Tag: Wil Lutz

Saints roster moves: CB Desmond Trufant among multiple cuts on Tuesday

The latest Saints roster moves created practice squad vacancies and implications for injured players like Wil Lutz and Kwon Alexander:

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The New Orleans Saints filed a series of roster moves on Tuesday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire, which carry interesting implications for the days and weeks ahead. One of them is the addition of a new kicker in Brian Johnson from the Chicago Bears practice squad (more on him in a bit), whose arrival suggests a longer recovery than anticipated for Wil Lutz.

Another is the release of cornerback Desmond Trufant, who had been a healthy scratch on game days for a few weeks now. All of these transactions leave the 53-man roster at capacity with three vacancies on the 16-strong practice squad. Players returning from injured reserve will push others down to the practice squad, so it makes sense to open some spots now. Let’s dig into each new roster move:

Saints send Cody Parkey to injured reserve after pregame groin injury

Saints send Cody Parkey to injured reserve after pregame groin injury

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The New Orleans Saints can’t catch a break. After cutting embattled kicker Aldrick Rosas and signing Cody Parkey to replace him, the team will now send Parkey to injured reserve. He suffered a groin injury before Sunday’s kickoff with the Washington Football Team and gutted it out, making three of his five point-after attempts and not attempting a field goal.

If this sounds familiar, it’s because it’s happened before. The Saints initially brought in Brett Maher to fill in for Wil Lutz back in the preseason, but he hurt himself warming up against the Baltimore Ravens and went to injured reserve after the game. He later left the team with an injury settlement and has since tried out for other squads across the NFL.

And Lutz himself has been out of action after undergoing core muscle surgery to repair his own groin injury. He’s been eligible to return from injured reserve since Week 4 but the Saints have played it safe while he continues to recover. There’s a chance he can suit up after the Week 6 bye but we probably won’t get an answer until the next Saints injury report on Oct. 20.

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New York Giants try out ex-Saints, Jaguars kicker Aldrick Rosas

New York Giants try out ex-Saints, Jaguars kicker Aldrick Rosas, on purpose:

Whew. The stitching has barely set in from Cody Parkey’s nameplate on Aldrick Rosas’ old No. 6 jersey with the New Orleans Saints and Rosas is already finding new NFL opportunities. Friday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire included a tryout for Rosas with the New York Giants alongside free agent kicker Michael Badgley.

Rosas was cut by the Saints this week after a poor four-game stint in relief of the injured Wil Lutz, only connecting on one of his four field goal tries — one of those misses coming against the Giants. Ironically, he started his NFL career with New York and even won All-Pro recognition in 2018. He spent some time with the Jacksonville Jaguars in between kicking for the Giants and Saints.

So you’ve got to wonder if the Giants know this is the same kicker they watched lay an egg and then another just a few days ago. But as Art Stapleton of NorthJersey.com observed, New York has spent time in recent weeks updating their list of emergency-call specialists should a punter, snapper, or kicker be needed in a pinch. After this tryout, they’ve got a better idea of what Rosas has to offer at this stage in his career.

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Saints agree to terms with free agent kicker Cody Parkey

New Orleans Saints agree to terms with free agent kicker Cody Parkey

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Well that didn’t take long. The New Orleans Saints have agreed to terms with free agent kicker Cody Parkey on the same day they released Aldrick Rosas, bringing in another temp hire to fill in for the injured Wil Lutz. Lutz should be considered week-to-week in his recovery from groin muscle surgery late in the summer, so Parkey is probably only here for a game or two until he’s healed up.

Parkey, 29, entered the league in 2014 and has kicked for seven different teams in his career, including two stints with the Cleveland Browns. He’s 121-for-143 on field goals in his 83-game NFL career with a personal-best of 54 yards, also going 197-of-209 on extra-point tries. But he’s best known for the “double doink” missed field goal against the Philadelphia Eagles when he kicked for the Chicago Bears in 2018, ending their playoff bid.

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Saints release embattled kicker Aldrick Rosas among latest roster moves

Saints release kicker Aldrick Rosas among latest roster moves

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The New Orleans Saints filed a couple of roster moves on Tuesday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire, including the release of struggling kicker Aldrick Rosas. And more changes at the position could be on the way if Wil Lutz is still not quite recovered from offseason core muscle surgery. Get up to speed:

Saints only have themselves to blame for kicking miscues

The Saints haven’t even worked out a free agent kicker in a month and a half. They only have themselves to blame for field goal miscues:

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The New Orleans Saints a problem kicking field goals. Sean Payton knows it. Fans know it. Aldrick Rosas himself has to be hyper-aware of it. The veteran signed to hold the post until Wil Lutz can return from core muscle surgery hit a rough patch last week with two missed field goals, followed by another miss on Sunday against the Giants.

That’s three unsuccessful field goal tries in two weeks, from ranges of 36, 52, and 58 yards. Kicking from 50-plus is hardly a sure thing but he’s got to go out there and do his job like everyone else. Instead he’s gotten worse as his time in New Orleans has drawn on. The Saints passed on a

Payton admitted as much after the Giants loss, but he shouldn’t be pointing fingers anywhere but at himself. We’ve known for a week that Rosas was a liability. Warning signs have persisted for longer than that — it’s no accident that Payton only chose to attempt a single field goal through the first two games, not trusting Rosas to execute what’s asked of him. He also missed an easy extra-point attempt in his lone preseason game with the Saints and looked shaky on a 52-yarder.

The Saints have had opportunities to upgrade, but instead they’ve been complacent. They haven’t so much as brought a free agent in for a workout since the Aug. 19 tryouts that introduced them to Rosas (along with rookies Alex Kessman and Dominik Eberle). There was a lot of speculation among fans that the Saints could acquire rookie Jake Verity (like Lutz, another Justin Tucker understudy with the Baltimore Ravens) and they had a chance when he was waived during final roster cuts, but they still sat on their hands.

Maybe Verity or someone else makes the field goal Rosas missed, or at least gives Payton enough confidence to try other kicks instead of settling for punts or gambling on fourth down conversions. Maybe not. But with two losses in their first four games, the Saints can’t be happy with the hole they’ve dug for themselves.

So what can they do about it? Lutz is eligible to return whenever the team doctors give him the green light, having rested on injured reserve for the NFL-required three week minimum. Hopefully he’s all healed up and ready to kick against the Washington Football Team next Sunday, though it shouldn’t shock us if the Saints remain conservative in his recovery and keep him on ice through the bye week. It’s just another storyline to monitor in what’s shaping up to be a very busy week.

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Saints designate OL Will Clapp to return from injured reserve

Will Clapp is the first Saints player designated to return from injured reserve, while others including Tre’Quan Smith and Wil Lutz remain out of action:

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The New Orleans Saints reported just one roster move on the daily NFL transactions wire: offensive lineman Will Clapp has been designated to return from injured reserve. He has 21 days to practice and be activated to the 53-man roster before he reverts back to the reserve list.

His return could come at a critical time for the Saints offense. They’re still down starting center Erik McCoy (calf) and will be without left tackle Terron Armstead (elbow) for some time, though Clapp’s own injury remains undisclosed.

There are other players who are also eligible to be designated for return, but so far they are still listed on injured reserve: wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith, cornerback Ken Crawley, tight end Nick Vannett, and kicker Wil Lutz. Keep an eye out for status changes for each of them.

In the meantime, the Saints have a group of guards that include Andrus Peat and Calvin Throckmorton on the active roster, with starting right guard Cesar Ruiz pulling double-duty at center. The practice squad can call up Austin Reiter, Caleb Benenoch, Derrick Kelly, and Jordan Mills if needed. Reiter has already seen two game-day elevations this season, so the Saints must sign him to the 53-man roster if they want him to dress out for another game.

Clapp, a 25-year-old LSU Tigers product and 2018 NFL draft pick, has appeared in 25 games with New Orleans (four starts). He was re-signed to a one-year deal earlier this summer after testing the waters in free agency.

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Saints roster moves: New Orleans made 15 moves on Monday

The New Orleans Saints signed three more cornerbacks to their practice squad while sending Pro Bowl kicker Wil Lutz to injured reserve:

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The New Orleans Saints are settling into their new accommodations for practice at the TCU Horned Frogs’ facilities in Fort Worth, Texas, so they worked quickly on Monday afternoon to make up for lost time. The team reported 15 different roster moves on the daily NFL transactions wire, including a now-completed practice squad of 16 players and several losses to injured reserve. Here’s everything you need to know:

Saints release fill-in kicker Aldrick Rosas in a procedural move

Saints release fill-in kicker Aldrick Rosas in a procedural move

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Well that’s odd. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Wednesday that the New Orleans Saints released veteran kicker Aldrick Rosas, who was signed after Pro Bowl starter Wil Lutz underwent core muscle surgery early in training camp. Lutz recently returned to observe practice in street clothes but is not expected to be cleared to play before Week 1’s kickoff with the Green Bay Packers.

Pelissero adds that this is a procedural move while the Saints navigate roster-building immediately after the final NFL cuts deadline, and Rosas is expected to re-sign later this week. So while the Saints won’t have a healthy kicker on the team for a day or two, it doesn’t mean they’ll be unprepared to start the season.

New Orleans needed the roster spot while bringing in multiple new faces: defensive tackle Montravius Adams was signed as a free agent, while fullback Adam Prentice was claimed on waivers from the Denver Broncos. both players count against the 53-man roster limit so another minor roster move should be coming. The most obvious answer would be Lutz going on injured reserve, freeing up another spot, but we’ll have to wait and see.

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Saints sign ex-Jaguars, Giants kicker Aldrick Rosas after free agent tryout

The New Orleans Saints signed ex-Jaguars and Giants kicker Aldrick Rosas after a successful free agent tryout:

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Here’s your new Wil Lutz replacement: NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill and NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Friday that the New Orleans Saints are signing veteran kicker Aldrick Rosas following a successful free agent workout. Rosas competed with two rookie kickers and made the best impression with New Orleans’ coaches, who were seeking to find a stopgap until Lutz returns from core muscle surgery later this year.

Rosas, 26, was a Pro Bowler and second team All-Pro in 2018 with the New York Giants but ended up being released and suspended four games in 2020 following a hit-and-run incident. He’s set a personal-best of 57 yards on field goal tries, connecting on 81.4% of his 86 career attempts. He’ll have an opportunity to show what he can do inside Caesars Superdome when the Saints hold their first private practice there on Friday night, days ahead of their second preseason game (against the Jacksonville Jaguars).

Still, Rosas shouldn’t be the assumed Week 1 kicker for New Orleans. The Saints will continue to monitor the free agent market (remember, their first candidate was Brett Maher, who injured himself warming up last week) and the waiver wire as rival teams begin to trim their rosters down throughout the preseason. One name to watch is Baltimore Ravens backup Jake Verity, who nailed on two field goals (from 42 and 53 yards) in last week’s game with the Saints. Verity is this summer’s understudy to ironclad Ravens kicker Justin Tucker — ironically just as Lutz once was. Don’t be surprised if the Saints go to that well again should Rosas disappoint them.

The corresponding roster move for Rosas’ addition was the waiving of rookie tight end Josh Pederson, a Louisiana-Monroe product and the son of ex-Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson.

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