HEADLINES

New Orleans Saints News & Rumors

Richard Sherman May Wait Until Training Camp To Sign

June 3rd, 2021 at 9:45pm CST by Ben Levine

It’s been quiet on the Richard Sherman front, but there might be a reason why. Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv writes that many around the NFL believe the veteran is going to “wait out training camp” to sign with a contender.

This isn’t a shocking move, and we’ve seen plenty of veterans take this route over the years. By waiting a bit for his next contract, Sherman isn’t only getting some extra rest as he enters his age-33 season. Rather, the five-time Pro Bowler can also wait to see if an alluring opportunity appears following injuries and roster cuts. Either way, he’ll get more time to evaluate his potential suitors.

Sherman has been a popular name this offseason. We most recently heard that he was in talks with the 49ers, where he had spent the past three years. Sherman has also had talks with the Seahawks, the team that he spent the first seven seasons of his career with, and he’s generated interest from the Raiders and Saints. The Jets have continually been mentioned as a potential suitor thanks to the presence of head coach Robert Saleh, who spent time with Sherman both in Seattle and San Francisco.

The Stanford product was limited to only five games this past year and recently turned 33, but he was still a second-team All-Pro in 2019. He’ll be an interesting gamble for a team, as he’s past his prime and coming off an injury-plagued year, but also played at a very high level not too long ago. The veteran has indicated that he’d like to play two more years.

Saints Prioritizing Ryan Ramczyk Extension

May 28th, 2021 at 9:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Four members of the Saints’ loaded 2017 draft class remain on the team, though only Alvin Kamara is locked up beyond this season. The Saints have Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramczyk and Marcus Williams signed this year, via the fifth-year option and the franchise tag.

New Orleans has until July 15 to extend Williams this year but holds uninterrupted negotiating rights with Ramczyk and Lattimore until next year’s legal tampering period. As of now, the Saints’ extension queue looks to have Ramczyk at the top. The standout right tackle is the team’s top priority to retain long-term, Jeff Duncan of The Athletic notes (subscription required).

The prospect of Ramczyk and Lattimore extensions surfaced in March, but Saints GM Mickey Loomis managed to slash the team’s payroll under this year’s reduced cap with the option prices and Williams’ tag on the books. An extension would obviously give the team some additional room, but Duncan notes Terron Armstead‘s status complicates Ramczyk’s situation. With Armstead going into his age-30 season and in a contract year, Ramczyk is also a candidate to move to left tackle in 2022 — if the Saints do not extend Armstead.

Given the gap that has formed between left tackle and right tackle salaries — a $5MM gulf between the highest-paid left and right tackles — the Ramczyk extension talks will be interesting. Lane Johnson‘s $18MM-per-year deal, agreed to in 2019, remains the only right tackle contract north of $14MM annually. A three-time first- or second-team All-Pro who at 27 is four years younger than Johnson, Ramcyzk is certainly a candidate to bridge the left tackle-right tackle gap.

The urgency to reach an extension pact this year does not seem to exist with Lattimore, Duncan adds. The Pro Bowl cornerback is two years younger than Ramczyk and has been a key piece in the Saints’ defensive turnaround of the past few years. Although Lattimore was arrested earlier this year, he has been a four-year starter and could land on the franchise tag radar in 2022. Since Lattimore first became extension-eligible after the 2019 season, the cornerback market has changed considerably. The market went from no players earning more than $16MM annually to five making that much; Jalen Ramsey and Marlon Humphrey now earn north of $19MM per year. This spike in corner salaries should complicate Lattimore talks.

Broncos, Saints Tried To Claim LB Joe Bachie

May 27th, 2021 at 10:18pm CST by Ben Levine

Before getting claimed by the Bengals, linebacker Joe Bachie generated interest from some additional teams. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the Broncos and Saints also tried to claim the 23-year-old. Bachie was waived by the Eagles earlier this week.

It makes sense that the Saints had interest in the linebacker. After the Michigan State product went undrafted in 2020, New Orleans made it a priority to quickly sign him. He spent much of the season on the Saints practice squad before he was snagged by Philly in December. He ultimately saw time in four games for the Eagles, appearing in 74 snaps (including 56 special teams snaps).

Bachie has a standout stint at Michigan State, finishing his career with 285 tackles, eight sacks, and five forced fumbles. He earned third-team All Big Ten honors during his senior campaign after compiling 71 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss. However, the prospect was suspended after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs, and that revelation also killed his draft stock.

Considering his production in college, it’s not a surprise that so many teams had their eye on Bachie, especially since the linebacker now has a year of experience on his resume. Bachie should have a chance at competing for a job in Cincinnati. Outside of Germaine Pratt, none of the Bengals linebackers have much starting experience, so it’s not like Bachie has a huge uphill battle. He’ll compete with the likes of Akeem Davis-Gaither, Logan Wilson, Markus Bailey, Jordan Evans, and Keandre Jones for snaps.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/18/21

May 18th, 2021 at 5:33pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

  • Waived: OL Najee Toran

New Orleans Saints

  • Placed on reserve/retired list: OL Alex Hoffman
  • Re-signed: S Eric Burrell

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Signed: OT Casey Tucker

Washington Football Team

Saints Re-Sign CB Ken Crawley

May 17th, 2021 at 4:03pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Saints are bringing back a familiar face for 2021. New Orleans has re-signed cornerback Ken Crawley, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. It’s presumably a cheap one-year deal.

Crawley entered the league as an UDFA with the Saints back in 2016, and became a real contributor in New Orleans. He started five games as a rookie, 13 the following year, and then five again in 2018. He had 17 passes defended in 2017 but his play was often inconsistent, and Crawley was cut midway through the 2019 campaign.

He was claimed by the Dolphins and ended up starting a couple of games for them. The Colorado product signed with the Raiders last offseason, and was cut over the summer. He latched on with the Cardinals, but was then let go by them too at final cuts.

All that led him back to New Orleans, when he signed with their practice squad midway through the year. He was elevated for a handful of games, but played sparingly. The 28-year-old obviously has an extensive history with Sean Payton now, but won’t be guaranteed a roster spot.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/16/21

May 16th, 2021 at 2:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Sunday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

  • Signed: T Evin Ksiezarczyk

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: QB Case Cookus

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

New Orleans Saints

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/14/21

May 14th, 2021 at 8:30pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Cincinnati Bengals

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/11/21

May 11th, 2021 at 3:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Cleveland Browns

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tennessee Titans

Saints Eyed Terrace Marshall Jr. In Round 2

May 8th, 2021 at 2:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

After trading down twice in Round 2, the Panthers planned to select BYU tackle Brady Christensen at No. 60 and add LSU wideout Terrace Marshall Jr. with a subsequent trade-up shortly after. However, the Saints eyed Marshall at No. 60, Darin Gantt of Panthers.com notes, prompting the Panthers to change course and select Marshall earlier than initially planned. Carolina drafted Marshall at No. 59, reuniting him with offensive coordinator Joe Brady. The Saints then took Ohio State linebacker Pete Werner at 60. Marshall, who now joins Panthers vets D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson, played a key role for LSU’s national championship team alongside Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase and last season after those future first-rounders left. He totaled 23 touchdown grabs from 2019-20. New Orleans cut No. 2 receiver Emmanuel Sanders this offseason and has been unable to find a steady complement for Michael Thomas for a few years. The team still has Tre’Quan Smith, who is entering a contract year, and used a seventh-round pick on a wideout (South Alabama’s Kawann Baker). The Panthers ended up getting Christensen at No. 70, trading up three spots to land him.

  • The Saints are reuniting with C.J. Leak, a staffer who once worked as their Combine scout. The Texans dismissed Leak as their assistant director of pro personnel in February, but veteran NFL reporter Aaron Wilson tweets Leak will return to the Saints. Houston hired Leak in 2018. Leak previously spent two years with New Orleans.

This Date In Transactions History: 2014 NFL Draft

May 8th, 2021 at 10:10am CST by Ben Levine

The first-round of the 2014 NFL Draft took place seven years ago today. While there was plenty of hype heading into the first day of the draft, surely no one expected the first round to produce so many accomplished players. Among the 32 individuals who heard their name called on May 8, 2014, 17 of those players eventually earned Pro Bowl nods. That’s not shabby.

From a transactions standpoint, there were five trades completed on that Thursday evening, with the Browns and Vikings starring in a handful of the deals. While there were whispers that the first-overall pick could get traded from Houston, the Texans ultimately kept the selection and drafted Jadeveon Clowney at No. 1.

The first trade of the evening was between the Browns and Bills. Cleveland wanted to move back to select a cornerback, so they sent No. 4 to Buffalo for No. 9, a future first, and a future fourth. The Bills ended up selecting wideout Sammy Watkins. As the first round continued to progress, the Browns apparently didn’t feel comfortable staying at No. 9. So, they packaged that selection and a future fifth-round pick to the Vikings for the No. 8 pick, and they proceeded to select cornerback Justin Gilbert. The Vikings selected linebacker Anthony Barr with their new selection.

The Saints later got into the action, acquiring the No. 20 pick from the Cardinals to select receiver Brandin Cooks. New Orleans sent Arizona No. 27 and No. 91, with the Cards selecting safety Deone Bucannon with that first-round selection.

The Browns made another trade later in the night, this time in pursuit of a quarterback. Cleveland traded No. 26 and No. 83 to Philly in exchange for No.22…and the Browns ultimately selected quarterback Johnny Manziel. Really, the writing was on the wall with that selection; the team had previously drafted two other QB busts (Brandon Weeden, Brady Quinn) at that same spot in the draft.

The last trade of the evening once again featured the Vikings. Minnesota acquired the No. 32 pick from the Seahawks for picks No. 40 and No. 108. The Vikings used their new selection on quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

It was surely an entertaining evening, with Cleveland serving as the star of the show. However, fast forward to today, and Browns fans are surely still shaking their head at how everything unfolded.

Load More Posts