Tag: rico payton

Saints bring back Shemar Jean-Charles to their practice squad

The New Orleans Saints are bringing Shemar Jean-Charles back to their practice squad. Reloading at cornerback makes sense with Marshon Lattimore’s new injury:

Help is on the way at cornerback with the New Orleans Saints re-signing Shemar Jean-Charles to their practice squad, as first reported by Nola.com’s Luke Johnson. The Saints had a spot open up when the Cleveland Browns signed linebacker Khaleke Hudson from their practice squad. Jean-Charles was let go during roster cuts in August and was initially expected to sign with the Saints’ practice squad, but that deal fell through. Now he’s back in the building.

And he should be expected to play on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. All five cornerbacks on the Saints’ 53-man roster were active and on the field last week, and with Marshon Lattimore nursing a new hamstring injury Jean-Charles would be next in line. Here’s how each of them fared in the season  opener:

  • Marshon Lattimore: 32 snaps
  • Paulson Adebo: 54 snaps
  • Alontae Taylor: 46 snaps (plus 7 on special teams)
  • Kool-Aid McKinstry: 28 snaps (plus 9 on special teams)
  • Rico Payton: 7 snaps (plus 17 on special teams)

Jean-Charles is the only corner on the practice squad right now so he’ll likely play right away as a game-day activation. The Appalachian State product spent last December on the Saints practice squad before being elevated to the 53-man roster in January, and he more than held his own throughout the subsequent offseason. If Payton hadn’t excelled so well this summer Jean-Charles probably would’ve made the team instead.

So the Saints still have impressive depth at cornerback. There’s plenty to criticize about the ways Dennis Allen and Mickey Loomis have built and managed this team, but with Allen running the defense they’ve consistently developed reliable players in the secondary.

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Rico Payton, Mason Tipton among undrafted rookies on Saints’ initial roster

The New Orleans Saints decided to keep four of their undrafted rookies on the initial 53-man roster, including Mason Tipton and Rico Payton:

The New Orleans Saints have had a long day of roster moves and cleaning out their position groups until they get down to 53 players for the initial roster. Three players worthy of note who made the cut included undrafted rookies Rico Payton and Mason Tipton, and Dallin Holker, all of whom looked exceptional in training camp. And rookie punter Matthew Hayball won his battle to secure that job, too.

It’s extremely impressive considering Tipton did not play a preseason snap due to injury, but showed out so strongly early at camp that he was retained. As for Payton, he made the roster due to high-level preseason play, despite a slower start to camp, and performed so well that the Saints could not risk putting him on the practice squad. Holker missed some time due to a recennt ankle injury, however, he looked solid enough to be worthy of a roster spot.

Payton was outstanding in all three preseason games, however, in game two he was most noticeable, earning our Player of the Game for that week from the Saints team. He will join the group of Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo, Alontae Taylor, and Kool-Aid McKinstry in the cornerback room among anyone else who is not taken off the roster.

In the wide receiver room, NOF’s Nick Underhill has confirmed it will be Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Cedrick Wilson, A.T. Perry, Tipton, and Bub Means to start off the season. All things considered, that was probably the best mix of talent and upside of the wide receivers on the team, so it was formed well given the players they had.

As for the tight ends, we will see Juwan Johnson, Holker, and Foster Moreau with Kevin Rader landing on IR. Ultimately Holker will be a fun addition to the team, who could get some playing time with Taysom Hill seeming more like a fullback in the new offensive scheme for the Saints. We’ll see if all four rookies hang around but for now they have to be feeling optimistic.

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Shemar Jean-Charles is the first Saints cornerback to be let go

In a surprising move, Shemar Jean-Charles was one of the first Saints cornerbacks to be let go. He’s had a strong summer:

Which backup would the New Orleans Saints keep at cornerback? Rezjohn Wright, who spent last season on the practice squad? Shemar Jean-Charles, who climbed the depth chart and filled in for Marshon Lattimore at training camp? Or Rico Payton, who consistently popped off the screen in the preseason games?

In a surprise move, it was Jean-Charles to be let go as one of the team’s first roster cuts on Tuesday. He practiced ahead of his peers for much of the summer and more than held his own in the preseason, and he was a popular choice for 53-man predictions around the Saints beat.

That’s not to say this is the end of the road. If he clears waivers, Jean-Charles could simply re-sign with the practice squad later this week. But that could be a big “if.” Quality cornerbacks are in demand and all it would take is another team submitting a waiver claim to put him out of reach.

But this may speak more to the strength of the position in New Orleans than any flaws in Jean-Charles’ game. Payton was targeted 13 times and only allowed 3 receptions. That matters. The Saints are deeper at cornerback than any other position on their roster and good players are going to be let go, including Jean-Charles. Hopefully he can return but if not, well; he’s earned the opportunity to compete for a better job somewhere else.

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Rico Payton is our Saints player of the game for Preseason Week 2

Our player of the game for the New Orleans Saints’ second preseason matchup is cornerback Rico Payton. The rookie from Pittsburg State has been impressive:

The second preseason game for the New Orleans Saints has been completed, with a 16-10 loss being the result against the San Francisco 49ers. A 13-point second quarter powered the 49ers to their victory, and despite that, the Saints looked solid in the first half and had some standout performances.

Of those standouts the most notable was undrafted free agent cornerback Rico Payton, who ended the first preseason game exceptionally well and carried his momentum into this week. In his first NFL game Payton ended with a 91.7 Pro Football Focus grade, 90.9 coverage grade, and 4 forced incompletions according to PFF. He picked up where he left off.

Payton had an exceptional game against the 49ers as well, with 3 tackles (2 solo) and a pass deflection, which was an extremely impressive play. He lost touch with wide receiver Danny Gray for a slight second along the left sideline, and was able to catch up to close the gap and bat the ball away for an incompletion. What a play by the rookie from Pittsburg State.

His impressive performances makes things extremely intriguing in the cornerback room, as four spots are already locked up presumably with Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo, Kool-Aid McKinstry, and Alontae Taylor. However, if another roster spot were to be available at the position, you would have to assume Payton is well within reach of attaining it.

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Countdown to Kickoff: Rico Payton is Saints Player of Day 36

Cornerback Rico Payton is the Saints Player of Day 36. The former Pitt State standout is doing all he can to make the team:

Just 36 days stand between now and 2024 season kickoff time for the New Orleans Saints.

That makes the Saints player of the day Rico Payton, who wears the No. 36 jersey. Here’s everything to know about the former Pittsburg State cornerback:

  • Name (Age): Rico Payton (24)
  • Position: Cornerback
  • Height, weight: 6-foot, 182 pounds
  • Relative Athletic Score: 8.36
  • 2024 salary cap hit: $800,000
  • College: Pittsburg State (Kansas)
  • Drafted: Undrafted in 2024 (New Orleans Saints)
  • NFL experience: Rookie

Payton, an undrafted free agent out of Pittsburg State opens the rookie season of his NFL career in 2024 with the New Orleans Saints after a successful run with the Pittsburg State Gorillas at the college level.

Payton, 24, originally committed to Southern Illinois out of Lindbergh High School, but transferred after a single season with the team.

He comes off a final season with the Gorillas in which he totaled 35 tackles (23 solo), 4 interceptions and 16 pass break-ups en route to earning 2023 NCAA Division II Second Team All-American honors from the AFCA.

Payton was also nominated for the Division II 2023 Cliff Harris Award, which is presented annually to exceptional defensive players in small college football programs.

The former Gorilla was a two-time All-MIAA Selection, finishing out his career with 64 total tackles (46 solo), 1.5 tackles for loss, 4 interceptions, 26 passes defended, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery.

It will be interesting to watch how he can develop as a depth piece for the Saints’ secondary, and if he can carve out a bigger spot for himself ultimately as an underdog.

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Saints waive backup cornerback Faion Hicks after minicamp

The New Orleans Saints waived backup cornerback Faion Hicks after minicamp, opening a spot on their offseason 91-man roster:

The New Orleans Saints waived backup cornerback Faion Hicks after minicamp, per Saints News Network’s John Hendrix, opening a spot on their offseason 90-man roster. Really it’s a 91-man roster with rookie kicker Charlie Smyth receiving an exemption as part of the NFL’s International Player Program, but the point is that the Saints now have room for one more.

Hicks joined the Saints’ practice squad last September after being drafted by the Denver Broncos out of Wisconsin back in 2022; he wasn’t part of Sean Payton’s plans for fixing Denver’s defense, so he was let go during final roster cuts. He had some good moments in spring practices but missed time with a recent hamstring injury.

He was looking to compete for a spot on the practice squad again this summer with the Saints already rostering the cornerbacks they’re likely to carry into the season. Their typical pattern under Dennis Allen has been to roster four corners, who are all active when healthy, while stashing two or three backups on the practice squad. It’s possible Hicks could return after healing up but right now the Saints have a good mix competing for those spots in Rejzohn Wright and Shemar Jean-Charles (who, like Hicks, were on their practice squad last year) as well as undrafted rookie Rico Payton.

So what’s the plan for that final roster spot? The Saints could simply be looking to sign a free agent who tried out at minicamp, but this combined with their recent Taysom Hill restructure may hint at a bigger move. There’s plenty of time to shop for upgrades before training camp kicks off on July 24, so stay tuned.

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