Tre’quan Smith – Page 9 – Syndication Server

Drew Brees takes stock of the Saints after their first 3 weeks without him

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How do the New Orleans Saints look now that Drew Brees isn’t playing quarterback for them anymore? Who better to know than Brees himself? The future Hall of Famer-turned-media analyst shared his take on NBC Sports’ “Football Night in America” panel when asked by Mike Tirico about his reaction to the Saints’ 2-1 record after they demolished the New England Patriots by a lopsided tally of 28-13.

“Well defensively I feel they’re playing outstanding,” Brees began cheerily, before his tone turned more measured. “Offensively I don’t think they have an identity right now. We know who Alvin Kamara is and we know that the Saints want to establish the run game with Alvin Kamara.”

Their fellow show host Tony Dungy correctly identified Brees’ focus on the Saints offense, which he elaborated on: “Who are they throwing the ball to? What does the passing game look like? There’s a lot of new faces, a lot of young players. Michael Thomas is out, Tre’Quan Smith is out, Emmanuel Sanders no longer there, Jared Cook is no longer there. You’ve got a lot of new players playing with a new quarterback who doesn’t have a lot of experience in this system with them. But today wasn’t pretty just like last week wasn’t pretty.”

And his biggest concern is curiosity, asking whether the team will be able to execute a critical must-pass sequence at the end of a tight game. Winston’s unsteady first couple of starts and a poorly-stocked receiving corps have him feeling anxious.

Winston still hasn’t thrown for even 150 passing yards in a single game, while just one player has gained 100-plus receiving yards through three weeks (Deonte Harris, with 112). But as Brees pointed out, it’s very early — for all of them. As Winston and his teammates get more reps together, and as Thomas and Smith return from their injuries, there’s reason to believe the group continues to improve. Let’s see how much growth they can make in the weeks ahead.

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Kenny Stills promoted from Saints practice squad for Week 3 vs. Patriots

Here we go: the New Orleans Saints have elevated wide receiver Kenny Stills to their active roster ahead of their Week 3 kickoff with the New England Patriots, indicating he’ll play on Sunday. The receiving corps has underperformed through the first two weeks, with at least 15 individual wide receivers and several tight ends across the league outgaining them.

Anything Still has to offer could help one of the NFL’s worst position groups. With him in the mix, the other Saints wide receivers available on gameday include Marquez Callaway (3 catches for 22 yards), Deonte Harris (3 catches for 81 yards), Ty Montgomery (2 catches for 8 yards), Lil’Jordan Humphrey (1 catch for 27 yards), and Chris Hogan (2 catches for 26 yards). Rookie Kawaan Baker, Easop Winston Jr., and Kevin White remain inactive on the practice squad. Tre’Quan Smith is eligible to return from injured reserve on Monday, if healthy, and Michael Thomas will be out of action on the physically unable to perform list until the Week 6 bye.

Stills made an immediate impact in New Orleans after they drafted him out of Oklahoma in 2013, averaging 3.1 receptions for 50.7 receiving yards per game through 31 appearances. He continued to play well after being traded to the Miami Dolphins (pacing 2.6 catches and 40.7 yards across 63 games). though his level of play dipped the last two years with the Houston Texans (2.2 receptions for 30.7 yards per game). In his career he’s averaged 2.6 receptions per game and 40.7 receiving yards per game.

New Orleans also elevated center Austin Reiter from the practice squad, though it’s unlikely he replaces Cesar Ruiz at the pivot point. Instead look for him to be the gameday backup in case an injury forces them to shift the lineup. The Saints have elevated Reiter for the maximum two-game limit already this year, so he’ll have to be signed onto the active roster if they want him to dress for another game. With starting center Erik McCoy still on the mend, that could be likely — though it’s worth noting McCoy avoided a three-week stint on injured reserve and could return next week against the New York Giants if healthy.

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Tight to the salary cap, Saints restructure Tre’Quan Smith’s contract

Tight to the salary cap, the Saints restructured Tre’Quan Smith’s contract — opening just enough space to promote Kenny Stills from the practice squad, if they choose to do it:

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The New Orleans Saints are starting to run out of couch cushions to flip over in their search for more pennies. After adding a few veteran players to the practice squad like Kenny Stills and Austin Reiter, the team found itself under the salary cap by little more than $29,000. Any additional moves would be dicey, so they’ve been approaching almost every player not already on the books at a veteran’s minimum salary for a restructure. Every little bit helps.

ESPN’s Field Yates reported Tuesday that the Saints did just that with Tre’Quan Smith, who is on injured reserve. As has become customary for them, the Saints restructured most of Smith’s base salary into a signing bonus spread out over four automatically-voided years, creating $954,267 in cap space. That gets them clear of the spending limit and will allow them to continue with business as usual (which is good news considering they just opened two spots on the 53-man roster by waiving Jordan Miller and Wynton McManis).

Remember, these aren’t pay cuts. Smith gets his money now instead of in weekly installments over the course of the season, and the Saints will have to account for the $954,267 they saved now in a dead money charge next year if he leaves in free agency. It’s not ideal for every team, but it’s a good tool that has served them well.

So what’s next? Don’t expect any earth-shaking additions in a trade or free agent signing. Right now, the Saints are under the cap by just $983,309. If they were to bump Stills from the practice squad to the active roster (as is expected), his salary cap charge would jump from the $238,000 he’s currently counting up to the $1.075 million minimum salary for a player of his experience. If the Saints don’t touch any other contracts after promoting him, they would be left with just $146,309 in cap space.

It wasn’t supposed to be this tight. Between the COVID-19 pandemic prompting a sudden drop in the cap and the Saints issuing the franchise tag to Marcus Williams, which created a $10.6 million cap hit they cannot manipulate in any way, they’re really stretching the limits of what can be done to find more resources. Here’s hoping the talent they’ve accumulated is enough to get back in the win column this week.

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Ken Crawley, Tre’Quan Smith ruled out on final Saints vs. Packers injury report

Final New Orleans Saints injury report vs. Packers rules out CB Ken Crawley and WR Tre’Quan Smith, adds LT Terron Armstead:

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The New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers issued their final injury reports on Friday, barring any sudden changes in transit to Jacksonville on Saturday. And it’s not great news for the Saints, who preemptively ruled out both cornerback Ken Crawley and wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith — each of whom were then designated to injured reserve.

Additionally, New Orleans added starting left tackle Terron Armstead and his backup James Hurst to the injury report. Armstead (back) is expected to play, but Hurst (knee) is questionable. If Hurst can’t go, look for rookie Landon Young to be the next man up behind Armstead.

But there’s a silver lining: the Saints upgraded No. 1 corner Marshon Lattimore (knee) to full participation after he practiced on a limited basis Thursday, so he’ll be ready to go on Sunday. Expect rookie Paulson Adebo to start across from him while trade acquisition Bradley Roby completes his NFL-mandated suspension this week.

As for the other side; Green Bay ruled out backup safety Vernon Scott, but deemed defensive tackle Tyler Lancaster and star pass rusher Za’Darius Smith each questionable to play with back injuries. Smith will likely be a game time decision. The full report: