, which certainly suggests Lutz won’t be out for long. So expect most of their special teams practice minutes to focus on punting drills — where second-year pro Blake Gillikin and undrafted rookie Nolan Cooney are competing to replace Thomas Morstead, while other replacements for top coverage players Justin Hardee Jr. and Craig Robertson must be found. If the Saints do get desperate to bring in another kicker, Blair Walsh is still a free agent after joining their practice squad late last season.

It isn’t ideal to open training camp with so many players recovering from injuries, but that’s the nature of the sport. Injuries and absences are inevitable. If nothing else, these latest Saints roster moves could help build up the depth needed to take those gut punches and keep moving on.

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Saints to re-sign veteran defensive back P.J. Williams

The New Orleans Saints will re-sign veteran defensive back P.J. Williams, a free agent corner/safety hybrid who has played often lately.

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He’s back: NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the New Orleans Saints have reached an agreement on a one-year contract extension with defensive back P.J. Williams, bringing badly-needed experience into their secondary. The deal is valued at a fully-guaranteed $2.3 million. That’s a slight pay raise from the $2.01 million he earned last season.

Williams has gone year-to-year with the Saints in recent free agency cycles, so this isn’t surprising. But he did successfully make the position switch to free safety in 2020, so his future on the field is a bit muddied. Still, having someone with his versatility in the slot, out wide, in the box and over the top is valuable. He also logged 100-plus snaps on special teams.

Still just 27, Williams has spent his entire 69-game NFL career (including 7 postseason appearances) in New Orleans after being selected in the third round of the 2015 NFL draft out of Florida State. He’s picked up a love-hate relationship with Saints fans owing to occasional mistakes in coverage and penalties, but the team needs depth players like him to round out the depth chart. Think of him as the defense’s version of offensive lineman James Hurst, who was also re-upped this week.

New Orleans only had a few hundred thousand dollars in salary cap space before re-signing him, so it shows how important he is to them in the role he plays. Expect plenty of nickel and dime personnel in 2021 from the Saints defense with Williams continuing to help from a wide array of spots.

Saints announce CB Patrick Robinson (leg) will not return vs. Falcons

The New Orleans Saints announced that corner Patrick Robinson would not return for their Week 13 game with the Atlanta Falcons due to injury

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An already short-handed secondary took another hit when the New Orleans Saints ruled cornerback Patrick Robinson out for the rest of their Week 13 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons. Robinson was starting in relief of Janoris Jenkins opposite Marshon Lattimore and made a couple of nice plays early on before exiting with a leg injury. He was initially questionable to return before being downgraded in the second half.

Robinson was limited in Friday’s final practice session before kickoff with a hamstring injury, so it’s possible these are related issues. For now, the Saints are not releasing any details on his condition.

In the meantime, he’s been replaced by P.J. Williams, a career slot corner who cross-trained at free safety over the summer. The only other healthy cornerback besides Williams and Lattimore is Ken Crawley, who so far has only appeared on special teams against Atlanta. Hopefully the Saints offense can keep up the pressure as the fourth quarter begins.

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