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Saints To Audition Brandon Marshall

November 5th, 2018 at 7:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tuesday will be interesting in New Orleans. Two of this generation’s best wide receivers will work out for the Saints.

After Dez Bryant‘s Tuesday workout with the Saints became known, Brandon Marshall will also be part of the audition, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

The Seahawks released Marshall last week, and the 13th-year veteran auditioned for the Lions on Monday. He may now be competing with Bryant and at least one other wideout for a spot with the Saints. Both Marshall and Bryant are possession receivers at this stage of their careers, so the Saints may be exploring this type of skill set to add to their potent attack.

New Orleans already has a top-flight No. 1 receiver in Michael Thomas and a rookie deep threat in Tre’Quan Smith. Alvin Kamara serves as an elite pass-catching back as well. Ben Watson leads the Saints’ tight ends with 292 receiving yards. The Saints also have Cameron Meredith and Austin Carr on a roster that houses only four wide receivers. Return specialist Tommylee Lewis, though, is in line to come off IR in the near future.

Now 34, Marshall is nearing the end of his quality NFL run. Eight times a 1,000-yard receiver (with four different teams), Marshall caught 11 passes with the Seahawks this season. His role in Seattle diminished as the season progressed, leading to the release. He’d obviously be an interesting fit, as would Bryant, on a Saints team with Super Bowl aspirations. Marshall has notably never played in a playoff game in 12 full NFL seasons.

Dez Bryant To Work Out For Saints

November 5th, 2018 at 7:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints will bring in three wide receivers for Tuesday workouts. One of them, according to NFL.com’s Jane Slater (Twitter link), is Dez Bryant.

Bryant’s been out of the league all season and has turned down offers from the Ravens and Browns. He’s connected himself to other teams and has been linked to wanting to play for a contender. The Saints have won seven straight.

It’s not known who the other wideouts are, but they almost certainly won’t have Bryant’s pedigree. The Saints have one of the NFL’s best offenses but have been without Ted Ginn for weeks. Bryant and Ginn do not have the same type of skill set, with the latter being a deep threat, but New Orleans has not seen a No. 2 wide receiver step up as a consistent option alongside Michael Thomas.

Alvin Kamara and Ben Watson sit second and third in Saints 2018 receiving yardage. New Orleans has used third-round rookie Tre’Quan Smith (214 yards) as its WR2. He scored a touchdown on Sunday and is averaging 17.8 yards per catch, but has not caught more than three passes in a game. He’s topped out at 44 receiving yards over the past three games.

Bryant wanted a one-year deal from Baltimore in order to re-enter free agency at a better juncture than he did when the Cowboys cut him in April. But the Ravens offered a multiyear deal, and Bryant turned it down. He spurned a Browns offer worth less than $5MM. The Saints have $368K in cap space and would have to make minor rearrangements to accommodate Bryant, but at this point, the 30-year-old wideout wouldn’t be in a position to demand too much money.

The 2010 first-round pick caught 69 passes for 838 yards and six touchdowns last season. While he’s undoubtedly lost a step, a role in a strong Saints passing game could be a boon for his 2019 value. Of course, the Saints may also choose to not rock the boat with a volatile wideout when they’re in this strong of a spot. But they made multiple big trades in order to chase a championship now, unloading a 2019 first-round pick to move up and select Marcus Davenport and sending the Giants two draft picks for Eli Apple.

Agent Drops Saints’ Michael Thomas

November 2nd, 2018 at 12:22pm CST by Zachary Links

Agent David Mulugheta has terminated his relationship with Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The timing is curious since Thomas is poised to sign a substantial extension this offseason.

Thomas and Mulugheta – who represents stars such as Deshaun Watson, Jalen Ramsey, and Earl Thomas – had a “difference of opinions,” Nick Underhill of The Advocate (on Twitter) hears. The divorce marks the second time the receiver has changed agents in three NFL seasons.

Thomas, who won’t turn 26 until March of next year, topped 1,100 yards receiving in each of his first two campaigns. In his seven games this year, he has already racked up 58 catches off of 669 yards and four touchdowns.

The former second-round pick is under contract through next year and will carry a paltry $1.628MM cap number in his walk year. The Saints are expected to lock him up in the offseason, however, before he can even get a whiff of the open market.

Saints Designate WR Tommylee Lewis For Return

October 31st, 2018 at 9:56pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Saints have designated wide receiver Tommylee Lewis to return from injured reserve, according to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (Twitter link).

Lewis was placed on injured reserve on September 19 after he suffered a knee injury. NFL rules mandate a minimum eight-week absence., so Lewis won’t be able to return to game action until Week 11. Now that he’s back at practice, the Saints have a three-week window during which they must decide to active Lewis to their 53-man roster. If he’s not activated, Lewis must remain on IR for the rest of the season.

Lewis, 26, hasn’t been much of an offensive contributor in New Orleans, as he’s recorded just 17 receptions over two seasons with the Saints. But he has been a factor on special teams, serving as one of the Saints’ primary kick and punt returners over the past two years. With Lewis (and Ted Ginn Jr.) out, New Orleans has deployed running back Alvin Kamara on punts and jack-of-all-trades Taysom Hill on kicks. On a macro level, New Orleans ranks ninth in special teams DVOA.

Saints’ Marcus Davenport To Miss Time

October 31st, 2018 at 12:24pm CST by Zachary Links

Saints rookie pass-rusher Marcus Davenport is expected to miss about a month with a toe injury, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. They’ll evaluate him as he recovers, but he’ll be in a boot for at least a little while. 

[RELATED: Saints Place OL Josh LeRibeus On IR]

Davenport has been heating up in recent weeks, so it’s unfortunate timing for the Saints. The 6’6″, 265-pound defensive end notched two sacks against the Vikings in Week 8 to bring his season total to four and presently ranks as one of Pro Football Focus’ Top 40 ranked edge defenders in the NFL.

For now, the Saints will rely a bit more on veteran Alex Okafor to generate pressure from the edge. You can also expect to see Trey Hendrickson on the active roster.

The Saints, who are on a six-game winning streak, face a major test on Sunday when they take on the undefeated Rams.

NFL Workout Updates: 10/30/18

October 30th, 2018 at 8:24pm CST by Ben Levine

Here’s the latest from the workout circuit. All links to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account, unless otherwise specified.

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/27/18

October 27th, 2018 at 7:08pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Today’s practice squad moves:

Minnesota Vikings:

New Orleans Saints

The Vikings brought back Cothran, who spent the offseason and preseason with the team and apparently impressed the coaching staff. Meanwhile, the Saints re-signed Barrett to their squad, completing a near-weekly ritual.

NFL Workout Updates: 10/26/18

October 26th, 2018 at 9:47pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Here are today’s reported tryouts:

Denver Broncos

  • P Brock Miller

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Saints have had some injuries on the defensive line recently, so it makes sense why they’d bring in this group. With this large of an amount of players brought in, they will likely be signing someone soon. The Buccaneers are clearly evaluating their kicking options after Chandler Catanzaro has struggled to start the year. He made a game-winning 59-yard field goal in overtime last week, but missed an extra point and a 40-yarder at the end of regulation before that. Both Ficken and Santos have kicked for the Rams this season.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/24/18

October 24th, 2018 at 8:28pm CST by Zachary Links

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

Baltimore Ravens

  • Signed: G Kofi Amichia

Indianapolis Colts

  • Signed: G Will House

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Oakland Raiders

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Saints Place OL Josh LeRibeus On IR

October 24th, 2018 at 5:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite Josh LeRibeus failing to make the Saints’ roster out of training camp, he re-signed with the team shortly after and made three starts. But the veteran offensive lineman’s season could well be over.

The Saints placed LeRibeus on IR on Tuesday, Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com tweets. They signed former Cowboys lineman Chaz Green to fill the roster spot.

A LeRibeus ankle injury prompted the Saints to make this move. LeRibeus suffered the malady against the Ravens, a game he started at left guard in place of Andrus Peat. Playing in his second season with the Saints, LeRibeus started in Peat’s place in Week 1 and Week 3 as well.

The Saints could bring LeRibeus off IR in Week 16, but with just two IR-return options available to them, that’s obviously uncertain. New Orleans still has four other backup offensive linemen on its active roster.

Green started six games for the Cowboys between the 2016 and ’17 seasons, his most noteworthy outing coming in a game in which he started for Tyron Smith at left tackle and Adrian Clayborn hounded him in a six-sack performance. The 26-year-old Green was a third-round Cowboys pick in 2015.

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