New Orleans Saints News & Rumors

Saints, Eagles Could Be Aggressive At Trade Deadline

The Saints and Eagles are expected to be among the most aggressive teams in advance of the October 30 trade deadline, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, who adds that the two clubs are interested in a few of the same players.

Interestingly, La Canfora writes that Philadelphia is still monitoring the trade markets for Le’Veon Bell and LeSean McCoy, though recent reports surrounding both running backs suggest that they will be staying with their current teams. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer says it would not cost much to get McCoy, despite what the Bills have been saying, but it does not seem likely that the Eagles will reunite with their former star. Instead, in keeping with previous reports, it sounds as if the Eagles are content with their running back situation, and Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets that the team sees a defensive tackle, secondary help, and a field-stretching wide receiver as bigger priorities.

La Canfora also writes that the Eagles are seeking another receiving option and a quality corner, and he says the Saints are looking for upgrades at the same positions. The Raiders are said to be shopping Amari Cooper, who is probably the best wide receiver who could be had at the deadline, but Larry Fitzgerald and Emmanuel Sanders may also be in play. Meanwhile, Eli Apple, Gareon Conley, and Bradley Roby are some of the corners who have been attracting the interest of rival clubs.

The Saints are currently 4-1 and are atop the NFC South, and they are clearly in win-now mode as they hope to bring home another Lombardi Trophy before Drew Brees, 39, hangs up the cleats. The defending champion Eagles are just 3-3 but are very much alive in the wide open NFC East.

Katzenstein: Saints Unlikely To Retain Teddy

  • Teddy Bridgewater is also in a walk year, and the timing of the Saints‘ trade to acquire the Jets reserve passer suggests they’ll be interested in attempting to convince the former first-round pick to stay as Drew Brees‘ successor. But next year’s quarterback market doesn’t look to be as strong as this year’s, and Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com doesn’t expect Bridgewater to be with the Saints in 2019. Bridgewater signed with the Jets for one year and $6MM, with an incentive package that can now be classified as NLTBE. Prior to any major cuts, Bridgewater and Tyrod Taylor stand to be the centerpiece attractions in the 2019 free agent quarterback class. Katzenstein expects Bridgewater to wait and sign for far more money than the Saints, with Brees still operating in high gear, will be willing to pay him.

Saints View Ted Ginn As IR-Return Option

Ted Ginn‘s season may not be over. The Saints view the veteran wide receiver as a player who has a good chance of returning from injured reserve.

Sean Payton said (via NOLA.com’s Josh Katzenstein) the possibility of Ginn coming back this season is “very realistic.” A Ginn knee injury prompted the Saints to move him to IR, but he’s already undergone arthroscopic surgery, Katzenstein notes.

Ginn played through the injury early in the season before inflammation shelved him, and he now won’t be able to return until Week 15. The Saints can attempt to rely on Cameron Meredith and Tre’Quan Smith as their top Michael Thomas sidekicks, but Ginn played well in this role a season ago. New Orleans has not brought anyone off IR yet, making the 33-year-old wideout a logical choice to be one of the two players that resurfaces in 2018.

The 12th-year veteran posted 787 yards last season, his most since 2008, and caught four touchdowns. He’s in the second season of a three-year, $11MM deal. With the Saints having returned to the playoffs last year and being on a four-game win streak, it would be shocking if they weren’t in position to contend for the NFC South title again this season, so veteran IR-return candidates would make sense for the reigning division champs.

Saints Place Ted Ginn On IR

Ted Ginn‘s season may be over. On Thursday, the Saints placed the wide receiver on injured reserve, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets

Ginn missed the Saints’ Week 5 win over the Redskins with a knee injury, apparently, did not recover much over the Week 6 bye. It’s a bad blow for the Saints, but they got by just fine against Washington thanks to rookie Tre’Quan Smith, Cameron Meredith, and the return of pass-catching tailback Mark Ingram. The Saints would prefer to have Ginn on the field, but they certainly have enough weapons to survive.

Ginn, 33, never quite justified his selection at No. 9 overall in 2007, but he has been a valuable receiver and return man since joining the Saints in 2017. Last year, the speedster had a career-high 787 yards off of 53 catches, plus four touchdowns. In four games this year, Ginn had 12 grabs for 135 yards and two touchdowns.

Ginn, in theory, could return after eight weeks of inaction, but that will all depend on his recovery and whether or not he needs surgery. The Saints’ first game without the veteran will come on Sunday against a resurgent Ravens defense.

Saints To Re-Sign Michael Ola

The Saints re-signed veteran offensive lineman Michael Ola, according to a league source who spoke with Josh Katzenstein of the The Times-Picayune. The deal may be an indication the Saints will be without a lineman or two this week.

Left tackle Terron Armstead (knee) and left guard Andrus Peat (head) were both limited in practice on Wednesday, so the status of one or both players may be in doubt for Sunday’s late slate tilt against the Ravens. The Saints, ideally, do not want to shuffle a front five that has been among the league’s best this year.

The 4-1 Saints lead the league in scoring with 36 points per game and the O-Line has allowed quarterback Drew Brees to get sacked just eight times so far. Meanwhile, Alvin Kamara and the recently activated Mark Ingram have been the beneficiaries of wide running lanes, resulting in a team average of 4.1 yards per carry.

Ola, 30, was with the Saints this offseason and was a backup with the team in Week 1. This time, he’s hoping to take off his coat and stay a while.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/16/18

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Cleveland Browns

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Practice Squad Updates: 10/16/18

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

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: OL Jake Eldrenkamp, WR Blake Jackson

Green Bay Packers

  • Cut: WR DeAngelo Yancey

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/15/18

Today’s minor moves:

Detroit Lions

New Orleans Saints

Jacksonville Jaguars

San Francisco 49ers

  • Promoted from practice squad: TE Ross Dwelley
  • Waived: DL Ryan Delaire

Detail On Teddy Bridgewater's Restructure

  • The Saints added two voidable years to quarterback Teddy Bridgewater‘s contract after acquiring him from the Jets earlier this year, and Nick Underhill of the Advocate (Twitter link) has provided a few more details on the restructure. Bridgewater’s deal will automatically void 10 days prior to the start of the 2019 league year next March, so his 2019 and 2020 base salaries — each of which is valued at $22MM — will never factor into New Orleans’ books. However, once Bridgewater’s contract voids, his future signing bonus proration will immediately accelerate onto the Saints’ salary cap, meaning the club will take on an extra $2.71MM next spring.