Tag: Update

Saints safety Will Harris (hamstring) ruled OUT vs. Chiefs

Saints safety Will Harris suffered a hamstring injury in the second quarter and has been ruled out for the rest of the Chiefs game:

The New Orleans Saints have ruled Will Harris out for the rest of the game versus the Kansas City Chiefs. Coming into the game, Harris was the only player on the Saints defense to have played every snap this season. This obviously won’t be the case any longer.

Harris suffered a hamstring injury trying to catch Xavier Worthy after a catch. Harris pulled up and went down on the Chiefs sideline. After staying down for a bit, he was able to get up and walk across the field under his own power.

The Saints brought Jonathan Abram up from the practice squad for this matchup. Since Harris’ injury, it has been Abram who has stepped up in his place instead of Jordan Howden.

There was an expectation that Abram would see the field over Howden. Harris injury expedited his snaps and enlarged his role. Abram started next to Tyrann Mathieu last year so the duo already have chemistry together.

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Report: Jets’ loss in London may cool their pursuit of Davante Adams

Adam Schefter suggested the Jets may cool their pursuit of a Davante Adams trade after a disappointing start to their season. That might leave the Saints out in front:


Just who is going to cut a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders and go trade for Davante Adams? It seems like everyone knows what everyone wants here. Adams wants to reunite with one of his old quarterbacks, either Aaron Rodgers on the New York Jets, or Derek Carr on the New Orleans Saints. The Raiders want to get at least aa second-round draft pick in exchange for him. And then the teams looking to acquire Adams want the Raiders to pay some of his salary for the rest of the season.

You’d think a gut-punch loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London would spur the Jets to take action, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter doesn’t think so. The plugged-in NFL insider sat down with Pat McAfee to share his insight to where things stand.

“I don’t think it expedited it, if anything, cooled it a little bit,” Schefter said. “At the end ultimately, I still think Davante wants to go play for the Jets or the Saints, and I think ultimately in the end, the Raiders figure out a way to work it out with the Jets or the Saints. It’s been those two teams. I think it will consistently be those two teams.”

And when taking the big-picture view, Schefter doesn’t see a great internal argument for pursuing an Adams trade.

“In their all-in year, they lost last week to Denver, and they lost yesterday to Minnesota. And Aaron last week hurt his knee, and yesterday hurt his ankle.  And there have to be people that say, ‘Now hold on. Do we want to know trade a second-round draft pick when we’re not playing overly well, we’re not reaching our potential? Do we think that a wide receiver is going to solve the issues that this team has been having?’ So I don’t view that game and that result as making it more likely that the Jets would trade for him.”

Sure, you could make similar points for the Saints. They’re dealing with a swath of injuries on both sides of the ball and their 2-2 record doesn’t reflect  how well they’ve played this season. But Adams would bring a physicality they lack in the passing game and open things up for downfield targets like Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. If he can help them end more drives with touchdowns than field goals or turnovers on downs, that might be worth it for a team that’s lost their last two games by margins of three and two points.

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Saints could start their third center in as many weeks vs. Chiefs

Injuries to Erik McCoy, Lucas Patrick, and Shane Lemieux mean the Saints may have to start their third center in as many weeks against the Chiefs:

It wasn’t too long ago that the New Orleans Saints offensive line was winning some confidence from their fans. They had gotten off to a hot start and Pro Bowl center Erik McCoy looked like their best player up front. Then he suffered a groin injury that sent him into surgery, and now he’s looking at a month or more of recovery on injured reserve.

Next man up. That was Lucas Patrick, who filled in for McCoy against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Saints brought up Shane Lemieux from their practice squad for the next game, but he suffered an ankle injury and won’t play on Monday night versus the Kansas City Chiefs. Next man up again, right? That would be Patrick. But he missed the last two days of practice  with a groin injury of his own and is questionable to play at all.

At some point you run out of options and get to the end of the line. That’s why the Saints signed Connor McGovern off the New York Jets practice squad, and he has a real shot at starting in Kansas City. With McCoy and Lemieux out of action and Patrick questionable, McGovern would probably be that next man up.

At least he has experience. McGovern has snapped the ball himself 4,925 times and mostly played in similar offenses to Klint Kubiak’s system. He could be a capable replacement at the pivot even if he was only in New Orleans a few days before flying out to Kansas City. Still, it’s concerning that Derek Carr would have to take the snap from another new set of hands. Especially with five-time All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones watching and waiting to charge at him.

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Derek Carr shares his take on the Davante Adams trade rumors

Derek Carr says he would welcome Davante Adams with open arms. If he had his way, interest in a trade with the Raiders would be mutual:

Just how would Derek Carr feel about throwing passes to Davante Adams again? The New Orleans Saints quarterback was asked about just that topic, and he says he’d welcome the Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver with open arms if a trade reunited the two former college teammates. But he added that he doesn’t think that’s an uncommon opinion among NFL quarterbacks.

“I mean, I think all 32 quarterbacks would love to play with Davante. We would welcome that. I don’t know if I’ll get in trouble for saying that,” Carr grinned, “I would obviously welcome playing with him again if that ever worked out in our careers. You know he did have 1,500 yards, I think I threw him like 12 touchdowns. So we didn’t win as many games as we thought but it wasn’t all bad. We had fun doing it, that’s for sure.”

Carr said he and Adams vacation together in the offseason with their families, and that they still text each other on a weekly basis. It makes sense. They’ve been friends since they were teenagers enrolling at Fresno State, and they’ve connected on a lot of touchdown passes over the years.

It’s been consistently reported that Adams wants to catch passes from a familiar quarterback, whether that’s Carr or Rodgers, and Carr understands why the receiver may look back on their year together on the Raiders fondly: “I mean, I think it was the second-best year of his career. The narrative that it didn’t work out is correct, because we didn’t win as many games (as we expected). But when it comes to getting him the ball and him scoring a lot of touchdowns? I think it went pretty good.”

So if Carr had his way, interest in a trade between Adams and the Saints would be mutual. And some reports suggest that’s the case. Trade talks are expected to pick up quickly next week, so keep an eye out for movement one way or another.

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Report: Saints have made the most aggressive pursuit of 6-time Pro Bowl WR

The Saints are known for swinging big under Mickey Loomis. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports they’ve been the most aggressive suitors for Davante Adams:

The New Orleans Saints have been known for swinging big under general manager Mickey Loomis, and we aren’t too far removed from trade deadline pickups like Kwon Alexander and Eli Apple. They just might work the phones again before the NFL’s trade deadline on Nov. 5.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports they’ve been the most aggressive suitors for Davante Adams. There’s an eagerness to reunite the six-time Pro Bowler with his former quarterback Derek Carr. More from Rapoport:

Adams, sources say, views the New York Jets and his old friend Aaron Rodgers, as his top choice for a landing spot. That’s where he wants to play. But it’s been the New Orleans Saints who have been the most aggressive, while other teams, including the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers, have closely monitored the situation and stayed in touch. The Jets remain very much in the mix, as well.

With Adams’ hamstring close to being healthy, trade talks are expected to accelerate Monday and Tuesday. If a trade is going to get done this week, which is possible, Tuesday would be the deadline.

If the Raiders don’t get their price, they are content to wait it out, sources say.

This lines up with another report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who said: “The New York Jets and New Orleans Saints are considered the two favorites to land Adams, but they are hardly the only teams interested in the three-time All Pro. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens also are monitoring Adams situation and could get into the mix, according to sources.”

The Raiders have made it known they want at least a second-round draft pick in return for Adams, but they may have to agree to pay some of his 2024 salary to get it, and that’s something Rapoport says they’re hesitant to do. Ultimately it’s going to come down to who makes the best offer. If the Jets aren’t willing to pay a second rounder but the Saints are, in exchange for the Raiders paying part of Adams’ salary, that could make the difference.

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Saints rule out Taysom Hill, four others on final Week 5 injury report

The Saints ruled out five players, including Taysom Hill, on their final Week 5 injury report. Here’s who is out against the Chiefs on Monday night:

This is a doozy. The New Orleans Saints ruled out five players, including star playmaker Taysom Hill (rib), on their final Week 5 injury report. Two others are questionable for Monday night’s prime-time game with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Those who won’t play include Hill, linebacker Willie Gay Jr. (hand), right guard Cesar Ruiz (knee), center Shane Lemieux (ankle), and defensive end Payton Turner (knee). On top of that, guard/center Lucas Patrick (groin) and linebacker Pete Werner (hamstring) are booth questionable.

Kansas City doesn’t have nearly as many absences. While running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (illness) is doubtful to play, wide receiver Mecole Hardman (knee) is questionable, and they haven’t ruled out anyone on their injury report this week. That’s a decided health advantage for the Chiefs.

Here’s the full Week 5 injury report from each team:

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Here’s what Kendre Miller needs to show his coaches to play vs. Chiefs

What could keep Kendre Miller off the field when the Saints kick off with the Chiefs on Monday night? Dennis Allen says there are a few hurdles in front of him:

New Orleans Saints fans got some positive injury news this week when Kendre Miller returned to practice, but the second-year running back may not be ready to suit up against the Kansas City Chiefs just yet. He’s been out of action with a hamstring injury since the first day of training camp back in July, but now he’s working hard to show his coaches what they need to see to give him the green light.

So what’s keeping him off the field now? Is it Miller’s health or command of the offense making hurdles for him moving forward? That’s what Saints head coach Dennis Allen was asked.

“I’d say both, you know what I mean?” Allen responded Saturday.

Allen continued: “Look the biggest thing, you know, has been health. Is he available? Can he get out and practice? Can he get out and do some things? And you can’t really find out whether he knows the offense until he goes out and starts practicing and doing some things. I think he had a good week of practice, and it was good having him out there. I was excited about having him out there. We’ll see how he continues to go and make our decisions as we move along.”

On paper, Miller should be a great fit running behind Klint Kubiak’s zone-heavy blocking scheme. He has the combination of twitched-up agility, patient vision, and real speed in the open field to do some damage. But these three practices this week were his first exposure to Kubiak’s system. The coaches just don’t have much to work with in designing the game plan, so it’s all projection.

So will Miller dress out on Monday? That might be overambitious. But he has a chance, and so long as he stays healthy and keeps stacking good days of practice, it shouldn’t be too long before he makes his 2024 debut.

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UPDATE: Wisconsin star WR Will Pauling returns to game vs. Purdue after early injury

BREAKING: Wisconsin star WR Will Pauling injures right knee vs. Purdue

This story was updated to add new information.

Wisconsin star receiver Will Pauling injured his right leg early in the second quarter of the Badgers’ Week 6 game against Purdue.

Pauling went down while trying to make a play on a 3rd-down pass from QB Braedyn Locke. The ball was eventually intercepted by Purdue DB Kyndrich Breedlove. Pauling was carried off the field after the turnover, unable to bear much weight on his right leg.

Wisconsin’s wide receiver room took several hits early against Purdue, as veteran Bryson Green also left the game early with a lower-body injury.

Here is the sequence that led to Pauling’s departure:

Pauling emerged from the blue medical tent a short time later and has since been seen riding a stationary bike on the sideline. Big Ten Network reports that he is questionable to return to the game.

Wisconsin currently leads Purdue 14-3 with less than nine minutes left in the first half. The Badgers have 73 passing yards, thanks in large part to a 52-yard touchdown strike from Locke to WR Vinny Anthony.

We will monitor any further updates on the status of Pauling as the game continues. Thus far, he appears to have avoided a significant injury.

UPDATE (1:17 p.m. ET): Will Pauling returned to the game with two minutes remaining before halftime

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Updated Saints injury report adds yet another DNP on the offensive line

The updated Saints injury report added yet another DNP on the offensive line. They’re going to have a tough time against the Chiefs if these injuries persist:

The New Orleans Saints’ Friday injury report only made matters worse for the already banged up offensive line, as guard/center Lucas Patrick (groin) was added to the list of non-participants today. The potential loss of Patrick for Monday nights’ game in Kansas City, would likely mean that the entirety of the interior starters would be out next week. Already down Erik McCoy (hernia) and likely down Cesar Ruiz (knee) and Shane Lemieux (ankle), it could be an incredibly scary sight going up against All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones in this game. Klint Kubiak and the offensive staff will almost definitely have to pull some tricks out of the hat to cover these blows.

Some other notables were that kicker Blake Grupe (right hip) was back in the lineup after not practicing Thursday as well as tight end Juwan Johnson (forearm) and running back Kendre Miller (hamstring) who were back as full participants after being limited. Tackle Taliese Fuaga (back) added knee to his back injury but was still limited once again. The other notable was that receiver A.T. Perry disappeared from the list, who we found was waived earlier today by the team.

Other than that, it was more of the same with a handful of guys status in doubt. Willie Gay (hand), Taysom Hill (rib) and Payton Turner (knee) were the other non-participants on Friday. It doesn’t look like Willie Gay will be up this week after checking out his recent Instagram post but Hill and Turner could possibly make their way to active status with an extra rest day this week. Dennis Allen said earlier in the week that Taysom does in fact have broken ribs similar to what running back Alvin Kamara was dealing with last week. This could leave the potential for Hill possibly making an effort to get out there on Monday depending on the severity. Only difference is that Hill did sustain the same injury on the opposite side of his body just two weeks ago. Although there’s a chance it is probably safe for the team to be cautious on Hill as it seems they’re a bit of a different team with him available.

Here is the full list of injuries after Friday’s practice:

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Rookie RB Jacob Kibodi waived from Saints’ practice squad

The New Orleans Saints waived rookie running back Jacob Kibodi from their practice squad, which may signal Kendre Miller’s return is imminent:

The New Orleans Saints waived rookie running back Jacob Kibodi from their practice squad on Tuesday, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. It’s a tough break for the former Ragin’ Cajun from Baton Rouge. Kibodi ran hard in the preseason finale but didn’t dress out for the first four regular season games.

His departure may signal Kendre Miller’s return is imminent. The second-year pro is eligible to be activated from injured reserve any day now, but the Saints won’t hit the practice field until Thursday. It’s been reported that Miller is expected back at practice soon so keep an eye out for movement.

Alvin Kamara has been the team’s unchallenged go-to running back through four games. Jamaal Williams has seen only a handful of touches and Jordan Mims hasn’t been a factor to this point in the season. Miller could provide a spark but he hasn’t even taken a snap in Klint Kubiak’s offense yet during a padded practice. Stay tuned.

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