Today’s minor moves:
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: WR Matt Hazel
Miami Dolphins
- Waived: WR Rashawn Scott
- Promoted to active roster: RB De’Veon Smith
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: T Bryce Harris
- Waived: CB Dexter McDougle
Today’s practice squad updates:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: RB Darius Victor
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: LB Darnell Sankey
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: RB Aaron Green
Denver Broncos
- Signed: CB Michael Hunter
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DE Jeremiah Valoaga
- Waived: LB Thurston Armbrister
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: LB Ahmad Thomas
Houston Texans
- Signed: QB Taylor Heinicke, TE Ryan Malleck, WR DeAndrew White
Here are today’s minor moves.
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed off Saints’ practice squad: LB Gabe Martin
- Signed: RB Bronson Hill
- Waived: S Harlan Miller
- Waived: G/T Vinston Painter
Chicago Bears
- Waived: WR Tre McBride
Denver Broncos
- Released from IR: TE A.J. Derby
Indianapolis Colts
- Claimed: TE Ross Travis
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: TE Orson Charles
New England Patriots
- Signed off Ravens’ Practice Squad: LB Nicholas Grigsby
- Signed: OL Jason King
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: WR Isaac Whitney
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DT Rodney Coe
- Waived: DT Garrison Smith
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Bobo Wilson
- Signed: FB Alan Cross
- Waived: TE Luke Stocker
Running back Mark Ingram, who is enjoying an excellent campaign with the surprising Saints, is under contract with New Orleans through the 2018 season as part of a four-year, $16MM deal he signed with the club in 2015 after the expiration of his rookie contract. He will be owed a $4MM base salary next season, but, as Mike Triplett of ESPN.com observes, the final year of his contract will void if Ingram is named a first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press.
While that provision is not news, it is the first time that it has really come into play. Ingram has been stuck in a series of time-shares since he was selected by the Saints in the first round of the 2011 draft, and while he has ceded reps to breakout rookie back Alvin Kamara in 2017, he has still managed to keep himself among the top of the league’s running back rankings. The 27-year-old has the most rushing yards in the NFL since Week 5 (636), the most yards from scrimmage in the league since Week 6 (724) and the most rushing touchdowns since Week 2 (eight). His eight rushing scores are are tied for first in the league, and he is fourth in the league with 806 rushing yards and fourth among running backs with 1,019 yards from scrimmage. So, while a first-team All-Pro nod might be a bit of a stretch right now, it may not be if he continues at his current pace.
If Ingram were to become a free agent at the end of the season, he would join Carlos Hyde as one of the top two free agent running backs (assuming the Steelers do not let Le’Veon Bell hit the open market). While running backs have had a tough go of it in free agency in recent years, Ingram would assuredly earn more than the $4MM he is currently set to make in 2018. Barring injury, he will go over 1,000 rushing yards for the second straight year, and he is a quality receiver out of the backfield.
Assuming the Saints re-sign Drew Brees in the offseason, they may not have enough cap space to bring Ingram back if he becomes a free agent, and they would likely give Kamara a larger role under that scenario. Again, this is all just a hypothetical discussion right now, but it will be an interesting situation to monitor down the stretch.
The Saints are going for their ninth win in a row this Sunday when they travel to Los Angeles to take on the Rams. However, New Orleans must try and win on the road without their outstanding rookie cornerback, Marshon Lattimore, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
The 11th overall pick in last May’s draft has been dealing with an ankle injury all week and just couldn’t recover enough to suit up for this weekend’s contest. Rapoport also passes along that the Saints will be without defensive back Ken Crawley as well, so the team’s secondary is about to look much different in Week 12.
Despite the injury, Lattimore is in the middle of a tremendous rookie campaign as he grades out as the fourth best corner in the entire league, accumulating a stellar 92.7 overall score from Pro Football Focus this season. The former Ohio State Buckeye was always expected to be an instant impact type of player, but has passed all expectations in his first nine games of his professional career.
Without their two top corners, the Saints will rely on backups P.J. Williams, De’Vante Harris and Justin Hardee to hold down the back-end of the defense. The team also recently agreed to bring in veteran defensive back Sterling Moore earlier in the week, probably in preparation for the news that was revealed today.
The Saints defense has been one of the better units in football, especially during the team’s winning streak, but it will certainly be tested without Lattimore locking down one side of the field.
Here are today’s practice squad moves.
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: DE Nordly Capi
Denver Broncos
- Signed: DE Stansly Maponga
Houston Texans
- Signed: RB Troymaine Pope
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: LB Adam Bighill
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: LB Brady Sheldon
Seattle Seahawks
- Cut: CB Alex Carter
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Cut: CB Senquez Golson
- Cut: T Justin Murray
The Saints did some revamping at cornerback this week, signing both Sterling Moore and Dexter McDougle. But they worked out a player who commanded more money this offseason in Nolan Carroll.
Other recently cut defenders took part in a workout in New Orleans today as well. Defensive ends George Johnson and Malliciah Goodman and fellow edge defender Jayrone Elliott received auditions, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). However, none of these talents signed with the team today, per Caplan (via Twitter).
Carroll, who signed with the Cowboys on a three-year deal worth $10MM, also worked out for the Redskins since being released in October. The 30-year-old defender started two games for the Cowboys this season and 16 for the Eagles in 2016.
The Lions cut Johnson when they claimed fellow edge player Kasim Edebali last week, and Elliott has now worked out for more than a fourth of the NFL’s teams since the Cowboys cut him this season. The former Packers backup auditioned for the Colts, Seahawks, Patriots, Redskins, Texans, Giants, Jets and 49ers prior to trekking to New Orleans.
Dexter McDougle‘s experienced a complicated 2017, being traded, extended and then cut. But the cornerback found another landing spot on Tuesday.
The Saints signed McDougle, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. This will mark McDougle’s third team since the preseason.
The Jets traded McDougle to the Eagles in late August, and the Eagles agreed to terms on a one-year extension with the former third-round pick a week later. But McDougle’s run in Philadelphia only lasted two months after that extension, with the team dropping him in November.
McDougle joins Sterling Moore in corners who have signed with the Saints this week. Moore, though, has previous experience in the organization. The 26-year-old defender played in eight games for the Eagles this season, operating mostly as a special teams cog. That’s been his forte throughout his career; McDougle’s logged only six defensive snaps since coming into the league in 2014.
Here are today’s minor moves:
Miami Dolphins
- Cut: RB De’Veon Smith
Houston Texas
- Promoted to active roster: WR Cobi Hamilton
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: LB Adam Bighill
The Saints are signing cornerback Sterling Moore, according to a source who spoke with Herbie Teope of the Times-Picayune (on Twitter). Terms of the deal are not yet known, but it’s presumably a one-year pact for the prorated portion of the veteran’s minimum. 
Moore began the year with the Saints but was let go in late October after being slowed by a pectoral injury. His two appearances in the fall marked his only action of the season.
The 27-year-old has bounced around the league since his 2011-12 stay with the Patriots. He mostly started for the Cowboys, Bucs, and Saints from 2014-2016, but he’s more of a role player at this stage of his career. He’s expected to provide depth for the Saints the rest of the way behind starting corners Marshon Lattimore and Ken Crawley and may see some time at safety as well.