HEADLINES

New Orleans Saints News & Rumors

Saints Shopping LB/DE Hau’oli Kikaha

October 30th, 2017 at 5:57pm CST by Dallas Robinson

With only a single day remaining before the NFL’s trade deadline hits, the Saints are shopping edge defender Hau’oli Kikaha, according to Doug Kyed of NESN (Twitter link). Ian Rapoport of NFL.com first indicated earlier this month Kikaha could become a trade candidate.Hau'oli Kikaha (vertical)

New Orleans’ defense has shown tremendous improvement in 2017 — the unit ranked 15th in DVOA through Week 7 — but Kikaha hasn’t been part of that turnaround, as the former second-round pick has played only 82 snaps this season. Kikaha, who tore his ACL for third time last year and missed the entirety of the 2016 campaign, has been surpassed on the Saints’ depth chart by A.J. Klein and Gerald Hodges, and hasn’t been able to see action even with rookie ‘backer Alex Anzalone on injured reserve.

That’s not to say that another club wouldn’t be interested in acquiring a player of Kikaha’s pedigree. He was a second-rounder for a reason, after all, and Lance Zierlein of NFL.com called Kikaha the “most accomplished pure edge rusher” in the 2015 draft class. He’s cheap, too — an acquiring team would only take on the rest of Kikaha’s $913K base salary in 2017 and his non-guaranteed $1.153MM salary in 2018.

If they are able to trade Kikaha, the Saints could begin to recoup some of the draft capital they’ve dealt away in recent months. General manager Mickey Loomis sent a 2018 second-round pick to the 49ers in order to land Alvin Kamara in the draft, and a Kikaha trade — plus the haul acquired for linebacker Stephone Anthony and running back Adrian Peterson — could help defray the costs of the Kamara package.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/25/2017

October 25th, 2017 at 8:39pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s practice squad updates:

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Indianapolis Colts

  • Claimed off waivers: C Dillon Day

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

  • Signed: OL Nate Theaker

Oakland Raiders

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Saints Promote OL Cameron Tom

October 25th, 2017 at 12:46pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are promoting offensive lineman Cameron Tom to the 53-man roster, according to Nick Underhill of The Advocate (Twitter links). The move comes just days after the Saints gave Tom a practice squad pay bump equivalent to the NFL’s minimum salary. Cameron Tom (vertical)

As it turns out, the Redskins were looking to sign Tom to their main roster. Unwilling to lose Tom, the Saints boosted his pay before moving to him to the 53-man roster today. The Saints had a spot open after parting ways with cornerback Sterling Moore on Wednesday morning.

Tom, 22, joined the Saints as a UDFA out of Southern Mississippi this offseason. The Saints will have to keep him on the 53-man roster if they want to keep him around – sneaking him through waivers to the practice squad no longer seems like an option.

Tom, who can play at guard as well as center, may help to fill in for guard Larry Warford. Warford is expected to miss several weeks with an abdominal injury.

Saints Cut CB Sterling Moore

October 25th, 2017 at 11:08am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are releasing cornerback Sterling Moore, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Moore, who has the ability to play other positions in the secondary, could quickly find work. Sterling Moore (Vertical)

Moore re-signed with New Orleans this spring on a one-year, $900K pact. He was the Saints’ best cornerback in 2016, though that’s not saying much. Pro Football Focus placed Moore as the No. 65 CB league-wide last year. He finished out with 56 total tackles and two interceptions over 13 games (12 starts).

This year, Moore has been slowed by a pectoral injury. He was not ruled out for this weekend’s game against the Bears, however, so that’s a sign that he’s at least in the realm of healthy.

As a vested veteran, Moore will not be subject to waivers. He is immediately free to sign with any team of his choosing.

NFL Workout Updates: 10/24/17

October 24th, 2017 at 8:26pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

  • LS Trent Gow (link)

Detroit Lions

  • WR Jake Kumerow (link)

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

New Orleans Saints

Oakland Raiders

Saints’ Larry Warford Out For Several Weeks

October 23rd, 2017 at 5:25pm CST by GregGoldstein

One of the Saints bigger free agents signings from this past offseason will be out for an extended period of time. Guard Larry Warford is expected to miss several weeks with an abdominal injury, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

Larry Warford

There was no exact timetable given for when New Orleans should expect their big ticket guard back, but it will be a rather large loss for a team that has won their last four games after dropping the first two. Warford was expected to be an anchor to the Saints offensive line when he signed a four year, $34 MM in the offseason, which gave him the seventh most guaranteed dollars ($17 MM) of any guard in the NFL. The former second round pick started every game at right guard this season, after starting a combined 57 contests in his four years with the Lions.

Backup lineman Senio Kelemente stood in for Warford when he exited and looks to be the primary fill-in as Warford works to get back on the field. The Saints will look to extend their winning streak when they take on the Bears this Sunday.

 

NFC Notes: Vikings, Bridgewater, Redskins

October 23rd, 2017 at 3:01pm CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings are wary of exposing Teddy Bridgewater to the slippery turf in London next week, sources tell Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The QB says he’s ready to go, but Minnesota is taking the cautious approach and waiting until the post-bye game in Week 10 to put Bridgewater on the roster. Of course, the Vikings may still have a tough choice to make when it comes to whether they will actually put him on the field. Case Keenum has looked sharp since stepping in for Sam Bradford, so the team could opt to continue with him as the starter.

  • Now that Duane Brown is back with the Texans, the best available left tackle is now Will Beatty, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com opines (Twitter link). He notes that Beatty “recently” worked out for the Saints, but it’s not clear if that is in reference to his mid-September workout or if he had a more recent audition for New Orleans. Rapoport notes that the Saints had some offensive line injuries on Sunday, so he could be a fit for them now.
  • Redskins cornerback Bashaud Breeland, who has been dealing with a knee injury, is pushing to play against Philly on Monday night (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of NFL.com). Washington is hoping that Breeland will be somewhat close to 100% as Josh Norman is sidelined with a rib injury.
  • Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee (on Twitter) wouldn’t be surprised if Leon Hall is back with the 49ers in the wake of K’Waun Williams‘ quad injury. The veteran was released by SF last week after earning two game checks, though he appeared in zero games.

NFC Notes: Kaepernick, Ward, Saints

October 22nd, 2017 at 7:29pm CST by GregGoldstein

More is coming out about Colin Kaepernick‘s collusion lawsuit against the NFL. Kaepernick’s lawyer, Mark Geragos, recently shed some light about some of the points they will attempt to prove that collusion exists between the NFL owners in the latest episode of his Reasonable Doubt podcast. Geragos pointed out the need for a “smoking gun” that proves there is coordinated effort from owners from blocking his client from signing with a franchise. In response to a question about a potential email regarding the collusion from Roger Goodell, Geragos stated “there is very good reason to believe that that exists,” the lawyer said (transcription via Pro Football Talk). “The interesting thing will be when the discovery comes, and I expect the discovery to be very quickly.” Even with the confidence coming from the lawyer, the overall sentiment around the case is that collusion will be a difficult charge to prove, but it looks like Kaepernick and his team are serious about their lawsuit and will look far and wide to see if any hard evidence exists.

Here’s more from the NFC:

  • New Buccaneers safety T.J. Ward is apparently frustrated with his part-time defensive role, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. The reporter passes along that the veteran defensive back is at his “wits end” in regards to his role on the team. Ward was not on the field during Tampa Bay’s fourth quarter collapse at the hands of the Bills. The 30 year-old expected to bring more physicality when he signed a one-year, $4MM deal with the team after he was cut by the Broncos in the preseason. Ward only has 11 total tackles on the year and looks to be on his way out of the rotation after what transpired today.
  • Saints linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha could be on the trading block after his deactivation from today’s contest vs. the Packers, Larry Holder of NOLA.com speculates (Twitter link). It’s a disappointing turn of events for the former 2015 third round pick, who was benched in favor of defensive lineman Al-Quadin Muhammad. However, despite Kikaha’s struggles, the Saints defense has turned the corner in recent weeks, getting another takeaway today, after notching five turnovers last Sunday.
  • In other Saints news, we have now learned that the team’s former veteran cornerback Brandon Browner was arrested for cocaine possession last May, reports Amos Moralle III of NOLA.com. Browner last appeared for the team in 2015, but was mostly ineffective with the team deciding to move on from the defensive back that following offseason.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/20/17

October 20th, 2017 at 9:15pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s practice squad updates:

Denver Broncos

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

Washington Redskins

Saints CB Delvin Breaux Returns To Practice

October 20th, 2017 at 1:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Working his way back from another significant injury, Delvin Breaux returned to Saints practice on Friday, Nick Underhill of The Advocate reports.

Breaux spent the first six weeks out of practice, per NFL IR-DTR rules, but is eligible to return for the Saints’ Week 9 game. The Saints are planning on bringing Breaux back from IR, and the third-year cornerback is on or ahead of schedule, Sean Payton said (via NOLA.com’s Josh Katzenstein, on Twitter).

The third-year corner went on IR before the season due to a fractured fibula, the second time he’s broken a bone in his leg in as many years.

New Orleans has won three straight and boasts an improved defense, one that would stand to be strengthened by Breaux’s return. First-round pick Marshon Lattimore and ex-UDFA Ken Crawley each rate as top-10 corners in the view of Pro Football Focus, representing a positive change for the Saints. Breaux was a well-regarded player in 2015 after a CFL career but struggled to shake off his leg injury last season.

Load More Posts