Tag: tayson hill

Khalen Saunders takes credit for Juwan Johnson’s TD: ‘I got triple teamed’

Khalen Saunders took some credit for Juwan Johnson’s touchdown catch, having drawn a lot of coverage from the Bears defense on Sunday:

Now this is funny. The New Orleans Saints added a new element to their offense in recent weeks by working nose tackle Khalen Saunders into short-yardage sets as a fullback. And on Sunday, they took things a step further by having Saunders run a route in scoring position after he had previously worked as an extra blocker. The play was designed to flow to him with Tayson Hill dropping back to pass.

But the Chicago Bears didn’t take the bait. They weren’t about to be the first defense to allow a touchdown pass to the big man, with linebacker T.J. Edwards and safety Eddie Jackson both running with him in coverage. The extra attention freed up Juwan Johnson on the other side of the field, so Hill simply looked the other way and connected with him on a too-easy touchdown pass.

And Saunders rightfully wants everyone to know about his role on the play. It wouldn’t have happened without him forcing the defense’s hand.

“Binkatron, that’s my new nickname. I feel like Calvin (Johnson) out there,” Saunders told reporters after the game, referencing his nickname of “Binky” and Johnson’s famous “Megatron” moniker. He continued, “I looked up, had to turn around and count each one of them to let them know, ‘Y’all got three people on a D-lineman right now.’

“I got triple teamed. Count them. Binkatron,” Saunders added.

There were other defenders in the area and just two were covering him, but we won’t hold it against Saunders. Whether it’s two or three opponents covering him, he’s still commanding respect from the defense, and it’s helping the team. Saunders should continue drawing attention given his resume.

He didn’t get many opportunities to play offense with the Kansas City Chiefs, but he scored touchdowns as both a runner and receiver in college at Western Illinois, and he’s been playing both ways dating back to his high school career at Parkway Central in St. Louis. He isn’t someone defenders can overlook. But here’s hoping he gets his own touchdown someday.

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Studs and Duds from Saints Week 9 win over Bears

Paulson Adebo and Taysom Hill have standout performances vs. Bears. Saints kicker Blake Grupe… not so much. Week 9 Studs and Duds:

The New Orleans Saints escape with a close win over the Chicago Bears. Despite forcing five turnovers, the game still came down to the wire. Both offenses put up 14 points in the first half but slowed down in the second half. New Orleans was able to make enough plays in the last two quarters to come away with a victory.

Paulson Adebo and Taysom Hill were the stars from this week’s performance. Each player jumped off of the screen with impactful plays.

Here are the studs and duds from the Saints’ Week 9 victory.

Alvin Kamara restructures his contract, gets the Saints closer to salary cap compliance

The Saints restructured their contract with Alvin Kamara, helping them get closer to salary cap compliance ahead of free agency, via @RossJacksonNOLA:

Starting the offseason $76 million over the NFL’s salary cap would be stressful for any team but the New Orleans Saints. Throughout the last two weeks, the Saints have restructured several contracts in order to work their way to salary cap compliance, and the work continued this morning. According to reports, the Saints have opened up another $8.372 million by restructuring running back Alvin Kamara’s contract.

In doing so, New Orleans converted his $6 million roster bonus and $4.465 million of his base salary (which is now at the veteran minimum: $1.035 million) into a signing bonus and adding a void year in 2026. This move drops Kamara’s $14.5 million cap hit to just $6.128 million.

Doing this will also ensure that Kamara sees the majority of his year’s pay up front even in the case of a potential suspension. In that way, this could be seen as both a player and team-friendly move. Kamara was arrested in Las Vegas last month following an alleged altercation. The court hearing for his Las Vegas battery case has been pushed back to April 25.

The Saints should now be hovering between $20 to $25 million over the cap now with some hefty restructures left in their pockets. The Saints could save over $18 million by restructuring Marshon Lattimore’s contract and up to $7 million with a restructure to Taysom Hill’s deal. After that, any additional moves such as a potential extension or release of cornerback Bradley Roby, would begin to open up spending money beyond cap compliance.

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