Tag: Vikings

New Orleans Saints free agent profile: Oli Udoh

What is Oli Udoh’s best path to starting in 2024, and how does his signing affect the Saints draft plans for the offensive line?

Oli Udoh comes over to New Orleans after five years with the Minnesota Vikings. His experience ranges from interior to exterior, right side to left side. He’s primarily been a backup in his career, except in 2021 where he started 16 of 17 games. Ironically, that was the season Klint Kubiak was the Vikings’ offensive coordinator. That familiarity likely played a big part in Udoh picking the Saints in free agency.

Udoh has iterated his desire to start. The likeliest path seems to be at left guard, prior to the draft. If the Saints don’t believe in Trevor Penning, they’re planning on drafting his replacement. Guard is also where he started in 2021 for the Vikings.

Locked On Vikings host Luke Braun described Udoh’s struggles that year as a result of “a tackle playing guard.” However, guard could be where Kubiak still sees Udoh fitting best. At worst, Udoh can be a versatile swing lineman for the Saints in 2024

Udoh competing with James Hurst at left guard feels just as likely as New Orleans drafting an interior offensive lineman. If the vision for him is at left tackle, he’s a backup. Regardless of the position, Oli Udoh has no impact on the Saints draft plans. Udoh doesn’t even feel like a Chase Young type of Band-Aid at his position.  If the Saints want to get a starter for the future, Udoh will not stop them.

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CBS Sports doesn’t buy the Saints as a new playoff team in 2024

CBS Sports doesn’t buy the Saints as a new playoff team in 2024. New Orleans has more work to do before they’ll earn anyone’s confidence:

Not many people are buying what the New Orleans Saints are selling — that a team quarterbacked by Derek Carr and coached by Dennis Allen can reach the postseason. Between their own shortcomings and the upgrades other teams in the NFC South have made this offseason, New Orleans is predicted to be watching the playoffs from home like everyone else.

It’s the Atlanta Falcons who will be hosting a playoff game next January, argues Cody Benjamin for CBS Sports. Here’s why Benjamin argues the Falcons, not the Saints, are going to the postseason in 2024:

The Falcons had all the ingredients for a wild-card run in 2023, except a legitimate signal-caller. Now Kirk Cousins is under center, and while his career suggests more of a steady hand than a special talent, he’s got enough ascending skill talent and underrated defensive support to warrant an instant playoff berth in the wide-open NFC South.

It’s early, but Cousins might be the most overrated player to change teams this offseason. The quarterback turns 36 this summer and is coming off of Achilles surgery after an unsuccessful six-year run with the Minnesota Vikings in which he won as many home playoff games as he did in six years with Washington: zero. The only postseason success Cousins found in Minnesota came in 2019, when the Saints (who else?) choked in front of their own home crowd.

Cousins and Carr have been unfavorably compared to each other for years, and their numbers are very similar. So are their resumes. You could argue that Cousins is entering a better situation than Carr found in New Orleans last season, but they’re both teaming up with defensive-minded head coaches who got ran out of one NFL city once already, and who both have sub-.400 career winning percentages (Dennis Allen is at .343, Raheem Morris is at .356). They aren’t that different.

Maybe Cousins is a better quarterback than his production suggests, but he isn’t much better than Carr. The Falcons haven’t won anything with the roster he’s inheriting. At least the Saints have players who have won games in January before, even if it’s been a while. We’ll have to wait and see whether all this confidence Cousins is receiving was warranted when the season kicks off in September.

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Misdemeanor charges against Michael Thomas were dismissed, says attorney

Misdemeanor charges stemming from a Nov. 2023 arrest against Michael Thomas were dropped on Wednesday, his attorney told ESPN:

Michael Thomas can move on. His attorney Daniel Becnel told ESPN’s Katherine Terrell on Wednesday that misdemeanor charges stemming from a Nov. 2023 arrest had been dropped due to insufficient evidence, meaning the former New Orleans Saints wide receiver can focus on the next step for his NFL career.

Thomas was charged on counts of simple battery and criminal mischief,  having been accused of shoving a contractor and throwing a brick at his windshield over a parking dispute outside his home in Kenner, La. But Becnel says there was no proof of an altercation.

“There was no assault, there was no brick thrown,” Becnel told Terrell. “This was a dispute between a contractor and his employees, who were blocking his driveway and who were parking and walking on his grass. It came to a head one day, but there was no criminality involved. That’s obvious by the lack of any type of civil suit, the lack of any type of property damage, the lack of any medical issues and the lack of any physical evidence that criminal action took place.”

Thomas was released from custody the same night he was arrested by the Kenner Police Department, but he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Saints’ road game with the Minnesota Vikings just two days later.

Now a free agent, Thomas is eager to move on with his career and find a fresh start in a new city on a new team. It’ll be interesting to see where the 2019 Offensive Player of the Year ends up, and whether he’ll be suiting up against his former teammates in 2024.

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Saints announce deal with one of Klint Kubiak’s former players

The Saints announced a deal with one of Klint Kubiak’s former players, former Vikings offensive lineman Oli Udoh:

The New Orleans Saints announced a deal with one of offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s former players on Tuesday, signing offensive lineman Oli Udoh (short for Olisaemeka) to a one-year deal. The Fayetteville, N.C. native played college football in-state at Elon before the Minnesota Vikings drafted him back in 2019.

Kubiak was on Minnesota’s coaching staff at the time, and he rose through the ranks to become the team’s offensive coordinator in 2021. That’s when Udoh first stepped into the starting lineup, playing 900-plus snaps at right guard. He’s also logged about 200 snaps at both left and right tackle through his pro career. The 27-year-old offers some versatility up front for New Orleans.

He’s also recovering from season-ending quadricep surgery in 2023, but Udoh told reporters Tuesday that he’s ahead of schedule in recovery and it sounds like he’ll be active in the offseason program. It’s unclear just yet which position the Saints will ask Udoh to play but he can help improve depth at a couple of different spots.

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Chargers signing LB Troy Dye

Troy Dye was a special teams ace with the Vikings.

The Chargers are signing linebacker Troy Dye, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

Dye, a fourth-round pick of the 2020 NFL draft, spent the past four seasons with the Vikings. In that time span, he appeared in 60 games but only started eight games on defense, logging 80 tackles, two passes defended and a sack.

Where Dye really made his money was on special teams, where he logged 1,094 snaps.

Dye reunites with Ryan Ficken, who was Minnesota’s assistant special teams coach (2020) and special teams coordinator (2021).

With the Chargers, Dye will provide a special teams ace and depth at linebacker following the departures of Amen Ogbongbemiga and Tanner Muse.

NFL rumors: Chiefs reach an agreement with free agent TE Irv Smith Jr.

Kansas City Chiefs reach an agreement with free agent TE Irv Smith Jr.

The Kansas City Chiefs have made their first splash in the legal negotiations period of free agency by adding to their offense.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Cincinnati Bengals free agent tight end Irv Smith Jr. has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Chiefs. The reported agreement adds another dynamic option for Patrick Mahomes to play alongside Travis Kelce or provide rest moments in games. During his lone season with the Bengals in 2023, he struggled with hamstring injuries, leading him to lose his starting job midway through the year.

Smith Jr. was a standout in college for Alabama and was a second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft to the Minnesota Vikings. He spent his first four professional seasons in Minnesota, missing the entire 2021 year after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus. He has accumulated 109 catches for 973 yards and ten touchdowns in four seasons on the field so far in his career.

When healthy, the 25-year-old’s versatility makes him a valuable part of the offense. Head coach Andy Reid usually finds success in players who can adjust to the fast offensive style and play a key role.

Former Packers RB Aaron Jones signing 1-year deal with Vikings

Former Packers RB Aaron Jones, who was released Monday, is signing a one-year deal with the Vikings.

Aaron Jones is staying in the NFC North and will get two shots to play the Green Bay Packers next season. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Jones — who was released by the Packers on Monday — is signing with the Minnesota Vikings on a one-year deal worth $7 million in 2024.

Jones spent his first seven seasons in Green Bay. After a failed attempt to negotiate a pay cut, the Packers released Jones and signed Josh Jacobs as his replacement to start free agency.

Per The Athletic, the Packers wanted to slash Jones’ $12 million salary in 2024 by half. If $6 million was around the team’s asking point, Jones ended up getting roughly $1 million more to be in Minnesota.

Jones, who turns 30 in December, rushed 142 times for 656 yards and two touchdowns last season. He missed six games with hamstring and knee injuries. After returning from an MCL sprain, Jones finished the year with five straight games of 100 or more rushing yards — including a 120-yard effort in the Packers’ win over the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 17.

In Minnesota, Jones and Ty Chandler will be the featured backs for playcaller Kevin O’Connell, who is now transitioning at quarterback to Sam Darnold after Kirk Cousins signed with the Atlanta Falcons.

Jones made one Pro Bowl with the Packers. He ranks third in team history in rushing yards.

Marcus Davenport to reunite with his old coaches on the Lions

Marcus Davenport is planning to reunite with some of his old coaches on the Lions. It’s a Saints reunion in Detroit:

A former New Orleans Saints draft pick is headed to the Detroit Lions as Marcus Davenport agreed to a one-year deal to reunite with some of his old coaches, per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network.

Davenport started his career in New Orleans as a first-round draft pick in 2018. He spent five seasons and accumulated 21.5 sacks. He was never able to stay healthy for a full season in New Orleans and production was lacking so the two sides decided to part ways after 2022. He signed with the Minnesota Vikings for 2023, but appeared in just four games due to injury finished with two sacks.

Now, he heads to Detroit on another prove-it deal. He’ll be back with Aaron Glenn and Dan Campbell in a new environment as he tries to get his career back on track.

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Atlanta Falcons bring Kirk Cousins to the NFC South

Kirk Cousins is joining the NFC South as an Atlanta Falcon. The starting quarterbacks in the division are now set.

Kirk Cousins is coming to Atlanta. The Atlanta Falcons have an agreement in principle with the former Minnesota Vikings quarterback on a four-year contract valued at $180 million, averaging out to $45 million year with $100 million guaranteed, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Cousins departing Minnesota was a bubbling offseason story, and Atlanta was always the predicted alternate destination given the similar offense that new play caller Zac Robinson is installing.

Now the quarterbacks in the NFC South are set:

  • Atlanta Falcons: Kirk Cousins
  • Carolina Panthers: Bryce Young
  • New Orleans Saints: Derek Carr
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Baker Mayfield

Raheem Morris has said he wouldn’t be the head coach right now if quarterback play had been better in 2023, and Cousins provides a clear upgrade over every recent option the Falcons have had at quarterback. Their weapons entered the league with promise but are largely unaccomplished. How much will Kirk Cousins improve the Falcons passing attack will be one of their biggest storylines of 2024.

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1 pending free agent the Eagles could target from each NFC team

We’re looking at one pending free agent from each NFC team that the Philadelphia Eagles could target

Free agency is about two weeks away, and the Philadelphia Eagles have several players set to hit the open market. General manager Howie Roseman has to make critical decisions to fill roster holes.

While Roseman will likely look to the free agent market for answers, several in-house free agents are candidates to sign an extension ahead of free agency.

The Birds are set to have 20 pending free agents, and with another likely retool schedule on defense, the organization could conjure up a scheme for more flexibility.

According to Over the Cap’s potential transaction chart, the Eagles can easily create $35.4 million in cap space by making these five moves.

With the new league year fast approaching, we’re looking at one pending free agent from each NFC team that could interest Philadelphia.