Tag: Ricky Ortiz

Saints fullback Zach Line announces his retirement

The New Orleans Saints lost fullback Zach Line to retirement on Wednesday, with the former SMU Mustangs star going out on his own terms.

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The New Orleans Saints need to find a new fullback in 2020. Veteran fullback Zach Line, 29, announced his retirement from the NFL in a post from his official Instagram account Wednesday afternoon. His contract was set to expire in March, but he’s choosing to step away from the game on his own terms.

In his post, Line thanked the Saints for the opportunity to play with them as well as the Minnesota Vikings, who gave him his first shot at playing professionally. He retires having played 80 games in the NFL (including the playoffs; 36 with the Vikings and 44 with the Saints) during his seven-year career. He was the rare fullback who could contribute not just as a lead-blocker but as a runner himself, as well as in the receiving game in a pinch. He scored seven touchdowns in the NFL, all but one of them for New Orleans.

Losing an experienced fullback is a bigger problem for the Saints than it appears at first glance. While the position is an endangered species in the NFL at large, the Saints were one of few teams to still use them frequently in 2019. Line averaged 17.9 snaps per game last year before going down with a knee injury. He was replaced by practice squad call-up Ricky Ortiz, who played 20 snaps in the Saints’ final two contests.

To illustrate Line’s importance to the offense a little more clearly: at midseason, only two fullbacks had played more snaps in the entire NFL than his total of 140, being CJ Ham (195 for the Vikings) and Kyle Juszczyk (152 with the San Francisco 49ers). It’s a position Saints coach Sean Payton obviously values.

Ortiz is the likely favorite to replace Line next season, but it’s no sure thing. It would make sense for the team to consider all possible options in free agency and the 2020 NFL Draft, and they could possibly target someone like Line, who played running back in college. He was an accomplished rusher for the SMU Mustangs, having graduated with 778 attempts for 4,185 rushing yards and 47 touchdowns on the ground. He also caught 75 passes for 599 receiving yards. That versatility speaks for itself and explains why the Saints made him a key part of their offense, even if he didn’t often handle the ball himself.

View this post on Instagram

As I look back on the last seven seasons in the NFL I cannot help but to feel extremely proud. I have never bragged about my accomplishments, but knowing the odds and ignoring them, and choosing to instead believe in myself, my faith, and the support of my loving wife and family is something I am proud of. The decision to retire is NOT easy, which is true for most competitors. This decision is something I have prayed about and communicated with those that I love. The game of football will never leave me and I hope to share and teach the positive experiences I had along the way in the future. A HUGE thank you to all of my brothers, coaches and staff along the way, I love you guys. A HUGE thank you to the team that gave me my first shot @vikings and to the team that made football fun again @saints . Another HUGE thank you to the WHODAT Nation, there is nothing like it, my family loves you. The game is temporary, but in this business brotherhood and alliances are forever. A special thank you to @mckenzieline none of this was possible without you and I love you.

A post shared by Zach Line (@zline48) on

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Saints make several roster moves before Week 17, waive DeShawn Shead

The New Orleans Saints promoted practice squad Lil’Jordan Humphrey and re-signed Ricky Ortiz, but waived Michael Ola and DeShawn Shead.

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The New Orleans Saints made a handful of roster moves on Saturday, just a day before their Week 17 kickoff with the Carolina Panthers. ESPN’s Mike Triplett and Nola.com’s Amie Just first reported the transactions.

Two players were waived from the active roster, including veteran offensive tackle Michael Ola and recently-signed defensive back DeShawn Shead.

In their place, the Saints called up practice squad wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey and brought back fullback Ricky Ortiz. Ortiz spent a few weeks on the Saints practice squad from Nov. 22 to Dec. 4, while Humphrey was promoted to the active roster for several games earlier this year.

These moves were likely made in response to a number of still-developing injury situations for New Orleans. All-star left tackle Terron Armstead was not listed on the Saints injury report this week after spending the better part of a month recovering from a high-ankle sprain, making Ola’s spot on the roster unnecessary.

On top of that, Saints fullback Zach Line was a sudden addition to Friday’s injury report, while dealing with a knee injury. He was sidelined for a few recent games with the same issue, so Ortiz’s addition probably signals that Line will be unavailable against Carolina.

As for Humphrey’s call-up: the Saints designated reserve wideout Krishawn Hogan to the injured reserve list after last week’s win over the Tennessee Titans, opening up a spot on the active roster. Hogan was predominately used as a blocker, which Humphrey may be better-suited for than fellow rookie Emmanuel Sanders.

Shead’s release is puzzling, though. The Saints are going to be without three of their top defensive backs (including safeties Vonn Bell and Marcus Williams, and cornerback Eli Apple) so having someone with experience at several positions would have been useful. This could mean that they like their depth in the secondary well enough and weren’t expecting Shead to play much in his first week on the job anyway. It’s possible he returns after this game, however, but by no means is that a sure thing.

So now the Saints 53-man roster is back at capacity, while the practice squad has one open spot. Stay tuned to see what the Saints choose to do next.

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Saints waive TE Dan Arnold among several roster moves

The New Orlenas Saints waived tight end Dan Arnold to make room on the 53-man roster, re-signing linebacker Manti Te’o among roster moves.

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The New Orleans Saints announced a series of roster moves on the official NFL transactions wire for Wednesday, Dec. 4. Among those moves was the release of third-year tight end Dan Arnold from the 53-man active roster, creating room for free agent linebacker Manti Te’o. Arnold had been a frequent gameday inactive since being called up from the Saints practice squad earlier this year, logging just two catches for 25 yards. He’s subject to waivers but is eligible to return to the practice squad should he clear them on Thursday.

Another pair of corresponding moves also shook up the Saints practice squad, with fullback Ricky Ortiz waived to open a slot for second-year left tackle Nate Wozniak. Wozniak originally signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent out of Minnesota, and he returns to the team as a developmental candidate while starting left tackle Terron Armstead works his way back from a high-ankle sprain.

Additionally, second-year wide receiver Keith Kirkwood will revert to the injured reserve list after the Saints designated him to return back on Nov. 13. Kirkwood was the only eligible candidate to return from injured reserve, having started the year on the active roster before going down in-season, with linebackers Alex Anzalone (shoulder) and Kaden Elliss (knee) each already ruled out for the year. So New Orleans will not be receiving any reinforcements from injured reserve after Kirkwood’s unsuccessful attempt at bouncing back from his early-season hamstring injury.

It raises questions about what the Saints can still do to get some production out of their thin wide receiver corps. Michael Thomas is playing like the best receiver in the game, but it’s tumbleweeds after him — veteran Ted Ginn Jr. and second-year draft pick Tre’Quan Smith have combined for just 8 catches on 21 targets in the four games since New Orleans’ bye week. Expect more trick plays for do-it-all quarterback Taysom Hill to make up the deficiency, if the Saints can’t get tight end Jared Cook and running back Alvin Kamara going consistently.

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Saints shuffle roster posts, lose Austin Carr to injured reserve

The New Orleans Saints sent WR Austin Carr to injured reserve and called up practice squad TE Jason Vander Laan, adding RB Ricky Ortiz.

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The New Orleans Saints shuffled the bottom of their depth chart on Friday in a series of roster moves. Third-year wide receiver Austin Carr was sent to the injured reserve list after missing practice with an ankle injury; in his place, the Saints called up practice squad tight end Jason Vander Laan. The open spot on the practice squad was filled by Ricky Ortiz, who the official NFL transactions wire listed as a running back.

Ortiz’s (6-foot-0, 233 pounds) exact position is a little unclear, though it doesn’t mean much in the bigger picture (teammate Taquan Mizzell, also on the practice squad, is listed as a wide receiver but wears No. 44, a number restricted to running backs and fullbacks). Oritz’s previous NFL experience came as a fullback with the Atlanta Falcons, where he was listed as a fullback and appeared in a dozen games last season, totaling 139 snaps on offense and 89 snaps on special teams.

Vander Laan (6-foot-4, 245 pounds) has been on the Saints practice squad since Oct. 23. His NFL experience has been limited to appearances with the Indianapolis Colts, Carolina Panthers, and New England Patriots practice squads. Before that, he played quarterback at Ferris State, where he set the NCAA all-division record for rushing yards (5,953).

With starting fullback Zach Line sidelined by a knee injury and backup tight end Josh Hill returning from a mild concussion, opportunities are there for fresh faces like Vander Laan and Ortiz to make an impression right away. Carr’s loss on offense is minimal; he’s proven to be a capable blocker out of the slot, but struggles to get open or catch the ball when it’s thrown to him. The Saints are working with second-year wideout Keith Kirkwood in his return from injured reserve in the next few weeks. Hopefully he’ll be able to create a spark where Carr couldn’t once he’s back.

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