Tag: Saints

Saints waive Josiah Bronson and Will Clapp, open a practice squad spot

ICYMI: Saints waive Josiah Bronson and Will Clapp, open a practice squad spot

The New Orleans Saints completed several roster moves before their Week 15 practices got into full swing ahead of Sunday’s prime-time game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, releasing two backups from the 53-man roster as well as one of several cornerbacks on the practice squad. With three other players still in the league’s COVID-19 protocols, it leaves New Orleans with 48 of 53 roster spots and 15 of 16 practice squad openings filled.

Offensive lineman Will Clapp was waived on Monday and cleared waivers; he’s eligible to return to the practice squad if the Saints choose to bring him back. He was quickly replaced by veteran free agent James Carpenter (who signed with the Saints just last week), who was elevated from the practice squad ahead of Clapp and filled in as the Saints’ sixth offensive lineman against the New York Jets.

Additionally, the Saints waived rookie defensive tackle Josiah Bronson on Tuesday. Bronson had been playing sparingly in the interior line rotation behind David Onyemata, Shy Tuttle, Christian Ringo, and Albert Huggins. Malcolm Roach remains on the practice squad if Bronson doesn’t clear waivers or if the Saints choose not to bring him back.

Another player recently let go was cornerback Dylan Mabin — but since he was released from the practice squad he immediately becomes a free agent and will not have to test waivers. He hadn’t gotten many looks this season and was joined on the practice squad by defensive backs Jordan Miller, KeiVarae Russell, and Bryce Thompson.

So more moves will be on the way as these vacancies are filled, most likely with players returning from the COVID-19 list. But let’s keep an eye out for possible reinforcements coming off of injured reserve in the weeks ahead with tight end Adam Trautman and defensive ends Payton Turner and Tanoh Kpassagnon eligible to return later this season.

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Every Buccaneers head coach’s all-time record against the Saints

Three different Buccaneers coaches have hit .500 against the Saints, and one has a winning record. But Bruce Arians is 1-5 since 2019:

At risk of acknowledging the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a serious rival of the New Orleans Saints, I’ll start this off by reminding everyone that it’s a series the Saints own handily, having gone 38-22 against Tampa Bay. That’s dating back to 1977 with a six-game winning streak from 1983 to 1988 (before they shared a division) and a seven-win run from 2012 to 2015.

It hasn’t seemed to matter who the Buccaneers hire as head coach, who they start at quarterback, or who was owning the team — the Saints have beaten them in every era they’ve met.

Still, it’s a good time to run through the timeline. Here is how every coach in Buccaneers history has fared against New Orleans (including the playoffs), from Bruce Arians to John McKay:

Saints start the long climb back up in Week 15 NFL power rankings

Saints start the long climb back up in Week 15 NFL power rankings

The New Orleans Saints began the long climb back up to relevance in the Week 15 NFL power rankings, having demolished the New York Jets and ended their five-game losing streak. Here is where the Saints clocked in from various power rankings from around the NFL’s orbit:

4 quick takeaways on Netflix’s ‘Home Team’ trailer

4 quick takeaways on Netflix’s ‘Home Team’ trailer, via @MaddyHudak_94:

No one really knew what to expect in the upcoming movie “Home Team,” about Sean Payton’s year coaching his son’s football team in Texas, but the official trailer dropped Tuesday and gave us an interesting glimpse. The film is set to release on Netflix on Jan. 28, 2022 starring comedian and actor Kevin James as the New Orleans Saints head coach; produced by Happy Madison Productions, it focuses on Payton’s year in suspension from the NFL and his tenure as the assistant coach of his son’s sixth grade football team.

The production company is owned by Adam Sandler, whose brother-in-law Christopher Titone wrote the script, who also happens to be dating Payton’s daughter, Meghan, who is a sports reporter. News of the feature first dropped back in April when Peter King of “Football Morning in America” reported the scoop. He’d said at the time that Payton had recently read the script and made some corrections accordingly. Fans may recall when Sandler’s production company visited Payton at the practice facility and at some point filmed a cameo of the coach dressed rather strangely.

Now back to the trailer. Here’s what stood out and what we can look forward to in the upcoming film:

2022 NFL draft: Saints are at No. 13. Here’s who’s likely to be available

2022 NFL draft: Saints are at No. 13. Here’s who’s likely to be available

There’s still four games left to play this season, but the 2022 NFL draft order is beginning to take shape. And with so many hurdles between the New Orleans Saints and the playoffs, it makes sense to start taking stock of where they might stand on draft day.

New Orleans is scheduled to pick at No. 13 overall after Week 14’s games wrapped up, per Tankathon’s latest projections. It’s not an easy road to get there, but that sort of draft positioning could lead to some high-quality talent landing in New Orleans — the last time they drafted that highly (at No. 11, in 2017) they left with cornerback Marshon Lattimore, the Defensive Rookie of the Year who reached three Pro Bowls in his first four years in the NFL.

But who are some realistic targets at No. 13? To find out, I surveyed recent 2022 mock drafts like this one from ESPN’s Todd McShay, or this projection from Austin Gayle at Pro Football Focus, as well as models from Pro Football Network’s Cam Mellor and Ryan Wilson with CBS Sports. I found six different players who were slotted in between picks No. 13 and 19, which suggests they might be evaluated on a similar tier together and be worth an early selection.

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Garrett Wilson was the only player in the group to fall in this range in every mock draft sampled; the others either went too high, too low, or weren’t in the first round at all. Here they are:

Predicting the final 4 games left on the 2021 Saints schedule

The Saints have 4 games left to play in 2021. Here’s a look at each of those matchups:

We’re entering the home stretch. The New Orleans Saints are in the middle of a five-way tie for the seventh — and final — NFC playoff seed, but they can separate from the pack by going on a run these last four games. Shaking back with a dominant win over the New York Jets last week, ending the longest losing streak in Sean Payton’s career as a head coach, was a great way to start.

But it’s easier said than done. Here is a quick look at each matchup left on the 2021 Saints schedule:

Watch the trailer for Sean Payton’s Netflix movie ‘Home Team’

Watch the trailer for Sean Payton’s Netflix movie ‘Home Team’

It’s here — well, almost. The official trailer for “Home Team,” the upcoming Netflix movie about Sean Payton’s year away from football, spent coaching his young son’s team in Texas, is live ahead of the film’s release date on Jan. 28.

The comedian and actor Kevin James stars as the New Orleans Saints head coach in the feature from Happy Madison Productions (the studio founded by James’ friend and frequent collaborator Adam Sandler, whose brother-in-law Christopher Titone wrote the script), with supporting actors including Rob Schneider, Taylor Lautner, and Isaiah Mustafa.

Payton approved the script himself and welcomed the cast to New Orleans for a visit at the team facility during the offseason, also shooting his own cameo. Maybe it’ll be worth a laugh. See the video embedded above for yourself.

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2022 Saints schedule update: Which opponents will New Orleans see?

2022 Saints schedule update: Which opponents will New Orleans see?

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The 2021 NFL season isn’t in the books just yet, but it’s time to start considering what could be coming up next for the New Orleans Saints. Their 2022 schedule is beginning to take shape. All but three opponents have already been decided, based off the NFL’s cyclical scheduling formula — in addition to their regular NFC South rivals (twice), the Saints will face the entire NFC West and AFC North in 2022.

What remains to be seen is who they’ll be facing from the NFC North, NFC East, and AFC West. That won’t be finalized until the regular season concludes, with the Saints scheduled to play the same-place finisher in each of those divisions.

So for now, here is what the 2022 lineup looks like after Week 14:

2021 NFC playoff rankings: Saints still in the hunt for a wild-card seed

2021 NFC playoff rankings: Saints still in the hunt for a wild-card seed despite crowded playoff picture

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Week 14’s NFL schedule is almost wrapped up, with Monday night’s prime-time game between the 8-4 Los Angeles Rams and 10-2 Arizona Cardinals left to go. And that matchup carries some playoff implications. If the Cardinals lose, they’d also lose their hold on the No. 1 seed and the lucrative bye week that comes with it — the 10-3 Green Bay Packers, the No. 2 seed, have a head-to-head win over Arizona. The Rams would remain the top wild-card seed regardless of a win or loss, but things would change at the top.

But where do the New Orleans Saints fit in? They’re still in the mix for a wild-card spot along with a number of other teams. Despite having lost five in a row the sloppy state of the NFC means New Orleans still has a shot at reaching the postseason. They aren’t mathematically eliminated in the NFC South title race, but it’s a long shot with the Buccaneers still rolling. Here is how it all shakes out in the NFC playoff standings:

6 takeaways from Saints’ Week 14 walloping of the Jets

6 takeaways from Saints’ Week 14 walloping of the Jets

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The New Orleans Saints cut their losing streak off at five games with a win on the road over the New York Jets, but what did we learn from this performance? It’s tough to read into such a lopsided win over a really bad team, but the Saints did some things well enough to make you think it could translate into their next four games to close out the regular season. Here are six quick takeaways in review of Week 14’s big win: