Tag: shaquan davis

Eagles sign another player from the Saints’ 2023 practice squad

The Philadelphia Eagles signed another player from the New Orleans Saints Saints’ 2023 practice squad, joining Shaquan Davis:

The Philadelphia Eagles signed another player from the New Orleans Saints Saints’ 2023 practice squad, joining second-year wide receiver Shaquan Davis. Defensive tackle PJ Mustipher, another second-year pro, was not retained when the Saints signed most of their practice squad to reserve/future contracts after the season ended. Now he’s going to Philly.

Mustipher, 25, was an undrafted free agent pickup for the Denver Broncos last summer (turning pro out of Penn State) who spent most of the season on their practice squad. The Saints poached a player from Denver, for a change, by signing Mustipher to their 53-man roster once injuries hit the position. Ironically, the Broncos ended up signing one of the players Mustipher was replacing in New Orleans — Malcolm Roach. He was later moved down to the practice squad, where he finished the 2023 season.

Now he gets a new opportunity in Philadelphia. Life for young players like Mustipher and Davis can be hectic as they’re tasked with moving from one city to the next, sometimes in the space of just a few months. Good luck to them both on the Eagles.

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Two other teams sign a couple of former Saints wide receivers

The Saints only have a handful of receivers signed for 2024, and players they brought into training camp last year are getting snapped up by other teams:

Do the New Orleans Saints have a problem at wide receiver? Maybe, maybe not. Not in the sense that they don’t have good players: Chris Olave and A.T. Perry are returning for 2024, and Rashid Shaheed will come back on an exclusive-rights free agent deal, too.

But Michael Thomas is on the way out; his contract is set up for him to be released as a post-June 1 cut in March. And at some point the Saints need to start signing players to fill out practice reps at training camp. New Orleans brought a dozen receivers into camp last summer and right now they only have two (technically three). Of those twelve receivers, three are still with the Saints (including Thomas), three are on other teams, and six are free agents (including Shaheed, whose only CBA-allowed option is to re-sign with the Saints). A thirteenth receiver, Jontre Kirklin, arrived late in camp and is currently competing with the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas.

And some of those players who competed in camp last year are getting snapped up by other teams. The New England Patriots signed former seventh-round draft pick Kawaan Baker to a reserve/future deal this week, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss. So did Tre’Quan Smith, who is going to the Detroit Lions, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson.

Several practice squad receivers were not retained after the 2023 season. Fan-favorite rookie Shaquan Davis left for the Philadelphia Eagles. Longtime backup Marquez Callaway signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. There aren’t many familiar names left out there.

Ideally the Saints would add enough quality players to keep them on the practice squad if they’re in consideration at all. But that’s not the point. They could run into trouble relying on a ton of undrafted rookies to fill out the depth chart. Odds are they’ll sign some veterans in free agency in March, though it’s possible a couple of qualifying players could sign reserve/future deals in the near future.

Why the delay? The Saints don’t have a wide receivers coach right now. They know that Klint Kubiak will be their offensive coordinator, but missing a position coach could complicate things. They need a clear vision of what to look for in evaluating new additions. Until Kubiak is officially hired and a receivers coach named, this process may continue to draw out.

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Eagles officially announce the signing of 20 players to Reserve/Futures deals

The Philadelphia Eagles officially announced the signing 20 players to reserve/futures deals ahead of the 2024 NFL offseason and free agency

The Eagles are looking towards significant changes at every level of the organization after a 32-9 loss to the Buccaneers in the wild-card round.

Owner Jeffrey Lurie will likely keep head coach Nick Sirianni.

A Wednesday press conference will be centered around the offensive and defensive coordinators and a roster severely in flux.

All eyes in Philadelphia will now turn towards the Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis before the official start of the new league year and the free agent bonanza.

Philadelphia currently has 20 pending free agents and 38 players on the roster under contract, and these 20 players just signed reserve/futures deals courtesy of the team’s official website.

Eagles sign 20 players to Reserve/Futures deals

The Philadelphia Eagles signed 20 players to reserve/futures deals ahead of the 2024 NFL offseason and free agency

The Eagles are out of the playoffs and looking towards significant changes at every level of the organization after a 32-9 loss to the Buccaneers in the wild-card round.

Owner Jeffrey Lurie will likely keep head coach Nick Sirianni.

Still, Friday discussions and decisions will be centered around the offensive and defensive coordinators and a roster severely in flux.

All eyes in Philadelphia will now turn towards the Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis before the official start of the new league year and the free agent bonanza.

Philadelphia currently has 20 pending free agents and 38 players on the roster under contract, and these 20 players just signed reserve/futures deals courtesy of NFL Communications.

Eagles sign former Saints WR Shaquan Davis to reserve/future deal

The Eagles signed former Saints wide receiver Shaquan Davis, a fan favorite from the 2023 preseason:

The Philadelphia Eagles signed former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Shaquan Davis to a reserve/future contract on Thursday, the team announced. Davis signed with the Saints last year as an undrafted rookie out of South Carolina State, having received more guarantees than many other first-year pros around the league.

Davis spent his rookie year on the practice squad and was sidelined by an injury at one point, but returned to health and was active in practice by the end of the season. But he never got into a game. It was a disappointing showing after he quickly became a fan favorite during the 2023 preseason.

It’s never good for an older team to lose young talent, though you have to wonder how much of this was Davis’ decision. It’s just as possible the Saints chose to let him go. With wide receivers coach Kodi Burns being shown the door, Davis would’ve returned to a very different situation in 2024 than what he experienced in 2023.

The Saints will need to start signing receivers at some point just to fill out the roster. They have only three under contract for 2024: Chris Olave, A.T. Perry and Michael Thomas, whose contract effectively contains a poison pill that will require him to be extended or released in March. Rashid Shaheed will be back as an exclusive rights free agent, but the Saints need to add more players here — fast.

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Saints sign all but three practice squad players to reserve/future deals

The Saints signed all but three practice squad players to reserve/future deals, bringing them back for 2024:

This may look unusual, but it isn’t uncommon. The New Orleans Saints signed reserve/future deals with all but three players from their 2023 practice squad — essentially inviting those 13 players who are returning to their 2024 training camp. Everyone who was on the practice squad except for offensive lineman Colby Gossett, wide receiver Marquez Callaway, and rookie receiver Shaquan Davis are inked to return in 2024.

But this doesn’t shut the door on anyone. Teams often issue reserve/future contracts (which are just minimum-salary deals that guarantee players a spot on the 90-man offseason roster) in batches, and they’ll likely circle back to Davis and Co. after handling other business. They’re able to work out other players who didn’t sign reserve/future deals around the league after their practice squad contracts expired.

Davis specifically endeared himself to Saints fans during the 2023 preseason by catching 7 passes for 101 yards, largely from the slot. The former undrafted rookie from South Carolina State has rare size at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, but a midseason injury sidelined him. Hopefully he can return for 2024 and compete for more snaps.

Here’s a quick look back at the 13 players who did sign reserve/future contracts with New Orleans:

Report: Chris Olave has the flu, expected to play vs. Panthers

NOF reports that New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave is expected to play against the Carolina Panthers despite missing practice with the flu:

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave was a surprise add to the injury report this week with an illness, but it’s not expected to slow him down much in Sunday’s game with the Carolina Panthers. Olave is officially listed as questionable for this matchup, but NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that he’s expected to play after coming down with the flu.

Olave has gone on a tear in recent weeks with receiving totals of 119, 114, and 94 yards in his last three games, and the Saints need him on top of the depth chart with Michael Thomas on injured reserve while Rashid Shaheed deals with a thigh injury.

And it sounds like that’ll be the case on Sunday. Other receivers on the depth chart include A.T. Perry, Lynn Bowden Jr., and Keith Kirkwood with Marquez Callaway, Jontre Kirklin, and Shaquan Davis on the practice squad.

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Rookie wide receiver Shaquan Davis activated from Saints injury list

Rookie wide receiver Shaquan Davis has been activated from the New Orleans Saints injured/practice squad list:

This is good to see: the New Orleans Saints announced that rookie wide receiver Shaquan Davis has been activated from the practice squad injury list, taking a vacancy created by the release of safety Daniel Sorensen earlier this week.

Davis signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent out of South Carolina State and quickly won over the fanbase with some big catches in preseason. He has rare size at a listed 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds.

Injuries have been stacking up at receiver for New Orleans, so there’s a chance Davis could hear his number called soon. Michael Thomas is on injured reserve with a knee injury and a thigh issue has sidelined Rashid Shaheed in recent weeks. Chris Olave didn’t practice Thursday while dealing with an illness.

Other receivers available this week include rookie sixth-round pick A.T. Perry, veterans Lynn Bowden Jr. and Keith Kirkwood, with backups Marquez Callaway and Jontre Kirklin on the practice squad. Stay tuned for game status updates after Friday’s practice session.

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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:

Saints add WR Shaquan Davis to injured reserve, open more practice squad spots

The Saints added rookie wide receiver Shaquan Davis to injured reserve, opening more practice squad spots by releasing cornerback Anthony Johnson:

You hate to see this. New Orleans Saints wide receiver Shaquan Davis is out of commission after being placed on injured reserve Monday, though the specific injury he’s dealing with has not been disclosed (teams are not required to list them on the injury report like players on the 53-man roster). Davis quickly won over the fanbase during the Saints’ preseason games with his combination of size, speed, and acrobatic catches, but he wasn’t able to win a roster spot.

Still, the team liked him enough to bring him back to the practice squad. But now he’s dealing with an injury and has to go on the mend. Practice injuries aren’t common in the NFL, but they do happen, and right now the Saints have two practice squad players on injured reserve between Davis and veteran linebacker Ryan Connelly (who aggravated a preseason knee injury in September). Hopefully they can both heal up and get back on the field to develop their craft.

But this wasn’t the only move the Saints made with their practice squad. They also released rookie cornerback Anthony Johnson. New Orleans signed several veteran corners to the practice squad in recent weeks like Cameron Dantzler and Faion Hicks, both of whom had more experience than Johnson as an undrafted first-year pro. Both guys must have shown more in practice to warrant a longer look.

Take these two moves with backup offensive lineman Tommy Kraemer signing with the 53-man roster last week (only to be waived on Monday) and the Saints currently have three open spots on the 16-man practice squad. Expect Kraemer to return should he clear waivers, but New Orleans could be hosting free agent tryouts in the near future with so many vacancies.

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