Tag: tryouts

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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Broncos worked out 8 players (including 7 from the CFL) last week

The Broncos worked out eight players last week, including seven from the CFL.

The Denver Broncos worked out eight players last Friday, including seven players from the Canadian Football League.

The Broncos worked out cornerback Anthony Brown, wide receivers Samuel Emilus and Kian Schaffer-Baker, defensive back Evan Holm, defensive lineman Mustafa Johnson and linebackers Jonathan Jones, Darius Williams and Josh Woods.

Brown (30) has spent time with four NFL teams, most recently on the New York Jets’ practice squad this season.

Emilus (26) has played for the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders since 2022, totaling 1,097 receiving yards last season.

Schaffer-Baker (25) has played for the Roughriders since 2021, hauling in 98 receptions for 960 yards and five touchdowns in 2023.

Holm (25) has played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers since 2022, recording 64 tackles, two interceptions and two sacks last season.

Johnson (24) has played for the Montreal Alouettes since 2022. He won the Grey Cup (Canada’s Super Bowl) and earned CFL East All-Star recognition in 2023.

Jones (26) has played for the Toronto Argonauts since 2022, winning the Grey Cup in his first season with the team.

Williams (25) has spent time with three CFL teams, most recently with the Ottawa Redblacks in 2022.

Woods (25) has played for the BC Lions since 2021, totaling 45 tackles and two interceptions last season.

These players are likely candidates to sign reserve/future contracts with the Broncos after the 2023 season.

Mason Crosby among free agent kickers auditioning at Saints group tryout

Longtime Packers specialist Mason Crosby is among the free agent kickers auditioning for the Saints at Tuesday’s group tryout. Is Blake Grupe in peril?

Blake Grupe scored all 15 points the New Orleans Saints put on the board in Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons, but now they’re looking at possible replacements. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that the Saints hosted several free agent kickers at the team facility Tuesday for a group tryout.

The rookie has struggled throughout the season, connecting on 24 of his 30 field goal tries (80%); Grupe has also missed two kicks in his last three games, and he received treatment for a groin muscle injury late last week. But he hit five of his six field goal tries to at least keep the Saints competitive in their 24-15 loss in Atlanta.

So who are the Saints looking at? Here are the kickers Underhill reported are in town:

2 players tried out for the Broncos on Tuesday

The Broncos brought in running back Hassan Hall and tight end John Samuel Shenker for tryouts on Tuesday.

The Denver Broncos brought in two players for tryouts on Tuesday, according to the NFL’s transaction wire.

Running back Hassan Hall and tight end John Samuel Shenker visited the team’s UCHealth Training Center on Oct. 17.

Hall (5-10, 196 pounds) played college football at Louisville and Georgia Tech before going undrafted in April. After rushing for 1,820 yards and 12 touchdowns in college, Hall signed with the Cleveland Browns as a college free agent this spring.

Hall began his rookie season on Cleveland’s practice squad before being released on Sept. 26. He’s 23 years old.

Shenker (6-4, 250 pounds) played college football at Auburn, setting a school record with 62 career receptions for 779 yards and one touchdown. He went undrafted this spring and signed with the Las Vegas Raiders as a college free agent in May.

After beginning the season on the Raiders’ practice squad, Shenker was released on Oct. 5. He is 25 years old.

Both players are likely being considered by the Broncos as potential practice squad or reserve/futures contracts candidates.

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Saints work out multiple veteran offensive linemen on Thursday

The Saints worked out multiple veteran offensive linemen on Thursday, including a former member of their practice squad: Tulane’s John Leglue

Reinforcements may be on the way for the embattled New Orleans Saints  offensive line. The team reported multiple veteran tryouts at the facility on Thursday, including a former member of their practice squad: Tulane’s John Leglue from Alexandria, La.

Here’s what you need to know about each player and what they might have to offer:

Former Falcons first-round pick Takkarist McKinley among Saints free agent tryouts

Former Falcons first-round pick Takkarist McKinley was among a crowd of Saints free agent tryouts on Tuesday, along with five cornerbacks and a 6-foot-7 tight end:

The New Orleans Saints hosted seven free agents for a round of tryouts on Tuesday, including five cornerbacks — and former Atlanta Falcons first-round pick Takkarist McKinley, a pass-rushing defensive end. With a third spot soon opening up on the 53-man roster once Payton Turner goes on injured reserve, as is expected, the Saints will have room for some new faces after elevating other players from the practice squad.

All of these players look like practice squad candidates, which isn’t unusual. The Saints churn the bottom of their depth chart often throughout the season looking for the right blend of young pros and experienced veterans. It’s interesting that there are so many defensive backs in the building but there haven’t been any major injuries to explain the interest, so maybe they’re just after improved depth or more help on special teams. Here’s what you need to know about each free agent who tried out Tuesday:

Recently-released Saints punter Blake Gillikin tries out for Eagles

Recently-released Saints punter Blake Gillikin tried out for the Eagles alongside several other free agents | @DillySanders

Recently-released New Orleans Saints punter Blake Gillikin is in search for his next opportunity, and he didn’t have to wait long — he was invited to try out for the Philadelphia Eagles’ open job. The Saints overhauled their special teams unit this season, moving on from Gillikin and longtime kicker Wil Lutz in favor of undrafted rookies Lou Hedley and Blake Grupe.

Lutz was traded to the Denver Broncos with no worry of finding a new team, but Gillikin is still out on the open market searching for his next chance. He tried out alongside NFL punters Pat O’Donnell and Colby Wadman, per the daily NFL transactions wire.

Gillikin appeared in 34 games for the Saints over two years, averaging 47 yards per punt and landing 38.1% of his tries within the 20-yard line. He’s got the biggest leg and the best accuracy out of the three tryout specialists, but a lack of consistency cost him his job in New Orleans.

O’Donnell spent the first eight years of his career with the Chicago Bears before going turncoat and signing with the Green Bay Packers last season; he’s averaged 45.1 yards per punt while placing 36.4% of them inside the 20.

Wadman hasn’t punted in the NFL since 2019, where he averaged 44.5 yards per punt and put 35.7% of his punts inside the opposing 20. He spent the last two years in the USFL.

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Broncos worked out 3 wide receivers before training camp

The Broncos worked out WRs Michael Bandy, Josh Hammond and Justin Marshall on Tuesday. Bandy and Hammond played in the XFL this spring.

The Denver Broncos worked out three wide receivers Tuesday ahead of the start of training camp.

The Broncos brought in Michael Bandy, Josh Hammond and Justin Marshall, according to KPRC-TV’s Aaron Wilson. Two of those receivers — Bandy and Hammond — played in the XFL this spring.

Bandy totaled five receptions for 35 yards in two games with the Houston Roughnecks this spring. He played college football at the University of San Diego and went undrafted in 2020. Bandy then spent 2021-2022 with the Los Angeles Chargers. He dressed for 11 games and caught 10 passes for 89 yards with the Chargers.

Hammond played in 10 games for the DC Defenders this spring and totaled 34 receptions for 331 yards and one touchdown. He signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent out of Florida in 2020. Before playing in the XFL, Hammond spent time with three NFL teams from 2021-2022.

Marshall signed with the Atlanta Falcons this spring as an undrafted free agent out of Buffalo. He was cut by the Falcons on June 16.

At the time of this writing, none of the three WRs who worked out for the Broncos have been signed. They will likely be kept in mind for down the road if any injuries happen during training camp.

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Saints host multiple offensive and defensive linemen for pre-training camp tryouts

The New Orleans Saints hosted multiple offensive and defensive linemen for pre-training camp tryouts, so what are their stories?

The New Orleans Saints hosted a small crowd of offensive and defensive linemen for pre-training camp tryouts this week, ultimately signing several of them — veteran guards Trai Turner and Max Garcia, as well as, you know, tight end Jimmy Graham. So who else was part of this workout? Why did they catch New Orleans’ interest? Could the Saints still sign them?

Let’s take a quick look at the lineup: