Details On Coby Fleener's Release
- The Saints released tight end Coby Fleener earlier today, and ESPN’s Field Yates tweets that the team designated the transaction as a post-June 1st release. That means New Orleans will clear $3MM in cap space on June 2nd. The veteran’s $3.4MM base salary became guaranteed in February, and the team could have saved $3.2MM against the cap by releasing him prior to that date.
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Saints Waive Four Players
The Saints cut bait with four players today, according to The Advocate’s Nick Underhill (on Twitter). New Orleans waived tight end Alex Ellis, linebacker Shayne Skov, offensive 
guard Nate Theaker and offensive tackle John Theus. The move was made to open roster spots for undrafted free agents, which the team has yet to announce.
Theus, who was waived with an undisclosed injury, is the most notable name in the group. The 2016 fifth-round pick was claimed off waivers from the Panthers back in February. The 24-year-old, who also had a stint with the 49ers, has appeared in four career games (one start). His 2017 campaign ended on the injured reserve.
Ellis, Skov, and Theaker all spent the 2016 season on the Saints’ practice squad. Ellis, a former undrafted free agent out of Tennessee, has three career receptions for 11 yards. Besides New Orleans, he’s also spent time with the Titans and Jaguars organizations. Skov, a Stanford product, has 12 career tackles, and he’s had stops with the 49ers, Buccaneers, and 49ers. Theaker, a former undrafted free agent out of Michigan, has yet to appear in an NFL game.
Saints Release TE Coby Fleener
The Saints have released tight end Coby Fleener, a league source tells Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (on Twitter). The timing of the move is curious since $3.4MM of his base salary became guaranteed in February. The Saints, in theory, could have saved $3.2MM against the cap by releasing him months earlier. 
Fleener finished the 2017 on injured reserve due to a concussion and his 2018 salary was guaranteed for injury. It’s possible that Fleener was not medically cleared by his guarantee date in February, which would have prevented New Orleans from shedding his salary. Fleener signed a five-year, $36MM free agent deal with New Orleans in 2016 that was supposed to keep him under control through the 2020 campaign.
Before last year’s concussion, Fleener had not missed a game since his rookie season, suiting up for all 16 of the Colts’ contests from 2013-15 and each of the Saints’ games last season. Last year, he was on the field for eleven games before a big hit from Rams defensive back Blake Countess put him on the sidelines.
Fleener wasn’t a primary target of Drew Brees in 2017, but he was the Saints’ leading receiver at tight end at the time of his injury. From 2013-2016, Fleener averaged a healthy 52 catches and four touchdowns per season.
The Saints signed Benjamin Watson in March and he now projects as the team’s leading TE. Behind him, the Saints have a group of tight ends including Josh Hill, Michael Hoomanawanui, Garrett Griffin, and Alex Ellis that will jockey for playing time and roster spots.
Saints Considering Taysom Hill As QB2?
- Brandon Coleman‘s Saints contract is worth a maximum of $1MM, Larry Holder of NOLA.com reports. Coleman re-signed with New Orleans after not being tendered as a restricted free agent. Had the Saints applied the low-end tender to Coleman, he would have made $1.9MM this season. After the Saints selected Tre’Quan Smith in the third round, Coleman and return specialist Tommylee Lewis could be battling for a roster spot, Nick Underhill of The Advocate writes.
- On the subject of Saints position battles, Underhill notes the Saints are high enough on Taysom Hill that they might be ready to cut Tom Savage and carry just two quarterbacks if Hill beats him out for the backup job. They also brought in J.T. Barrett this month. Hill served as the Saints’ third-string quarterback last season behind Drew Brees and Chase Daniel. It would cost the Saints just $100K if they released Savage.
Saints Receive Roster Exemption
- Part of an NFL initiative for overseas players being placed on NFC South practice squads, defensive end Alex Jenkins remains with the Saints going into what could be his second year after signing a reserve/futures contract. And the team will again receive a roster exemption, Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com reports (on Twitter). The England native won’t count against the Saints’ 90-man offseason roster and would be an 11th man on the practice squad if he can’t make the team’s 53-man roster out of camp.
Saints Sign QB J.T. Barrett
J.T. Barrett did not hear his name called during last week’s draft, but at least one team believes highly in his potential. The Saints have signed the former Ohio State quarterback to a three-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
The deal comes with no guarantee, according to Nick Underhill of The Advocate (on Twitter), so the Saints can drop him between now and the fall without fiscal penalty. Before signing with New Orleans, Barrett also had an invite to try out for the Colts and had interest from other clubs, so there was a decent market for three-time First Team All-Big Ten player.
Barrett may have a real chance at making the Saints’ final cut given that Tom Savage and Taysom Hill are the only other QBs behind starter Drew Brees. Savage, a former fourth-round pick out of Pittsburgh, began the 2017 season as the Texans’ starter but quickly lost the job to Deshaun Watson. He regained the starting job when Watson went down, but, unfortunately, his most memorable moment of the year came when he was allowed to continue playing in a game after a scary concussion that left him shaking on the ground. He finished the year with 1,412 yards and five touchdowns against six interceptions.
Barrett completed 63.5% of his passes over four years at Ohio State with 104 touchdowns against 30 picks.
Saints Undecided On Whether To Sign Another QB
- Per Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Saints head coach Sean Payton does not know if the team will bring in a fourth QB to compete with Tom Savage and Taysom Hill. Payton said the Saints considered drafting a signal-caller this weekend, but they are anxious to see what Savage and Hill can do.
Draft Rumors: Sutton, Chargers, Landry
The Cowboys exited Round 1 without taking a wide receiver, but the team is aiming for one in the second round. Dallas is hoping SMU’s Courtland Sutton is available, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets. La Canfora notes the Saints are also interested in Sutton, whom some mocks had going in Round 1. New Orleans’ interest is noteworthy due to the deep arsenal of wide receivers on its roster, with Cameron Meredith now in the fold and Brandon Coleman having re-signed. But Ted Ginn is now 33. The Cowboys, conversely, need a wideout now after cutting Dez Bryant. Coupled with the news of Jason Witten‘s rumored departure and it’s logical to assume the Cowboys will exit Day 2 with a pass-catcher. Dallas’ next pick is at No. 50, and rumors of a possible Earl Thomas swap have emerged. Should the Cowboys unload their second-round selection for the All-Pro safety, they will almost certainly miss out on Sutton being there. And they may even have to trade up to land him regardless.
Here’s the latest from the draft world as Day 2 looms:
- The Chargers have not drafted a quarterback since 2013, but La Canfora tweets a lot of buzz has surfaced about the Bolts’ interest in Mason Rudolph. Viewed as this draft’s sixth-best quarterback prospect, Rudolph may require the Chargers to trade up. The Bolts did their homework on this draft’s quarterback prospects, and that included a workout with the Oklahoma State passer.
- And the Bolts are indeed considering a trade-up from their No. 48 position, per La Canfora, who adds the Chiefs are inquiring about a move north as well (Twitter link). Kansas City considered moving into the back end of the first round but decided against, and Brett Veach said those talks weren’t too close to producing a deal. However, the Chiefs don’t pick until No. 54 and have several needs across their defense.
- Boston College standout pass rusher Harold Landry is still be on the board entering Round 2, and injury concerns may be at the root of it. Some teams have flagged Landry for medical reasons, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (on Twitter), adding knee and back issues have impeded a possible pick. Landry played in only eight games for Boston College last season, missing time with an ankle malady. However, he registered 16.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss as a junior in 2016. It may be up to a team that doesn’t view Landry’s issues as enough of an investment deterrent to take him off the board Friday night.
- The Browns are high on Georgia running back Nick Chubb, La Canfora notes (via Twitter). Cleveland was linked to Saquon Barkley but didn’t have a chance to get him at No. 4. John Dorsey acquired the reigning NFL rushing champion, Kareem Hunt, in the third round last year. The Browns recently signed Carlos Hyde and have Duke Johnson entering a contract year.
- Former Wichita State basketball player Shaq Morris has an interesting decision on his hands, it appears. Morris is determining if he will try to make an NBA push or, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter), try his hand at an NFL career. The 6-foot-7, 270-pound athlete averaged a career-high 14.0 points per game last season for the Shockers and finished as the now-American Athletic Conference program’s all-time dunks leader. Garafolo reports Morris has hired NFL agent David Canter and will entertain interest from teams. Morris played high school football and may be attempting to follow in the footsteps of Antonio Gates, Julius Thomas and others whose college careers mostly commenced on basketball courts.
Saints Acquire No. 14 Pick From Packers
The Saints and Packers have pulled off a deal. New Orleans has acquired the No. 14 pick from Green Bay, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Packers will receive No. 27, No. 147, and a 2019 first-rounder.
The Saints have used their selection on UTSA defensive end Marcus Davenport. We heard earlier today that the pass rusher could end up being selected earlier than initially thought, although he was listed in the top-20 of Daniel Jeremiah’s prospect rankings. Davenport had another productive season in 2017, finishing with 55 total tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, and 8.5 sacks. The rookie will provide the Saints with another talented defensive end to play alongside Cameron Jordan and Alex Okafor.
There were rumblings earlier today that the Saints had made a number of calls in an attempt to move up in the first round. It was thought that New Orleans could be targeting a potential Drew Brees replacement, but the front office apparently focused in on defense.
Instead of moving down in the draft, we had heard rumors that the Packers may instead move up. Reports indicated that the Packers were among a handful of teams “plotting a potential trade up…for a top-tier talent.” Green Bay’s targets were apparently off the board by the time they got to their selection, and they ended up bailing on the pick. The trade now gives the Packers 13 selections this weekend.
Draft Notes: Ravens, Seahawks, Saints, Browns
Let’s take a look at some assorted notes as we get ready for the start of the draft…
- There are a number of teams currently picking in the twenties that would be interested in moving up to the teens, reports Jason La Canfora (via Twitter). Interestingly, those teams may have some suitors, as the reporter notes that the Ravens and Seahawks are among the teams interested in trading back.
- Saints assistant general manager Jeff Ireland told Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune that running back Saquon Barkley is the top player on their draft board (Twitter link). “He’s rare,” Ireland gushed. “He’s unique.” Of course, barring some crazy development, the Saints are unlikely to have an opportunity to select Barkley, as they’re only armed with one pick in the first two rounds. Plus, the team is already rostering several talented running backs, including Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram.
- There could end up being a flurry of trades if the Browns select Baker Mayfield with the first-overall pick, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter video). All of the potential scenarios have seemingly stalled trade talks, although Rapoport notes that the Browns (No. 4), Broncos (No. 5), and Colts (No. 6) are among the teams who’d consider moving down. The Bills could be among the teams looking to trade into the top-six range, and the Broncos could ultimately choose to keep their pick if someone like Josh Allen falls into their lap.
- Rapoport also notes (via Twitter) that several prospects are expected to be selected earlier than initially thought: Maryland wideout D.J. Moore, UTSA defensive end Marcus Davenport, and Louisville Jaire Alexander. Davenport and Alexander both landed in the top-20 of Daniel Jeremiah’s rankings, while Moore was listed 37th.