HEADLINES

New Orleans Saints News & Rumors

Saints Audition Maurice Harris

December 27th, 2019 at 1:50pm CST by Zachary Links

Antonio Brown wasn’t the only wide receiver showing his stuff for the Saints on Friday. Brown and Maurice Harris were among six WRs auditioning for the team, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 

[RELATED: Saints To Work Out Antonio Brown]

Head coach Sean Payton is aiming to update his WR list for the playoffs, in case any receivers are lost to injury, Schefter hears. That may or may not be an indicator for Brown’s chances of landing a deal. Granted, even if Brown is signed, the league office may step in and keep him off the field by placing him on the Commissioner’s List.

Harris, 27, doesn’t offer the same kind of upside as Brown, but he would come without any of the aforementioned complications. The former UDFA had his first productive pro season in 2018, though he hasn’t had a gig since getting cut by the Patriots back in August. Last year, with the Redskins, Harris caught 28 passes for 304 yards across 12 games.

It stands to reason that the Saints will sign at least one receiver in the coming days. Just this week, the club was forced to place Krishawn Hogan on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury.

Antonio Brown To Work Out For Saints

December 27th, 2019 at 8:24am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are set to audition Antonio Brown. Brown leaked the news via his personal Instagram on Friday and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) has confirmed the workout. 

Although Brown is a free agent, it remains to be seen whether the NFL will allow him to actually suit up for a club in 2019. Currently, the star wide receiver is in limbo. The league office started investigating Brown after he was accused of sexual abuse in a lawsuit in September. The NFL has since interviewed Brown, but there’s still no word on his status.

Teams have reportedly been interested in Brown, one of the most dominant offensive players in the modern era. But, up until today, no one has moved to bring the controversial star in for a workout.

If Brown is signed and cleared to play, the Saints would arguably boast the most lethal 1-2 WR combination in the league with Brown lining up opposite of Michael Thomas. Brown would have to get ready and learn the playbook in short order, but he could have an extra week to gear up if the Saints are able to secure a first-round bye. A combination of a Saints win over the Panthers and losses by the Packers or 49ers would give the NFC South champs an automatic pass to the divisional round.

The workout is not believed to be related to Thomas’ hand injury, which has limited him in practice this week, as Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets. Even though Thomas is on track to play, the Saints are thin at receiver on the whole. The Saints just placed Krishawn Hogan on IR and, besides Thomas, no Saints WR has more than 29 catches on the season.

At minimum, if Brown is signed, it could help to jumpstart the NFL disciplinary process. Many expect the league office to place Brown on the Commissioner’s Exempt list once he puts pen to paper, keeping him away from the field until his investigation is complete.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/26/19

December 26th, 2019 at 3:00pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:

Oakland Raiders

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Saints Place Krishawn Hogan On IR

December 26th, 2019 at 8:21am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints have placed Krishawn Hogan on injured reserve. Thanks to a hamstring injury, Shead will miss the Saints’ regular season finale against the Panthers and the postseason. 

Hogan joined the Saints’ taxi squad in September and earned a promotion to the active roster in October. In eight games, he saw time on 83 offensive snaps and 77 special teams snaps. Last week against the Titans, he notched the first reception of his NFL career.

Hogan’s roster spot will be filled by veteran DeShawn Shead, who agreed to terms on Christmas Eve. The former Legion of Boomer can play cornerback and safety, a major help for New Orleans’ banged-up secondary.

Without Hogan, the Saints will move forward with Michael Thomas, Ted Ginn, Deonte Harris, and Tre’Quan Smith at wide receiver.

NFL Playoff Scenarios For Week 17

December 25th, 2019 at 10:16am CST by Zachary Links

The final week of the regular season is upon us.

Here’s the official rundown of NFL playoff scenarios as we get set for Week 17:

AFC

Clinched:

Ravens – AFC North division & home-field advantage throughout AFC playoffs

Texans – AFC South division

Chiefs – AFC West division

Patriots – AFC East division

Bills – playoff berth

Chiefs clinch a first-round bye with:

Chiefs win + Patriots loss

New England clinches a first-round bye with:

Patriots win or tie OR
Chiefs loss or tie

Raiders clinch a playoff berth with:

Raiders win + Steelers loss + Titans loss + Colts win + Raiders clinch strength-of-victory tiebreaker over Steelers*

*Raiders clinch strength-of-victory tiebreaker over Steelers if ONE of the following teams win or tie:

Bears, Lions, Chargers, or Patriots

Steelers clinch a playoff berth with:

Steelers win + Titans loss or tie OR
Steelers tie + Titans loss OR
Titans loss + Colts win + Raiders loss or tie OR
Titans loss + Colts win + Steelers tie Raiders in strength-of-victory tiebreaker*

*Steelers ties Raiders in strength-of-victory tiebreaker if ALL of the following teams win:

Vikings, Packers, Chiefs, and Dolphins

Titans clinch a playoff berth with:

Titans win OR
Titans tie + Steelers loss or tie OR
Steelers loss + Colts loss or tie

NFC

Clinched:

Packers – NFC North division

Saints – NFC South division

Vikings — playoff berth

49ers — playoff berth

Seahawks — playoff berth

Cowboys clinch NFC East division with:

Cowboys win + Eagles loss

Packers clinch a first-round bye with:

Packers win OR
Saints loss OR
Packers tie + San Francisco loss OR
Packers tie + Saints tie

Packers clinch home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:

Packers win + San Francisco loss or tie OR
Packers tie +San Francisco loss + Saints loss or tie

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (12-3) (at Carolina (5-10); 1:00 PM ET, FOX)

Saints clinch a first-round bye with:

Saints win + Packers loss or tie OR
Saints win + 49ers loss or tie OR
Saints tie +Packers loss OR
Saints tie + 49ers loss OR
49ers loss +Packers win or tie

Saints clinch homefield advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:

Saints win + Packers loss or tie + 49ers loss or tie OR
Saints tie + Packers loss + 49ers loss

Eagles clinch NFC East division with:

Eagles win or tie OR
Cowboys loss or tie

49ers clinch NFC West division title with:

49ers win or tie

49ers clinch a first-round bye with:

49ers win OR
49ers tie + Packers loss or tie OR
49ers tie + Saints loss or tie

49ers clinch home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:

49ers win OR
49ers tie + Packers loss or tie + Saints loss or tie

Seahawks clinch NFC West division with:

Seahawks win

Seahawks clinch a first-round bye with:

Seahawks win + Packers loss

Seahawks clinch home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:

Seahawks win + Packers loss + Saints loss

Saints Sign DB DeShawn Shead

December 24th, 2019 at 2:34pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Saints are making a late-season move for some secondary depth. New Orleans is signing veteran defensive back DeShawn Shead, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Shead originally signed with the Seahawks as an UDFA out of Portland State in 2012, and became a member of their vaunted ‘Legion of Boom’ secondary. He started six games for them in 2015 and 15 in 2016, also winning Super Bowl XLVIII with the team. After becoming a full-time starter in 2016 he tore his ACL in the playoffs, causing him to miss almost the entire 2017 season. In March of the following year he signed a one-year, $3.5MM deal with the Lions, and he appeared in 12 games for them.

He returned to Seattle in July of this year, but couldn’t make it out of camp with the team. Shead worked out for the Saints last week, before they ultimately signed D.J. Swearinger. He’s been making the workout rounds recently, also auditioning for Detroit, Oakland, and Jacksonville over the past couple of months.

New Orleans’ secondary is pretty banged up at the moment, so the signing makes some sense. Starting safety Von Bell has been hurt, and fellow safety Marcus Williams went down during their win over Tennessee this past week. Shead can play both corner and safety, and will be a decent depth piece.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/21/19

December 21st, 2019 at 4:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Saturday’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

  • Promoted from practice squad: OL Matt Kaskey
  • Waived: LB Ramik Wilson

Cleveland Browns

  • Promoted from practice squad: DE Robert McCray
  • Waived: Brandin Bryant

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed off Saints’ practice squad: T John Leglue
  • Placed on IR: T Yosh Nijman

Oakland Raiders

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/19/19

December 19th, 2019 at 5:53pm CST by Zachary Links

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

Carolina Panthers

New York Jets

Oakland Raiders

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Promoted: TE Codey McElroy

South Notes: Godwin, Peat, Marrone

December 19th, 2019 at 12:10pm CST by Rory Parks

Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin left Sunday’s victory over Detroit due to a hamstring injury, and since Tampa Bay is out of playoff contention, Godwin’s breakout 2019 campaign may end prematurely. Curiously, fellow wideout Mike Evans has already been placed on IR with a hamstring ailment, and yet another receiver, Scott Miller, also left the Lions game due to a hamstring issue.

That has led some to question the way in which head coach Bruce Arians is running things, and as Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times writes, Arians has conceded that he may be overworking his receivers. “We’ll be talking with our sports science people about it,” Arians said. “Maybe I’ve overworked them in practice, the receivers, because we need the reps. Our quarterbacks need the reps, so we run them this time of the year more than I would probably like to, but we need the reps.” The hamstring injuries may all just be a coincidence, but it’s worth keeping an eye on the team’s new sports science department moving forward.

Jenna Laine of ESPN.com says Arians has already ruled Godwin out for Week 16 but hopes he will play in the 2019 finale.

Now for more from the league’s south divisions:

  • Good news for the playoff-bound Saints. As Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets, New Orleans guard Andrus Peat, who has missed the last five games with a broken arm, has returned to practice. The team’s offense has performed just fine in Peat’s absence, but the Saints would surely like to have their 2018 Pro Bowler back in action.
  • The Saints continued to bolster their secondary by adding safety D.J. Swearinger on Wednesday, just two days after claiming CB Janoris Jenkins. As Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle observes, the Saints did their due diligence in the DB market before signing Swearinger, working out nine total players (Twitter link). That list included recognizable vets DeShawn Shead and Kentrell Brice.
  • The Jaguars parted ways with executive vice president Tom Coughlin yesterday, and many believe that head coach Doug Marrone will be axed at the end of the season. However, Marrone said he has not heard anything in that regard from owner Shad Khan, nor does he expect to (h/t Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk). Meanwhile, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk believes that, since Khan did not also fire Marrone when he fired Coughlin, Marrone (and GM Dave Caldwell) could be back in 2020. But Coughlin seems to have been fired largely as a result of a damning NFLPA report that surfaced Monday, so the fact that Marrone and Caldwell will stay on board for the rest of 2019 probably doesn’t mean very much.
  • The Colts tried to shore up their CB position by signing Briean Boddy-Calhoun yesterday, and as Wilson tweets, Indy also brought in CB Ken Crawley for a tryout.

Saints Sign D.J. Swearinger

December 18th, 2019 at 3:06pm CST by Zachary Links

D.J. Swearinger will march with the Saints. On Wednesday, the Saints officially signed the veteran and made room by dropping fellow safety T.J. Green. 

Swearinger becomes the second defensive back to join the Saints this week, following former Giants standout Janoris Jenkins. For the 28-year-old, it’s his third team of 2019.

Swearinger started the year with the Cardinals, but was dropped in late September. He hooked on with the Raiders in early November, but was jettisoned earlier this month along with Preston Brown and Terrell McClain. All in all, he has 48 tackles across eight games this season.

Green was promoted to the active roster just before the Saints Monday night win over the Colts. If he clears waivers, the Saints will be able to re-sign him to the practice squad.

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