Tag: Payton Turner

Saints downgrade DE Payton Turner, won’t return vs. Buccaneers

The Saints ruled out Payton Turner against the Buccaneers. He may end up having played in just the season opener and season finale this year:

Don’t look for Payton Turner to get on the field Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The New Orleans Saints announced Saturday evening that they were downgrading Turner’s status and ruling him out for Week 17’s matchup; the third-year defensive end recently returned to practice and has one more week left to earn a green light to suit up for a game. He was listed as questionable on the injury report before being ruled out, with head coach Dennis Allen expressing pessimism about his status on Friday.

Coincidentally, the Saints have just one game left in the 2023 regular season next week against the Atlanta Falcons. So it’s looking like, if anything, Turner will end up playing the season opener and the season finale for New Orleans.

It’s been a really tough year for him. Turner didn’t miss a single day of practice throughout the summer and at training camp, playing as many snaps as his coaches would give him in three preseason games. But his cleat caught in the turf at the Caesars Superdome while he was rushing the quarterback to force an incomplete pass back in Week 1, dislocating two toes and forcing him to undergo surgery and a lengthy rehab.

Now, his hopes rely on the Saints beating the Bucs without him so he can return and help their long-shot playoff bid in Week 18. The Saints must decide whether to pick up his fifth-year option for 2025 in the spring of 2024, but there hasn’t been enough production from Turner through his first three years to make that a very difficult decision for the front office. Hopefully he can play well once he’s healthy and turn his career around.

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Tampa Bay is without two starters on final Saints-Bucs injury report

Tampa Bay is without two starters on final Saints-Bucs injury report ahead of Week 17’s matchup

The New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have released the final injury report ahead of their Week 17 matchup.

Few surprises on the report for the Saints, with Ryan Ramczyk and Lonnie Johnson being the only two players listed out. Jordan Howden was upgraded to a full participant in practice on Friday. Alvin Kamara made his first appearance on the injury report this week as he missed practice on Friday with an illness.

An interesting story to watch will be the punter situation for New Orleans. Like Kamara, Lou Hedley missed practice on Friday with an illness and was listed as questionable. Hedley is the team’s only punter and Blake Grupe does not have punting experience.

For the Buccaneers, five players are listed as out for this game. Noteworthy abscesses will be star pass rusher Shaquil Barrett and starting cornerback Carlton Davis. Tight end Ko Kieft, wide receiver Rakim Jarrett and defensive tackle Mike Greene are also listed as out. Wide receiver Chris Godwin returned to practice on Friday and looks good to go for Sunday’s matchup.

Here is the full injury report for this week:

Ryan Ramczyk (knee) misses another practice on Saints-Bucs injury report

Ryan Ramczyk (knee) misses another practice on the updated Saints-Bucs injury report:

There isn’t much good news on Thursday’s update for the New Orleans Saints injury report. While rookie safety Jordan Howden (illness) returned to practice after resting on Wednesday, starting right tackle Ryan Ramczyk (knee) and veteran safety Lonnie Johnson (knee) were still missing. It isn’t looking good for either of them as we approach Sunday’s matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who could be without top defenders Carlton Davis (concussion) and Shaquil Barrett (groin).

If there’s a silver lining, it’s that several young draft picks are practicing on a limited basis for the Saints after having missed some time with injuries. Rookies Isaiah Foskey (quadricep) and Kendre Miller (ankle) have both been active this week, and defensive end Payton Turner (toe) is progressing well in his return from injured reserve. Win or lose, it would be great to see something positive from the three of them down the stretch.

Here’s a quick look at Thursday’s injury report from both teams:

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Chris Olave, Kendre Miller practice on a limited basis on Tuesday

Chris Olave, Kendre Miller, and Payton Turner all practiced on a limited basis ahead of Thursday night’s big Rams game:

We shouldn’t make too much of it (and we’ll explain why in a second), but this is still good news: New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave,  running back Kendre Miller, and defensive end Payton Turner all practiced on a limited basis ahead of Thursday night’s big game with the Los Angeles Rams.

Now to pour some cold water on that. Because it’s such a short week with a cross-country flight ahead of them before kickoff at SoFi Stadium, the Saints only held a walkthrough session and focused on special teams work Tuesday. They’ll practice again Wednesday before traveling to California. So this may have not been as representative an idea of everyone’s progress compared to a full practice session.

Still, it’s good news for a team that could use it. This is very nearly a playoff elimination game for both the Saints and the Rams and each squad will be hoping all hands are on deck before kickoff. Here’s the Tuesday injury report from each team:

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Payton Turner designated to return from IR, won’t play vs. Giants

Payton Turner has worked hard to get back on the field after dislocated two toes in the Saints’ season-opener. He’s been designated to return to practice:

Here’s some positive progress from Payton Turner. The third-year defensive end dislocated two toes in the New Orleans Saints’ season opener, derailing what had been a productive summer for him. Turner didn’t miss a single rep at training camp and was active in all three Saints preseason games. It was a frustrating setback for a player who finally looked ready to step up.

And now he’s on his way back. The Saints designated Turner to return from injured reserve on Friday, opening his 21-day window in which to practice with the team and gain clearance to suit up in games again. It’s too soon for him to play on Sunday against the New York Giants, but it’s a positive development. Hopefully he can make an impact in the final three games down the stretch and, possibly, the playoffs.

The Saints pass rush can use all the help it can get. They’re tied for the third-fewest sacks in the league going into Week 15 (23). Their former sacks leader Trey Hendrickson has more sacks for the Cincinnati Bengals than the entire New Orleans defensive line put together. Getting a spark from Turner in the final weeks would be huge. Cameron Jordan has lost a step and Carl Granderson is their only real force off the edge; rookie draft pick Isaiah Foskey has been in and out of the lineup with a quadriceps injury. Here’s hoping Turner’s arrow keeps trending up and yields real results in the weeks ahead.

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Which Saints players are on injured reserve, and when can they return?

Which Saints players are on injured reserve, and when can they return? New Orleans could get reinforcements late this season:

Injuries are piling up for the New Orleans Saints, and with just six games left in the regular season it’s worth asking whether reinforcements are on their way. And there are a few impact players on the injured reserve list who could be cleared to return later this year, maybe in time for a playoff push.

Here’s a quick look at the players on the Saints’ injury list going into Week 13, and when they will be eligible to return to action:

Report: Dolphins poaching Jason Pierre-Paul off of the Saints practice squad

Report: Dolphins poaching Jason Pierre-Paul off of the Saints practice squad

Jason Pierre-Paul hardly had time to get his photo taken in a New Orleans Saints uniform before leaving town for a new opportunity. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Miami Dolphins are expected to sign Pierre-Paul from the Saints practice squad, having lost a key starter (Jaelan Phillips) to a season-ending injury.

Pierre-Paul played 17 snaps in the Saints’ Week 12 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, totaling two tackles without registering a quarterback pressure. He wasn’t going to get many reps in New Orleans with Cameron Jordan and Carl Granderson on top of the rotation while Tanoh Kpassagnon is playing heavy minutes as their top backup. And youngsters Isaiah Foskey and Payton Turner are working their way back from injuries, too.

Still, it’s disappointing. The Saints badly need more help rushing the passer. They’ve only bagged 18 sacks in 11 games this season which ties the Carolina Panthers for the second-fewest in the league. They’re getting gashed by mobile quarterbacks and struggling to get home when they do send pressure. With Pierre-Paul out of the picture, someone else may need to step up. The Saints could give preseason standout Niko Lalos an opportunity to come up from the practice squad, but we’ll have to wait and see what their next move is.

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The New Orleans Saints have the NFL’s slowest pass rush in 2023

Your eyes aren’t fooling you. The New Orleans Saints have the NFL’s slowest pass rush, taking more time to get to the quarterback than any other team:

If you’ve been watching the New Orleans Saints defense this year and found yourself muttering or shouting some variant of “That’s too much time!” when the opposing quarterback drops back to pass, you aren’t crazy. Research from Doug Analytics found that the Saints have posted the NFL’s slowed pass rush unit through the first 10 weeks of the season.

And that checks out when you look at other stats. The Saints are tied for the fifth-fewest sacks (18) going into their Week 11 bye. Their Pro Football Reference pressure rate is 19.4%, ninth-worst around the league. That’s a slight improvement over last year’s 17.5% pressure rate, which was fourth-lowest, but the big difference is that the Saints aren’t finishing pressures with sacks. They had 48 sacks a year ago. They would need to average 4.3 sacks per game through these last seven weeks to match that total.

The problem is a lack of speed along the defensive front. Cameron Jordan is still being asked to be their leading rusher off the edge when his body just doesn’t have that extra gear anymore. He’s never been known for his speed off the snap, so Jordan’s game should age well as a run defender and power rusher, but the Saints must compensate for that by getting faster at other spots. Carl Granderson has some speed element to his game and Bryan Bresee can move quickly along the interior, but those are just two of the eight players in the rotation most weeks.

Whiffing on so many early-round draft picks hurts. The Saints swung and missed on first-round defensive ends like Marcus Davenport and Payton Turner and their rookie second-round pick Isaiah Foskey has had few snaps to show what he can do. They badly need one of those guys to step up and add some athleticism to the mix. Jason Pierre-Paul could improve the group but he isn’t helping them get younger.

Interestingly, the next-slowest pass rush in this graph comes from the Washington Commanders. It’s a comprehensive look at teams from Weeks 1 through 10, so that includes edge rushers Montez Sweat and Chase Young, both of whom were dealt at the NFL trade deadline. There was an uproar from Saints fans about not acquiring one of them, but it sure looks like they wouldn’t have cured the specific problem ailing the Saints defense.

A lacking athleticism up front is the issue. The Saints are slow to get after the quarterback, slow to put hands on him, and slow to keep up with him when he rolls out of the pocket looking to throw downfield. We saw them get gashed consistently by Joshua Dobbs and Tyson Bagent in recent weeks after C.J. Stroud did it a few weeks earlier. Any quarterback who can use their legs can challenge them.

Dennis Allen is a believer in the idea that the secondary and pass rush must work in tandem. He’s built this defense so that the quarterback is forced to hold onto the ball long enough for the rush to get home. But even a secondary full of All-Pro corners will get beaten if they’re all asked to cover for four, five, or six seconds. The Saints can’t afford to stop investing resources in the pass rush unit. Hopefully one of those draft picks hits soon.

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Saints open a spot on their practice squad for Jason Pierre-Paul

The Saints opened a spot on their practice squad for Jason Pierre-Paul by releasing recently-signed defensive end Jordan Willis:

Jason Pierre-Paul’s turn with the New Orleans Saints will start on the practice squad. Already at capacity with 16 players under contract, the Saints opened a spot for him by releasing recently-acquired defensive end Jordan Willis; signed last week as a free agent, Willis was not activated for Week 10’s road game with the Minnesota Vikings.

Like Pierre-Paul, Willis was someone with experience in NFL games who could have helped out in the rotation while young draft picks like Isaiah Foskey and Payton Turner were on the mend. But the Saints believed Pierre-Paul had more to offer, and there’s no arguing with the benefits of greater pro experience. So they made a change.

But will Pierre-Paul get into games coming out of the bye week? Cameron Jordan and Carl Granderson have dominated snaps this season with Tanoh Kpassagnon rotating in behind them, and backup defensive end Kyle Phillips played just five snaps last week in Minnesota. They didn’t sign Pierre-Paul just for him to go through the motions in practice, so look for him to get some opportunities in obvious passing situations after the break.

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Saints waive fullback Adam Prentice days after activating him from injured reserve

Saints waive fullback Adam Prentice days after activating him from injured reserve

Well that’s odd. The New Orleans Saints waived fullback Adam Prentice just days after they activated him from injured reserve, burning one of the eight slots teams are allowed to use in season in designated players to return from an injury.

Prentice was active for Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings, though he played just one snap on offense and a dozen on special teams with the kick return and punt coverage units. He’ll likely re-sign with the practice squad after being let go, but stay tuned. He was waived from the 53-man roster to open a spot for wide receiver Keith Kirkwood.

It’s frustrating to burn one of those eight return slots on a player who was waived just days later, but it’s not that big of a deal given the Saints’ current circumstances. The only player on injured reserve right now who is even eligible to return is defensive end Payton Turner, who is still weeks away from being able to practice.

And with just seven weeks left in the regular season, the window for players to go on injured reserve, sit out four weeks while recovering, and then open a three-week phase in which to practice and be activated is shrinking.

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