Tag: roster moves

Saints sign tight end Jesper Horsted, waive rookie wide receiver Kyle Sheets

The New Orleans Saints signed former Raiders tight end Jesper Horsted after an injury to Juwan Johnson, waiving rookie wide receiver Kyle Sheets to make room:

The New Orleans Saints announced Friday they had signed tight end Jesper Horsted, waiving undrafted rookie wide receiver Kyle Sheets to make room. Formerly of the Las Vegas Raiders and Chicago Bears, Horsted was brought in to reinforce the depth chart after an injury to starting tight end Juwan Johnson.

Horsted has mostly played special teams after turning pro out of Princeton, though he has caught 14 passes for 131 yards and three touchdowns in his four-year NFL career. He has also made ten tackles in the kicking game. He’s someone they know well. Horsted was teammates with Derek Carr on the Raiders in 2022 and he was coached by Clancy Barone with the Bears before that.

Johnson is expected to return in time for the start of the regular season so the Saints weren’t going to look for a big name to replace him. Look for Foster Moreau and rookie favorite Dallin Holker at practices over the summer with veteran backups Michael Jacobson and Tommy Hudson in the mix, plus Taysom Hill.

As for Sheets: the rookie from Slippery Rock was guaranteed just $30,000 in his contract with the Saints so there won’t be much of a salary cap impact from letting him go. We’ll wish him well in catching on with a new team.

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Saints shake up their depth chart at defensive tackle after rookie minicamp

The New Orleans Saints signed one of the free agent tryouts from their recent minicamp in former Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Kendal Vickers:

The New Orleans Saints signed one of the free agent tryouts from their recent rookie minicamp, former Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Kendal Vickers. Backup defensive tackle John Penisini was waived to open a roster spot for him. The Saints announced Vickers’ signing as well as the pickup of offensive lineman Lucas Patrick on Monday.

Vickers, 28, was college teammates with Alvin Kamara at Tennessee and has been in the NFL since 2018, making most of his appearances with the Raiders from 2020 to 2022 (alongside Derek Carr). He’s spent time with a couple of different teams over the years and entered the league as an undrafted free agent signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He finished the 2023 season with the Arizona Cardinals.

He joins a depth chart that includes Nathan Shepherd, Khalen Saunders, Bryan Bresee, Khristian Boyd, Jack Heflin, and Kyler Baugh. The Saints typically roster four defensive tackles and activate them all on game days while keeping a fifth in reserve on the practice squad in case of an injury. We’ll see who makes the cut after training camp this summer.

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Saints agree to terms on one-year deal with free agent OL Lucas Patrick

The New Orleans Saints agreed to terms on a one-year deal with free agent offensive lineman Lucas Patrick:

Here’s some improved depth for the New Orleans Saints’ offensive line. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reported that the Saints have reached an agreement with free agent lineman Lucas Patrick on a one-year deal. Patrick has spent seven years in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers and, most recently, the Chicago Bears. He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent from Duke.

Last year Patrick started 15 games at center for Chicago, where he worked with Andrew Janocko; the current Saints quarterbacks coach held the same role with the Bears. In his career Patrick has logged 1,000-plus snaps at both center and right guard, as well as 628 reps at left guard. So he could push guys like Nick Saldiveri and Shane Lemieux for that vacancy.

There won’t be a corresponding move for the Saints signing Patrick. They filled 89 of 90 roster spots going into rookie minicamp this weekend so they had room for one more. But we should anticipate some roster moves after that minicamp with several dozen players trying out in hopes of landing a spot on that 90-man roster. Stay tuned.

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Saints waive backup OL Tommy Kraemer despite thin depth chart

The Saints were already thin along the offensive line, but on Wednesday they opted to waive backup guard/tackle Tommy Kraemer:

What’s the move here? The New Orleans Saints were already thin along the offensive line, but on Wednesday they opted to waive backup blocker Tommy Kraemer, per ESPN’s Field Yates. It’s a bit of a surprise after Kraemer played an important role last season, backing up both Cesar Ruiz (at right guard) and Ryan Ramczyk (at right tackle).

But the team’s new coaching staff must feel differently about him, or at least see better options available in free agency. The Saints now have an open spot on the 90-man roster after waiving both Kraemer and quarterback Kellen Mond, so another addition should be on the way. We’ve identified some possible fits given their experience in Klint Kubiak’s system or other connections to the coaching staff.

Here’s the state of the offensive line after waiving Kraemer, with rookies’ names underlined for emphasis:

  • Tackle: Ryan Ramczyk (injury), Trevor Penning, Landon Young, Justin Herron, Taliese Fuaga, Josiah Ezirim
  • Guard: Cesar Ruiz, Nick Saldiveri, Oli Udoh, Shane Lemieux, Mark Evans II, Nouri Nouili, Kyle Hergel
  • Center: Erik McCoy, Since Haynesworth

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Saints waive backup quarterback Kellen Mond before rookie minicamp

The Saints waived backup quarterback Kellen Mond before rookie minicamp. Change was inevitable after the team drafted Spencer Rattler:

And then there were four. ESPN’s Field Yates first reported that the New Orleans Saints have waived backup quarterback Kellen Mond, just a few days before the start of rookie minicamp. The Saints were overcrowded at quarterback between Derek Carr, Jake Haener, Nathan Peterman, Mond, and this year’s fifth-round draft pick Spencer Rattler. Someone was going to go.

As we expected, Mond was the first to go. He was also the latest to sign, having arrived in New Orleans just before the 2024 NFL draft (and a month after Peterman). So Peterman will have to make his case for a spot on the Saints practice squad at training camp this summer while Haener and Rattler compete for the backup job behind Carr.

Something else to note: Mond leaving frees up the No. 2 jersey, which could be highly coveted. Both wide receiver Chris Olave and cornerback Alontae Taylor have hinted at switching to it on social media this offseason. If Taylor wants to pick it up that would open the No. 1 jersey for his rookie teammate Kool-Aid McKinstry. Fans may want to see Olave in his college number, but buying out unsold stock in his No. 12 jerseys might be cost-prohibitive. Stay tuned.

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Commanders make roster moves ahead of rookie minicamp

Commanders make some last-minute roster moves ahead of rookie minicamp.

The Washington Commanders begin the on-field portion of the offseason on Friday with a three-day rookie minicamp. On Tuesday, the Commanders made some roster moves to meet the NFL’s 90-man roster deadline. The Commanders can keep 91 players because they have a player in the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program, which gives teams a roster exemption.

Washington released the following three players:

  • Brandon Bouyer-Randle
  • CB D’Angelo Mandell
  • DE Joshua Pryor

Of three players released, only Pryor ever played in a game for the Commanders. An undrafted free agent last May from Bowie State, Pryor appeared in seven games last season.

Friday’s rookie minicamp will feature the debut of quarterback Jayden Daniels in the burgundy and gold. We shall know by then what number Daniels will wear. Will it be the No. 5 jersey currently worn by longtime punter and team captain Tress Way?

 

 

Saints agree to terms with former Lions safety Will Harris

The New Orleans Saints agreed to terms with former Detroit Lions safety Will Harris, adding more experience to their secondary:

The New Orleans Saints agreed to terms with former Detroit Lions safety Will Harris, adding more experience to their secondary. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports that it’s a one-year deal.

Harris, 28, studied at Boston College before being selected by the Lions inn the third round of the 2019 NFL draft. He’s spent the last five years in Detroit while starting 40 of 81 games (plus three playoff games). He was credited with 93 combined tackles in 2021, a personal-best.

While Harris has ample experience at free safety, he’s logged more snaps covering the slot and running with the kicking units on special teams. He’s worn a lot of hats in Aaron Glenn’s defense while taking snaps outside at cornerback, in the box at safety, or even up at the line of scrimmage as a linebacker.

He played a career-high 357 snaps on special teams last season which may give us an idea of what role the Saints have in mind. Harris is probably a comparable player to veteran safety Johnathan Abram who could start games in a pinch, but he’s at his best reinforcing other positions and helping to cover punts and kickoffs in the game’s third phase. The Saints’ 90-man roster is at capacity after the NFL draft, so they’ll have to release another player in ia corresponding move to pick up Harris.

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Bears extend WR Collin Johnson, sign DB Tarvarius Moore

The Bears announced a pair of roster moves on Friday afternoon.

The Chicago Bears announced a pair of roster moves on Friday afternoon, just a few days before the new league year begins. The Bears re-negotiated/extended wide receiver Collin Johnson and signed defensive back Tarvarius Moore.

Johnson joined the Bears midway through last season after playing the last two years with the New York Giants. He spent much of the year on the practice squad, but appeared in a handful of games and made one reception for 11 yards in the penultimate game of the 2023 season.

Moore, meanwhile, comes to the Bears after spending five seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, from 2018 to 2022. A third-round pick out of Southern Miss, Moore was a depth safety for San Francisco. His best season came in 2020, when he started eight games and recorded 52 total tackles, one for a loss, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. He signed with the Green Bay Packers last year, but was placed on injured reserve prior to the regular season and was released.

Saints sign a new fullback, but he isn’t new to their coaching staff

The Saints signed a new fullback, but he isn’t new to their coaching staff. Meet Zander Horvath:

The New Orleans Saints signed a new fullback, but he isn’t new to their coaching staff. Meet Zander Horvath, formerly of Purdue, whose addition was announced on Thursday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire.

Horvath, 25, played college football at Purdue before turning pro with the Los Angeles Chargers, who picked him in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL draft. He measured out exceptionally well in the pre-draft process with a 9.83 Relative Athletic Score (a metric which often lines up with attributes the Saints value). He weighed in at 6-foot-2 and 228 pounds but has been listed at 232 and 235 with different teams.

Former Chargers running backs coach Derrick Foster worked with him closely in L.A., so there’s an obvious connection with Foster holding the same position on staff these days in New Orleans. Horvath was waived during roster cuts last August and briefly landed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the Chargers brought him back to their practice squad to close out the season. He wasn’t re-signed after that.

He wasn’t the only player the Saints tried out on Thursday; the wire also reports 232-pound running back Qadree Ollison as a participant. He’s a former Atlanta Falcons draft pick (fifth round in 2019) who was teammates with Horvath on the Steelers for a few months last season. The Saints must have liked what they saw from Horvath better.

This might mean the end of the road for Adam Prentice. The incumbent Saints fullback is a restricted free agent but he’s coming off a down year with dropped passes, blown blocking assignments, and a very unfortunate fumble. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is going to be asking different things of his fullback than Pete Carmichael asked of Prentice last season, so they might look for someone else to push Horvath for the job in training camp.

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Colts re-sign G Jack Anderson

The Colts brought back Jack Anderson on a one-year deal.

The Indianapolis Colts signed guard Jack Anderson to a contract extension, the team announced Tuesday.

According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston, it’s a one-year deal for Anderson.

Anderson appeared in one game for the Colts during the 2023 season but spent the majority of the campaign on the practice squad and the injured list due to a calf injury he suffered with the New York Giants during the preseason.

He returned to the practice squad in October when he became healthy. Anderson can play both guard positions while providing some depth at center, and he’ll fight for a roster spot throughout the spring and summer.

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