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
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Da’Mari Scott, LB Xavier Woodson-Luster
- Waived/injured: LB James Burgess
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: CB Demetri Goodson
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB Dexter McDougle
- Waived/injured: DT Destiny Vaeao
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: LB Devante Bond
- Released: WR Freddie Martino
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
- Signed: RB Josh Ferguson
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR K.J. Brent
- Cut: QB Phillip Walker
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: CB Craig James
- Cut: CB Jalen Myrick
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DB Chris Campbell, WR Shane Wynn
- Cut: DB Darius Hillary, WR Tanner McEvoy
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Kalif Raymond, DE Myles Humphrey
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LB B.J. Bello, DT Winston Craig
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Keenan Reynolds
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: OL Ruben Holcomb, CB David Rivers
- Cut: OT Jarron Jones, RB Dare Ogunbowale
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/15/18
Today’s minor moves:
Detroit Lions
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Trevor Bates
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DT Jay Bromley
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: WR Rashad Greene
- Placed on IR: WR Jaydon Mickens
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.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/9/18
Here’s the latest from the workout circuit, courtesy of veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer:
Arizona Cardinals
- WR Rishard Matthews (story), K Daniel Carlson, K Kai Forbath, QB Malik Zaire
Baltimore Ravens
- LB Alvin Jones
Buffalo Bills
- WR Aaron Burbridge, WR Bennie Fowler, QB Landry Jones, P Drew Kaser, P Brad Nortman
Carolina Panthers
- LB Thurston Armbrister, LB Brandon Chubb, LB Josh Keyes
Cincinnati Bengals
- TE Blake Bell, TE Khari Lee, TE Clive Walford
Cleveland Browns
- OT Brant Weiss
Detroit Lions
- LB Garret Dooley, LB John Timu, LB Aaron Wallace, DT Jamie Meder, DT David Parry
Green Bay Packers
- RB Tra Carson (signed to practice squad), WR Keon Hatcher (signed to PS), WR Devin Lucien, WR Teo Redding
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
- S Mike Mitchell (signed, story)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- RB Jamaal Charles (signed, story), RB Charcandrick West, LS Jon Condo, LS Matt Overton, LS Zach Triner, TE Pharoah McKever (signed to PS), WR Breshad Perriman, QB Josh Woodrum
Kansas City Chiefs
- LB Nate Orchard, LB Gimel President, LB Frank Zombo (signed, story)
New Orleans Saints
- WR Quan Bray, WR Rashad Greene, WR Jordan Leslie, WR Brandon Reilly, WR Lucky Whitehead, WR Shane Wynn, CB Chris Campbell, LB Kennan Gilchrist, LB Manase Hungalu, LB Greer Martini, DB Lardarius Webb
Oakland Raiders
- LB Josh Carraway, DE Anthony Lanier, CB Quinten Rollins
San Francisco 49ers
- RB Matthew Dayes (signed to PS), RB Andre Ellington, RB Jeremy McNichols, RB Shane Vereen, RB Charcandrick West (story), QB Jack Heneghan
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- OG Kofi Amichia, WR Jace Billingsley, Fred Brown, Corey Coleman, Damoun Patterson, Austin Proehl, QB Joe Callahan, OT De’Ondre Wesley
Tennessee Titans
- LB B.J. Bello, LB Nigel Harris (signed to PS), LB Tegray Scales
Saints To Cut RB Mike Gillislee
The Saints cycled through a few running backs between the time Mark Ingram‘s suspension was announced and his impending return, but with Ingram on his way back, New Orleans’ backfield situation has the kind of clarity it did last season.
As such, less depth is required. The Saints will release Mike Gillislee to make room for an Ingram activation, Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com tweets.
Gillislee received the most handoffs of any non-Alvin Kamara Saints back this season, taking 16. He gained just 43 yards on those plays, however, averaging 2.7 yards per carry. New Orleans added Gillislee just before the season but now has Dwayne Washington in place behind Kamara and Ingram. Gillislee also lost a fumble during his Saints stay.
New Orleans has employed Gillislee, Washington, Terrance West, Shane Vereen and Jonathan Williams during Ingram’s suspension. Kamara has handled most of the work, as expected. He’s gained 611 yards from scrimmage and scored six touchdowns in four games. Ingram and Kamara in 2017 became the first backfield teammates in NFL history to each surpass 1,500 yards from scrimmage in a season.
The Patriots released Gillislee prior to the season opener.
Saints Sign Goodson, Cut Bromley
The Saints have signed free agent cornerback Demetri Goodson and released defensive tackle Jay Bromley, according to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (Twitter link) and Josh Katzenstein of the Times-Picayune (Twitter link).
Bromley, a former third-round pick, served as a Giants depth cog for four seasons, playing in 55 games from 2014-17. He joined the Saints in May and released in September, but was brought back on Sept. 17. He’s out of work for now, but he could be back before long since the Saints have made a habit of add/dropping the same player throughout the season.
Goodson now joins the mix after a successful workout on Sept. 26. The cornerback has been on the workout circuit since missing the Packers’ final cut and will finally have an opportunity to showcase his skills this season. The 29-year-old hasn’t seen live action since November of 2016, but his next opportunity could come soon as the Saints are working with a banged up secondary.
The Saints also fortified their cornerback group this week by adding cornerback Josh Robinson.
Steelers, Patriots, Saints Wanted Jordan Phillips
Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips is the newest member of the Bills, but a trio of contenders also tried to land him. The Steelers, Patriots, and Saints all put waiver claims in on the former Dolphin, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets, but the Bills won out thanks to their higher waiver priority. 
The former second-round pick has struggled with consistency over the last four years, but several teams still believe in his potential. The Patriots’ claim shows that they are less-than-thrilled about their current group of DTs, which consists of Lawrence Guy, Malcom Brown, Danny Shelton, and Adam Butler. Butler likely would have been the odd man out, and Phillips might have had an opportunity to eventually leapfrog Shelton and Brown in the pecking order. Through four weeks, Guy has 19 total tackles and is rated as Pro Football Focus’ No. 4 overall ranked defensive tackle, but the other DTs have something to be desired.
Phillips started most of his games in 2016 and 2017, but was relegated to a reserve role this year in Miami. That didn’t sit well with him – as evidenced by his sideline blowup on Sunday – and that proved to be the last straw for him with the Dolphins. The 1-3 Bills may have a larger role in mind for the 26-year-old.
Saints Sign CB Josh Robinson
The Saints have agreed to sign cornerback Josh Robinson, according to Mike Florio of PFT (Twitter link). Robinson worked out for the Saints late last month and beat out a handful of other corners who were under consideration.
The Saints scanned the market for cornerback help after placing cornerback Patrick Robinson on IR. David Amerson, Sterling Moore, Dexter McDougle, and Robert Nelson were among the players being considered, but Robinson got the job despite having the least name recognition of the bunch.
Robinson entered the league as a third-round pick of the Vikings in 2012 and spent the first four seasons of his career in Minnesota. After that, he spent two years with the Bucs, but he missed the team’s final cut this year. The 27-year-old boasts 74 games of NFL experience, but has not made a start since the 2014 season.