Tag: Ugo Amadi

New Orleans Saints set season-high in sacks vs. Commanders

In just the first half, Saints have recorded their most sacks in a game this season vs. the Commanders and rookie QB Jayden Daniels:

It’s only the first half, but the New Orleans Saints have already recorded five sacks. That’s more than New Orleans has recorded in an entire game this year. To make it more impressive, they are doing this against the elusive Jayden Daniels

Ugo Amadi,  Demario Davis, Willie Gay, Cameron Jordan, and Chase Young all recorded a sack in the first 30 minutes.

Containing Washington Commanders was a point of emphasis for the New Orleans Saints. Joe Woods told reporters this week that “We’re going to have different ways to control him and keep him in the pocket.”

There have been a few plays Daniels has used his legs to extend a play, but the Saints have done a better job than expected against him. You have to tip your hat to the secondary as well, because some of these sacks have been a product of Daniels having nowhere to go.

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Saints announce practice squad elevations for Week 2

Saints bring up Ugo Amadi and Isaiah Stalbird from the practice squad to the active roster for Week 2

Ahead of their game versus the Dallas Cowboys, the New Orleans Saints are elevating safety Ugo Amadi and linebacker Isaiah Stalbird from the practice squad.

Each week teams are allowed to bring a maximum of two players from the practice squad to the main roster each week. After three elevations, a player has to be signed to the main roster to appear again.

That’s not an imminent future at the moment. It’s only Week 2, and this is the first time either team has been elevated to the active roster this season..

For Stalbird, this will be his first career game. The Saints picked up the linebacker as an undrafted free agent out of South Dakota State. The Saints called up Khaleke Hudson last week before the Browns signed him off the Saints’ practice squad.

Amadi was on last year’s active roster for all 17 games. He’s played safety and slot corner, but it’s unlikely he’ll see much time in those positions against the Cowboys. Like Stalbird, Amadi will see the majority of his snaps on special teams. Marshon Lattimore’s health could push him into getting defensive snaps.

0 more days until Saints’ season opener: Every player to wear No. 0

With our countdown to the Saints’ Week 1 kickoff completed, let’s take a look at the few players to wear No. 0 or No. 00:

The New Orleans Saints Week 1 matchup is upon us! The Saints will be taking on their division rival Carolina Panthers today, as they look to hopefully start the season off strong. With that, our daily countdown of jersey numbers has reached its end, as we take a look at the three players to wear the No. 0 or No. 00 for the Saints throughout their entire history.

It is worth noting that the Pro Football Reference page below does not track No. 00 as it was no longer allowed in the NFL as of 1973, and is still banned despite No. 0 being allowed again as of 2023. We will be adding Ken Burrough to this list, as one of only two players to ever wear No. 00 in the league, and a deserving addition to any all-time list.

Here are the players to wear No. 0 and No. 00 from Pro Football Reference and historical data:

  • Ugo Amadi (2023)
  • Ken Burrough (1970)
  • Obert Logan (1967)

Burrough was the last player to ever wear No. 00 in the NFL, with center Jim Otto being the only other to wear it. Burrough and Otto both received a grandfather clause from the NFL, allowing Burrough to play out his career with the number through 1981 as well, despite the 1973 rule taking it out of available numbers. He played only 12 games for the Saints, accruing 13 receptions for 196 yards and 2 touchdowns before moving on to the Houston Oilers where he would play the next 11 seasons. He is third all-time in receiving yards for the franchise (Oilers/Titans) as well as third in receiving touchdowns.

In terms of all-time lists, he ranks 85th in yards per reception (16.9) as well. Despite Burrough having a short tenure with the Saints, his story is a very intriguing one, and to this day the number remains ineligible. No. 0 being returned led to a dozen players wearing it in the 2023 season, and presumably more to come for the 2024 season across the league.

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Saints continue defensive back cut-downs, releasing veteran Ugo Amadi

The New Orleans Saints have continued their work to shape the defensive backs room, releasing six-year veteran Ugo Amadi:

The defensive back rooms between cornerback and safety were both a bit crowded for the Saints this offseason, especially with the breakout of Rico Payton. This has led to the unfortunate scenario of defensive back Ugo Amadi being released, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill.

Amadi was very solid depth for the Saints last year, and even ended up playing in all 17 games despite no starts, totaling 83 defensive snaps (8%) and 132 special teams snaps (28%). The six-year veteran will end up looking for another team, or if not signed elsewhere, potentially a practice squad addition with the potential for a call back up.

This move comes as somewhat of a surprise, as he seemed to be a good depth piece that the Saints were willing to hold onto, however with some recent risers in preseason and training camp, he may have been the odd man out of the defensive back rooms.

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Saints announce a reunion with free agent DB Ugo Amadi

The Saints announced a reunion with free agent defensive back Ugo Amadi. He was a solid pickup in 2023:

The New Orleans Saints announced a reunion with free agent defensive back Ugo Amadi on Tuesday. He was a solid pickup in 2023, helping out on both special teams and defense when injuries hit the secondary. It’ll be good to have him in the mix as some positions shuffle over the summer.

Amadi, 26, already has a lot of NFL experience with the Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans; he also spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles and was on the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad during their 2022 Super Bowl run. Last year with the Saints he primarily focused on backing up Alontae Taylor as the team’s primary slot corner.

So what will his role be in 2024? Will the Saints take Taylor out of that position? Could Amadi fill in for Marcus Maye at free safety? Wherever he lines up, he’s a good player to have for depth, and this was a smart re-signing for New Orleans.

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WATCH: Alontae Taylor comes in off the bench for his second career interception

WATCH: Alontae Taylor comes in off the bench for his second career interception

Alontae Taylor’s Sunday afternoon didn’t start off well, but credit to the young cornerback for turning it around. Taylor was benched after a couple of early mistakes led to long scores by the Atlanta Falcons, with the New Orleans Saints coaching staff replacing him in the slot with veteran safety Ugo Amadi.

But Taylor rallied back when they later switched up the personnel to put him into the game as a boundary corner, replacing Isaac Yiadom. Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder made a bad mistake with the football and threw it right into Taylor’s chest, gifting the cornerback his second career interception in as many weeks.

This is where Taylor needs to be playing full-time. It’s clear by now that he isn’t suited to lining up in the slot, which makes sense given his lack of experience in that role going into the season. He’s a good player, especially when playing his natural position out wide, and the Saints need to find a way to keep him there this offseason.

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Dennis Allen is doing Alontae Taylor a disservice with failed slot experiment

Alontae Taylor has allowed more catches and yards from the slot than anyone else in the NFL. Dennis Allen deserves some blame for not better preparing him for a new position:

Did you notice that Alontae Taylor was benched last week against the Los Angeles Rams? It was gnarly. The New Orleans Saints’ second-year cornerback was torched in coverage and beaten badly with the Rams’ pre-snap motion on some big gains on the ground, prompting head coach Dennis Allen to bench him. Veteran safety Ugo Amadi, who played ahead of Taylor on the depth chart all summer, finished the game in his place.

Everyone got their licks in. Per Pro Football Focus charting, pass-catching Rams tight end Tyler Higbee (3 receptions for 30 yards), slot receiver Cooper Kupp (2 receptions for 19 yards, both first downs), and rookie receiver Puka Nacua (1 catch for 41 yards) each made plays with Taylor in coverage before Allen pulled him from the game.

And Taylor wasn’t happy; team leaders like Tyrann Mathieu had to cool him down on the sideline, and he’s doing the best he can to learn from the experience, telling NewOrleans.Football’s Mike Triplett that he’ll return to the starting lineup on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But his first year playing the slot has been full of tough learning experiences. When covering the slot, Taylor leads the NFL in targets (90), receptions (60), and yards allowed (549). He’s charged with yielding four touchdown catches, which is tied for third-most. No other player has drawn more than 65 targets or given up more yards.

He’s visibly struggling in the transition. And Allen has to shoulder much of the blame here. As a former defensive backs coach who spends a lot of hands-on time with the secondary, he hasn’t done a good enough job preparing Taylor for this job.

Taylor didn’t get enough quality reps in over the summer to be thrust into the position; he was consistently playing behind Bradley Roby and Amadi on the third-string defense through minicamp, training camp, and preseason before Roby was a surprise roster cut in August, which sent Taylor rocketing to the top of the depth chart before he was ready for it. Rookie cornerback Adrian Frye, who wasn’t brought back after roster cuts, played twice as many snaps in the slot (42) as Taylor did (21) across three preseason games.

He just hasn’t had the reps. Look at the number of snaps Taylor has played in the slot in college at Tennessee and in the NFL with the Saints:

  • 2018 (college): 2
  • 2019 (college): 21
  • 2020 (college): 6
  • 2021 (college): 15
  • 2022 preseason: 0
  • 2022 regular season: 22
  • 2023 preseason: 21
  • 2023 regular season: 666

It’s easy to understand why Allen wanted Taylor in this role. He’s getting one of his most energetic and athletic defenders on the field by any means necessary. Taylor couldn’t dislodge Paulson Adebo from the outside corner spot in camp, opposite Marshon Lattimore, leaving only the slot for him when everyone is healthy. And Isaac Yiadom has played so well in Lattimore’s place that it’s debatable whether Taylor would be an upgrade there.

But it’s hard enough to pick up the pro game and adjust to the speed of your competition in your second year in the league in any circumstances. Doing so while picking up a totally new position is exceedingly difficult. That the Saints didn’t adequately prepare Taylor for the challenges in front of him is an outright disservice to the player. There are just two games left in the regular season. It’s possible Taylor could spend his offseason reviewing the tape and putting all of his time and effort into fully learning his new position. But as has often been the case with Allen running this team, that’s coming a day late and leaving the Saints a dollar short.

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Saints promote CB Cameron Dantzler, reunite with WR Marquez Callaway

The Saints promoted CB Cameron Dantzler from their practice squad, opening a slot to reunite with WR Marquez Callaway:

The New Orleans Saints are working to account for several key injuries this week. After putting wide receiver Michael Thomas on injured reserve, the Saints signed WR Marquez Callaway to their practice squad — reuniting with the former starter who filled in for Thomas during the last three years.

But they had to open a spot on the practice squad for him. With a slot vacant on the 53-man roster and cornerback Marshon Lattimore dealing with an ankle sprain, the Saints promoted Cameron Dantzler. Dantzler appeared in two games earlier this season exclusively on special teams, but he’s an experienced pro who can help round out the depth chart.

So now the Saints have Paulson Adebo, Alontae Taylor, Isaac Yiadom and Dantzler available on the 53-man roster with Lattimore on the mend. Veteran safeties Ugo Amadi and Lonnie Johnson Jr. can also cover the slot and line up at corner in a pinch. We’ll have to wait and see what the plan is on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.

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Saints release CB Bradley Roby, a projected starter in the slot

Here’s a surprise roster cut: the Saints released cornerback Bradley Roby, a projected starter in the slot

This is a bit of a surprise. It was previously reported that the New Orleans Saints were fielding trade offers for veteran cornerback Bradley Roby, who was projected to start in the slot — but the team is releasing him outright, as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Roby played just 22 snaps in the preseason while taking a lot of time off with the rest of the starting lineup, so the reverse course at the last minute like this is strange. He had to have had some trade value. Releasing him does allow him to choose his next team but both sides may have been better off finding a way to compromise and keep him in New Orleans.

Oh well. The decision to let him go for nothing is painful for a Saints team that’s short on draft capital. At least they’ll save some salary cap space — Roby was set to carry a salary cap hit north of $4 million, and releasing him now saves the team more than $3.3 million. But they were already in the clear by about $11.4 million, so that’s not going to really change things for them one way or another.

Another factor in moving on from Roby: his departure opens a starting role in the slot for Alontae Taylor. The second-year cornerback was very impressive as a rookie but he has struggled mightily in transitioning to a role guarding the slot. If the Saints are determined to get their former second-round draft pick on the field at all costs, adopting a sink-or-swim mentality, at least they have a competent veteran backup to lean on on Ugo Amadi.

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Report: Other teams expressing trade interest in Saints CB Bradley Roby

Report: Other teams expressing trade interest in Saints cornerback Bradley Roby, but ‘the price would have to be right’

This was something we thought might happen: TheScore’s Jordan Schultz reports that other teams are calling the New Orleans Saints seeking a trade for veteran cornerback Bradley Roby, who has been pushed into a role guarding the slot after the emergence of young talents like Paulson Adebo and Alontae Taylor opposite Marshon Lattimore.

Roby was one of a few Saints players we singled out as potential trade targets. It’s early in negotiations and no deal has been agreed to just yet, but it’s possible he’ll get moved. As Schultz added, the price would need to be right. The Saints have a clear vision for Roby on their team and his familiarity with the coaching staff is a big point in his favor.

Why would the Saints trade Roby? They’ve been actively seeking ways to get Taylor on the field with Adebo looking like a better option to start out wide over the summer, and one path forward could be moving Taylor into the slot with Adebo staying outside. Roby’s backup Ugo Amadi was impressive in preseason and could be a better candidate to start in his place, though; Taylor’s inexperience guarding the slot showed in some low moments throughout their preseason games.

What about the price? Remember, the Saints first acquired Roby in exchange for a package of third- and sixth-round draft picks back in 2021. His trade value has diminished a little since then, but not by much. If a team were to offer a fourth rounder or better (or maybe offer a swap of players), the Saints could see this as a way to add assets, get younger in the secondary, and open a door for Taylor to get on the field while Adebo starts outside. It’s something to monitor.

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