The Saints have signed running back Buck Allen, according to a team press release. In a related move, the Saints dropped running back A.J. Ouellette and cornerback Jordan Wyatt to make room for Allen and the previously reported addition of Matthew Dayes.
Allen worked out for the Saints last week alongside fellow running backs Fozzy Whittaker and Robert Kelley. Allen, apparently, was the best of the bunch, even though he averaged just 2.7 yards per rushing attempt for the Ravens last year. The former fourth-round pick had some moments early on in his career – including his 12 catches for 107 receiving yards against the Dolphins in 2015 – but has never topped the 4.0 YPC mark in any of his four NFL seasons.
Allen and Dayes will try to make the cut behind an RB depth chart headlined by Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray. Dwayne Washington and rookie Devine Ozigbo are also on the 90-man roster.
Since being released by the Buccaneers earlier this week, Gerald McCoy has received his fair share of interest from about a quarter of the league’s teams. Once Tampa Bay quickly signed Ndamukong Suh as his replacement, the veteran defensive tackle became arguably the most impactful free agent left on the market.
It’s not hard to see why the nine-year veteran is receiving so much attention. Since entering the league in 2010, the Oklahoma product has earned six Pro Bowl selections and a First Team All-Pro nod (2013) while recording at least five sacks in every season since 2012. He is the only defensive tackle who can make that claim.
The list of teams interested in McCoy’s service is a long one that includes the Browns, Ravens, Panthers, Colts, Bengals, Saints, Falcons and Patriots, who have reportedly pulled out of the running recently. As of this writing, only the Browns and Ravens have been linked to visits. According to reports, McCoy is more interested in playing for a contender and making the playoffs for the first time in his career than a pay day.
His fit in Cleveland would be an intriguing one. That would mean the Browns would roll out a defensive line that would feature McCoy, Myles Garrett, Olivier Vernon and Sheldon Richardson. That is one formidable front four. The Browns have been connected to McCoy for some time, but they decided against trading for the defensive tackle while he was under contract for $13MM in the upcoming season. After his Bucs release, the Browns might be able to sign him at a lesser rate without giving up any draft capital.
Staying in the AFC North, Baltimore would provide McCoy a contender as the reigning division champs and a loaded defense to work in. In 2018, Baltimore allowed the fewest yards and the second-fewest points in the league, and would become even better on paper with the addition of McCoy.
Drew Brees is making his own pitch for McCoy to join the Saints. “He’s a stud, he’s a great player,” Brees said this week. “I mean you’re basically asking me if I would love having a Pro Bowl defensive tackle that I’ve spent the last eight years trying to run around and avoid, not have hit me, join our team. Yeah, of course.” McCoy would team with the recently signed Malcom Brown up the middle for a team considered by many to be a Super Bowl frontrunner in 2019.
The Colts have the cap space to sign McCoy and have been relatively quiet so far this offseason. The longtime star would fill an immediate role as a leader on a young and up-and-coming defensive unit that features the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Darius Leonard.
Both the Panthers and Falcons have little in the way of cap room to sign McCoy, but that hasn’t stopped the NFC South squads from readying their pitches for the six-time Pro Bowler.
The Bengals are also interested in McCoy, but they are arguably the furthest away from competing for a playoff spot among the other teams listed. Though pairing McCoy with fellow standout Geno Atkins up the middle would instantly propel Cincinnati into the conversation in the AFC North.
So which team will be the one to land the impact defensive tackle? Is it one of the squads already rumored to be interested, or will a mystery team emerge and secure McCoy’s signature? Vote in the poll (link for app users) and let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
It appears of the teams interested in helping Ben Watson unretire, one had a substantial lead on the others. Although the 38-year-old tight end was linked to the Chiefs, Bills and 49ers, he was only considering a return if two teams were in the mix.
“I was retired. I was done for a few months,” Watson said, via Nick Goss of NBC Sports Boston. “Around I would say, late April, early May I started thinking about it and made myself available. There were really only two places I would consider playing, coming back (to the Patriots) and playing in New Orleans. Once I made myself available I got a call, and I thought it would be an interesting opportunity.”
The Patriots and Saints were Watson’s two most prominent stops during his 15-season run, the former drafting him in the 2004 first round and deploying him for six seasons. The latter featured him frequently before and after the Jimmy Graham trade. New Orleans, though, was not in the mix for Watson. The Saints shelled out some cash to sign Jared Cook, who was coming off his most statistically productive season.
New England lost this generation’s best tight end, but Watson did not factor Rob Gronkowski‘s status into his decision. Though, it’s certainly debatable if the Pats would have been interested had Gronk not informed them he was retiring. That may have forced Watson to consider one of the aforementioned destinations.
“No, I was retired. I considered myself retired,” Watson said about viewing Gronkowski’s retirement as a reason to come back. “I was processing as such and moving forward as such until late in April. (Gronkowski’s exit) wasn’t a factor for me.”
Should the Patriots stand pat with Watson and Austin Seferian-Jenkins at tight end, their 2019 offense stands to look different than their other nine attacks this decade. Most of those, when Gronkowski was healthy, funneled through the future Hall of Famer. This year’s Pats feature bigger names or higher-end investments at receiver, with Demaryius Thomas (should he surmount the Achilles injury that ended his 2018 season) and N’Keal Harry now joining Julian Edelman.
The Saints worked out some running backs on Thursday, including Fozzy Whittaker, Robert Kelley, and Buck Allen (Twitter link via Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune). All three vets are looking for a spot on the roster to backup top rushers Alvin Kamara and Lavavius Murray.
Whittaker, 30, has spent the last five years with the Panthers, but lost his 2018 season to a torn ACL. For the most part, he was used as a reserve option and a third-down running back. He saw the most usage of his career in 2016 when he carried the ball 57 times and averaged an impressive 4.6 yards per try in that limited sample. In 2017, however, he had just seven carries in 12 games.
Kelley only suited up for two games with the Redskins last year thanks to a toe injury. Kelley averaged 4.2 yards per carry as a rookie in 2016, but has been unable to replicate that production.
Allen, meanwhile, saw time in 14 games for the Ravens last year, but averaged just 2.7 yards per rushing attempt. The former fourth-round pick had some moments early on in his career – including his 12 catches for 107 receiving yards against the Dolphins in 2015 – but has never topped the 4.0 YPC mark in any of his four NFL seasons.
Free agent Gerald McCoy has at least six suitors in pursuit. The Falcons, Patriots, and Saints have shown a level of interest in McCoy since his release from the Buccaneers, according to ESPN.com’s Jenna Laine (on Twitter). As previously reported, the Bengals, Colts, and Browns are also looking into the defensive tackle.
The Falcons have little in the way of cap space, so they’d have to get creative if they want to sign McCoy. But, after seeing his best work up close for nine seasons, they’re obviously motivated to find a way to make it work.
The Patriots would give McCoy an opportunity to win while pairing with Michael Bennett on the Patriots’ defensive line. The Pats haven’t had a versatile and dominant interior lineman of McCoy’s caliber since the retirement of Vince Wilfork, so he would fill a long-standing need for them.
Meanwhile, Saints quarterback Drew Brees is lobbying hard for McCoy to come to New Orleans.
“He’s a stud, he’s a great player,” Brees said this week. “I mean you’re basically asking me if I would love having a Pro Bowl defensive tackle that I’ve spent the last eight years trying to run around and avoid, not have hit me, join our team. Yeah, of course.”
But, like the Patriots and Falcons, the Saints are working with limited cap room.
The Saints met with free agent defensive back/special teamer Brynden Trawick on Tuesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
An undrafted free agent out of Troy in 2013, the 29-year-old Trawick is essentially a pure special teamer. He’s played only 194 defensive snaps during his six-year career, and just four over the past two seasons. On special teams, though, Trawick is especially valuable, managing at least 300 ST snaps in each of the past five campaigns.
Last year, Trawick saw action on 342 special teams plays (good for top-35 in the NFL) and posted eight tackles. He earned a 2017 Pro Bowl nod as a special teamer as a member of the Titans, with whom he just finished a two-year, $4.75MM contract.
New Orleans hired a new special teams coach this offseason in former Dolphins associate head coach Darren Rizzi. The Saints, which ranked ninth in Football Outsiders’ special teams DVOA a season ago, already roster several players who are nearly exclusively special teamers, including defensive backs Chris Banjo, Justin Hardee, and Josh Robinson, and linebackers Craig Robertson and Vince Biegel.
Groy, 29 in September, spent the last four years with the Bills and made 14 starts over the last three seasons. The Bills kept him from joining the Rams by matching his offer sheet a couple of years ago, but they did not make a strong push to retain him this time around.
Newton, meanwhile, is being bumped to make room for new arrivalMarshall Newhouse. The longtime starter for the Texans hasn’t been the same since he tore both patellar tendons in a 2016 game against the Broncos. He tried to rekindle his career with the Saints, but he leaves the team after suiting up for just one game.
The Saints are set to sign offensive tackle Marshall Newhouse, according to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (on Twitter). Newhouse auditioned alongside fellow tackle Adam Bisnowaty and center/guard Ryan Groy on Tuesday and made a strong impression on the team. Caplan adds that the Saints could still sign one more offensive lineman, so the door could still be open for Bisnowaty or Groy in New Orleans.
The Bills shipped Newhouse to the Panthers in September for a conditional 2021 seventh-round pick. He went on to appear in eleven games for the Saints, but started in only two of those contests. That marked a big change from 2017, when he started in all 14 of his contests for the Raiders. Over the course of his eight-year career, Newhouse has started in 72 games for the Packers, Bengals, Giants, Raiders, Bills, and Panthers.
The Saints project to start Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk at the tackle spots with support from veteran Jermon Bushrod. Newhouse probably has decent odds to make the cut following Wednesday’s release of Derek Newton.
WesHorton has found a new home. The veteran defensive end has signed with the Saints, reports ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter).
The former undrafted free agent out of USC had spent his entire six-year career with the Panthers. After starting 27 games through his first four years in the NFL, Horton transitioned to more of a backup role in 2017 and 2018. This past season, the 29-year-old compiled 24 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 16 games. Pro Football Focus wasn’t particularly fond of his performance, as they ranked Horton 102nd among 103 edge defenders.
In New Orleans, Horton will be joining a talented defensive end corps that includes All-Pro CameronJordan, All-Rookie MarcusDavenport, and free agent addition Mario Edwards Jr.. Horton will likely be competing with the likes of TreyHendrickson for reserve snaps.
