Here are today’s workout updates:
New Orleans Saints
Seattle Seahawks
Here are today’s workout updates:
New Orleans Saints
Seattle Seahawks
The Saints are set to sign linebacker Stephone Anthony, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). He’ll take the roster spot of fellow ‘backer Kaden Elliss, who has been placed on injured reserve, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets.
Anthony was a first-round pick of the Saints in 2015, but he didn’t live up to expectations. During the 2017 season, the club shipped him off to the Dolphins, who declined his fifth-year option and allowed him to walk after the 2018 season. This offseason, he signed deals with the Falcons and Jets, who both released him in August.
He hadn’t received any known interest since then, but luckily for him his former team suffered a rash of injuries at linebacker. As Rapoport pointed out in his tweet, Anthony is also reuniting with special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, who was his special teams coordinator during his time in Miami.
Ellis is dealing with a knee injury, and starting linebacker Alex Anzalone had already been placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. Ellis is a seventh-round rookie for Idaho who had only been a depth piece prior to his injury. Anthony started all 16 games as a rookie in 2015, but he started only three the next year and never made a start in Miami as he played mostly on special teams.
We’ve got a couple of practice squad updates for you on a slow Saturday night.
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
Stallworth made the Saints’ initial 53-man roster as they were missing defensive tackles Sheldon Rankins and David Onyemata, but got the axe earlier this week. Wright, the former Pac 12 Defensive Player of the Year with Arizona, was a seventh-round pick of Arizona’s back in 2016. After a stint in the AAF, he spent training camp with New England.
The Saints have signed veteran linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong to fill a roster spot created by Alex Anzalone‘s IR placement.
Armstrong did not make the Browns’ 53-man roster this summer and worked out for the Saints on Tuesday, doing so after auditioning for the Redskins earlier this month.
A UDFA out of Miami in 2013, Armstrong has bounced around the league throughout his career, spending time with the Rams, Raiders, 49ers, Giants and Browns. He played in 15 games in each of the past two seasons, working mostly as a reserve, and went through four seasons playing in regular-season games for multiple teams. For his career, the 28-year-old linebacker has made 12 starts.
The Saints placed Anzalone on IR on Monday; it’s unclear if there is a chance Anzalone could return to the lineup this year. New Orleans’ starting middle linebacker will have to miss a minimum of eight weeks before that is a possibility. In the meantime, New Orleans added a journeyman in an attempt to fill the void.
Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:
Miami Dolphins
New Orleans Saints
New York Jets
Kyle Allen is trending toward starting for the Panthers this week, as Cam Newton missed practice Wednesday while he recovers from a foot injury, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. After Carolina’s loss to Tampa Bay last week, Newton complained of foot pain and it was expected that he would miss some game time. After initially suffering the injury during the preseason, and then aggravating it last week, it would seem wise for Carolina to let the former MVP fully heal before taking the field again.
In the interim, Allen would be the starter for the foreseeable future and would be set to face former college teammate Kyler Murray this Sunday when they take on the Cardinals. In his lone career start last year, a win against the Saints, Allen played well, completing 16 of 27 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns.
Let’s take a look at some other quarterback notes from around the NFL:
Saints coach Sean Payton says he does not plan to place quarterback Drew Brees on injured reserve. That means Brees will be eligible to return in less than eight weeks, which is excellent news for the Saints.
This jibes with what we heard shortly after Brees was diagnosed with a torn ligament in his thumb earlier this week. The initial estimate was six weeks, so he’s likely on track for that same window.
If he’s out for six weeks, Brees will miss games against the Seahawks (this Sunday), Cowboys, Buccaneers, Jaguars, Bears, and Cardinals. After that, the Saints have a bye week, which would put Brees on target for a Nov. 10 return at home against the rival Falcons.
In the interim, the Saints are moving forward with Teddy Bridgewater as the starter and Taysom Hill as his lone backup. With Brees still on the 53-man roster, the club is unlikely to consider an outside arm to round out the QB room.
Here are Tuesday’s practice squad decisions:
Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Bills
Cincinnati Bengals
Dallas Cowboys
Denver Broncos
Los Angeles Chargers
New Orleans Saints
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Washington Redskins
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Detroit Lions
Los Angeles Chargers
New Orleans Saints
Philadelphia Eagles
San Francisco 49ers