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7 former Saints players and coaches could win it all in Super Bowl LVIII
A handful of former New Orleans Saints players and coaches will be competing for a championship in Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday night — including San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Willie Snead IV and Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, among others.
Here’s a quick look at the list:
San Francisco WR calls out Miami’s QB.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa may have had a career year in 2023, but his performance against the Kansas City Chiefs in their 26-7 wild-card loss left a lot to be desired.
Tagovailoa completed just 51.3% of his passes for 199 yards with one touchdown, one interception and a 63.9 passer rating. Even those numbers were a bit inflated by some garbage-time drives with the team down by 19 in the fourth quarter.
During the game, San Francisco 49ers practice squad wide receiver Willie Snead called Tagovailoa out on social media in a since-deleted, insinuating that he is the reason for the Dolphins’ struggles.
Ravens legend Willie Snead weighing in on the Dolphins😳 pic.twitter.com/J3fCaG8sfy
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) January 14, 2024
Tagovailoa definitely needs to play better, especially in harsh conditions, and it’s something everybody, even his biggest defenders, knows. However, to call out his toughness is a bit much.
All 30 of the former Saints players competing in the playoffs, from Terron Armstead and Teddy Bridgewater to Sheldon Rankins and Willie Snead:
Who should New Orleans Saints fans pull for in the playoffs? A lot of fans may have already checked out now that the black and gold were eliminated, and some may be choosing their own personal favorites to win it all. But if you’re interested in keeping up with the former Saints on new teams, we’ve got everything you need.
There are plenty of players who suited up for New Orleans competing in the postseason, as are former Saints coaches like Frank Smith and Vic Fangio (with the Miami Dolphins) as well as former scouts like Omar Khan (the Pittsburgh Steelers general manager). To say nothing of former Saints assistant coaches Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn doing big things with the Detroit Lions. The division-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the only team in the playoffs without a single former Saints player on their roster.
Here’s a quick look at the former Saints players on each playoff team going into the wild-card round:
Here’s the #49ers plan in case they’re missing Deebo Samuel AND Jauan Jennings on Sunday:
The 49ers may find themselves in a pinch at wide receiver for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals.
WR Deebo Samuel is listed as questionable with a knee injury, while WR Jauan Jennings is officially doubtful because of a shin issue.
If Samuel and Jennings are both absent from the NFC West showdown at Levi’s Stadium it would leave the 49ers with only three healthy receivers – Brandon Aiyuk, Ray-Ray McCloud and Ronnie Bell. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said the team would turn to a pair of veteran WRs from the practice squad if they’re missing both Samuel and Jennings.
“It’ll be Chris [Conley] or Willie [Snead IV],” Shanahan on Friday said in a press conference. “Both of those guys are the same guys in subtly different ways to us, but we’ve got a lot of confidence in both of them. We’ll figure that out based on which guys are down.”
Saturday’s roster moves that show which players were elevated from the practice squad will give a lot of insight into which way the receivers are trending.
The club can only elevate two players and they have two linebackers (Dre Greenlaw and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles) who are questionable and may also require a replacement.
Conley was up for the 49ers in Week 3 and saw action on nine offensive snaps. He and Snead both had productive preseasons for the 49ers and a situation like this one where the 49ers need reliable veteran options is why they were brought back to the practice squad.
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Waiver wire claims can be an important part of building an NFL roster — it’s how Sean Payton landed Taysom Hill with the Saints in 2017.
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Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has emphasized this offseason that the transactions never stop. Players are always competing not only against their teammates for a roster spot, but also against players on other teams who might become available.
“You guys know this better than anyone — the transactions continue here from now until training camp,” Payton said on May 25. “There may be a player of two that we are still looking to sign.”
Since those comments, the Broncos have signed kicker Elliott Fry, tight end Tommy Hudson and pass rusher Frank Clark (wide receiver Nick Williams was also signed and later cut).
The transactions could continue through training camp. Even after setting their initial 53-man roster in August, Denver will look to the waiver wire and consider picking up players cut by other teams.
“That final cut down from 90 [players] to 53 [players] — it happens on one night,” Payton said on June 15. “There’s a lot of work that’s done leading up to that. You’re watching film, and you have roughly over a day to look at who’s available. We tell our players all the time, ‘You’re not just competing with the depth chart in your room, you’re competing with your room on 31 other teams, as well.’
“We weren’t looking for Taysom Hill when we found him. We were looking at another receiver for a practice squad position. We kept watching the film. This was 11:30 at night. I finally call [Jeff] Ireland in and said, ‘Who is this No. 7?’ He tells me, ‘It’s Taysom Hill.’ I asked him to bring me all of his tape. A day later, we put a claim in, and we were awarded Taysom Hill. That doesn’t stop. The hay is never in the barn, relative to things like that.”
Hill went on to become a key, versatile player for Payton in New Orleans. Payton also claimed linebacker Michael Mauti off waivers in 2015 and he made 35 appearances in three seasons. After wide receiver Willie Snead was cut from the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad in 2014, the Saints signed him to their practice squad.
Snead later earned a promotion to the active roster and he totaled 149 receptions for 1,971 yards and seven touchdowns in three seasons in New Orleans.
Hill, Snead and Mauti were all cut by other teams before finding success with Payton. We’ll be tracking all of Denver’s roster moves on Broncos Wire this year as Payton seeks his next waiver-wire success story.
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Former Saints players Willie Snead IV and Jackrabbit Jenkins are playing for San Francisco, while Tony Jones Jr. and Al Woods are suiting up for Seattle on Thursday night:
A couple of former New Orleans Saints players will be on the field for Thursday night’s game between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks. Or ghosts of Saints’ Christmases past: wide receiver Willie Snead IV and cornerback Janoris Jenkins were both on the 49ers practice squad, but they’ve each been elevated for this Week 15 game, the team announced.
Snead, 30, has appeared in two games for San Francisco this season, totaling 26 snaps on offense and 13 reps on special teams, though he has yet to catch a pass. His career hasn’t gone as hoped since leaving the Saints back in 2018; after averaging 3.6 receptions for 48.1 yards per game in New Orleans, Snead has managed just 2.3 receptions for 26.1 yards per game in stops with the Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Las Vegas Raiders, and 49ers. He’ll have opportunities with Deebo Samuel out for several weeks with an injury.
Jenkins, 34, is set to make his 49ers debut on Thursday night. He started 13 games for the Tennessee Titans after leaving the Saints last season and bided his time until a spot for him opened up on a title contender’s roster, and now he’s looking to get into games for a Super Bowl dark horse. His exact role with San Francisco is to be determined, but we’ll see how “Jackrabbit” performs against one of the NFL’s better receiving corps.
But they won’t be the only former Saints players on the field Thursday night. Several of them are on the Seahawks’ roster, including running back Tony Jones Jr., wide receiver Easop Winston Jr., and defensive tackle Al Woods. Woods deserves a lot of credit for the career he’s had — a 35-year old native of Jennings, La who was drafted out of LSU by the Saints back in 2010, he was cut by New Orleans before he ever played a down for them. He’s gone on to start 76 of the 153 games he’s played in the NFL and earn more than $24.3 million in contracts with seven different teams. Seriously, good for him.
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Willie Snead IV was released by the #49ers, but no corresponding move was made to fill the vacancy on the roster.
The 49ers on Monday announced the release of wide receiver Willie Snead IV as they head into their bye week.
Snead played 21 snaps for San Francisco in their Week 8 win over the Rams, outsnapping third-round rookie Danny Gray and undrafted rookie Tay Martin. The only WRs who played more than Snead were Brandon Aiyuk and Ray-Ray McCloud.
With Deebo Samuel likely to return after the bye the 49ers didn’t need Snead on their active roster, though it stands to reason he’ll re-sign with their practice squad. There was no corresponding move to fill the vacancy on the roster, though there’ll be several options after the bye week with Javon Kinlaw, Elijah Mitchell and others expected to come off IR.
Snead in two games with the 49ers played 26 offensive snaps and 13 special teams snaps. He record neither a target on offense nor a tackle on special teams.
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The #49ers announced 2 signings Saturday morning.
The 49ers on Saturday officially announced two additions to their roster. Wide receiver Willie Snead and offensive lineman Jordan Mills were both signed and joined the club for Saturday’s practice. Snead’s signing was reported Friday.
Mills and Snead will take the two roster spots recently vacated by tight end Jordan Matthews and wide receiver Taysir Mack. Matthews suffered a season-ending ACL tear. Mack was released outright.
Snead gives the team some needed WR depth with Mack gone and veteran Marcus Johnson in concussion protocol. The 29-year-old veteran has 279 catches for 3,341 yards and 16 touchdowns in his seven-year NFL career with the Saints, Ravens, Panthers and Raiders.
Mills, 31, was a fifth-round pick of the Bears in 2013. The nine-year NFL veteran has started 87 of the 100 games he’s played for the Bears, Bills, Cardinals and Saints. He’s exclusively played offensive tackle in his career so his addition could preclude another move on the offensive line for San Francisco.
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The #49ers are signing veteran WR Willie Snead.
The 49ers are adding a wide receiver to replace the recently-released Taysir Mack. Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson on Friday reported veteran WR Willie Snead would be joining San Francisco following a workout with the team. The club also worked out veteran WR Dede Westbrook per ESPN’s Field Yates.
Snead, 29, went undrafted in 2014 and signed with the Browns as an undraftead free agent before bouncing to the Panthers’ practice squad and the Saints’ practice squad.
He eventually debuted for New Orleans in 2015 and had a nice year with 69 receptions for 984 yards and three touchdowns. Snead was in New Orleans for three years, Baltimore for three years, then split time between Carolina and Las Vegas last season. He had just four catches for 38 yards in nine games in 2021.
For his career Snead has 279 receptions, 3,431 yards and 16 touchdowns. He gives the 49ers some veteran depth on their offseason roster with Mack now gone and Marcus Johnson in concussion protocol following a hit from linebacker Fred Warner.
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The Houston Texans worked out former Saints, Ravens, Raiders, and Panthers wideout Willie Snead among six players total.
The Houston Texans worked out former New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, Las Vegas Raiders, and Carolina Panthers receiver Willie Snead Tuesday.
Aaron Wilson from the Pro Football Network was the first to report.
The Texans also worked out former Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts wideout Chester Rogers.
Houston worked out former New York Jets receiver D.J. Montgomery, who had three catches for 36 yards in three games last year.
The Texans also worked out former Rice receiver Austin Trammell, who played two games for the Atlanta Falcons last year and had seven special teams snaps.
The Texans worked out former Raiders and San Francisco 49ers tight end Daniel Helm, as the Texans continue to work through the knee injury to Antony Auclair.
With the release of quarterback Kevin Hogan, the Texans worked out former Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers quarterback Kurt Benkert.
