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New Orleans Saints News & Rumors

Saints Sign Zach Line, Bryan Braman

August 23rd, 2017 at 4:58pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Saints made a series of moves Wednesday, bringing in three new players – fullback Zach Line, linebacker Bryan Braman and undrafted rookie defensive back Elijah Mitchell – and parting with offensive lineman Jack Allen, whom they waived/injured.

Zach Line (vertical)

The most notable addition may be Line, who spent the first four years of his career with the Vikings and is coming off back-to-back 16-game seasons. Line totaled 339 snaps in Minnesota last year (210 on offense, 129 on special teams), but offseason hip surgery and a lack of demand for fullbacks likely combined to make it difficult for him to find employment. Before joining the Saints, who deployed fullback John Kuhn on 397 snaps last year (278 on offense, 119 via special teams), Line’s only known interest came from the Jets. It’s unclear whether Kuhn is now on the hot seat as a result of the Line signing.

Braman, meanwhile, has posted five 16-game seasons during his six-year career. His only missed time (two games) came as a member of the Texans in 2012, his second NFL season. Braman spent his first three years in Houston and the previous three in Philadelphia, where he functioned as a leading special teamer. The 30-year-old posted upward of 1,100 special teams snaps during his tenure with the Eagles and paced the unit in playing time in each of the previous two seasons. Thanks in part to Braman, the Eagles’ ST unit ranked as the NFL’s No. 2 group in 2016, per Football Outsiders. The Saints finished just 27th, on the other hand, so picking up Line and Braman could be the latest moves that improve the unit under new coordinator Bradford Banta.

Stephone Anthony Not A Saints Roster Lock?

August 22nd, 2017 at 8:15pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Third-year linebacker Stephone Anthony‘s place on the Saints’ roster “appears to be in jeopardy,” according to Mike Triplett of ESPN.com.Stephone Anthony (Vertical)

Anthony, 25, was a full-time starter in 2015 after entering the league as a first-round selection out of Clemson. But his playing time dwindled last season, as he started only three games and played on just 133 defensive snaps before a knee injury ended his campaign in December. Anthony, who also played on roughly a quarter of New Orleans’ special teams snaps, managed just 15 tackles after posting 112 stops during his rookie year.

The Saints simply have too many linebackers on their roster, and Anthony doesn’t project as a starter, per Triplett. Instead, those starting jobs are expected to go to free agent acquisitions Manti Te’o and A.J. Klein and third-round rookie Alex Anzalone. With Craig Robertson, Michael Mauti, and Nathan Stupar also available in reserve, New Orleans has no place for Anthony.

Anthony is signed through the 2018 season, and the Saints wouldn’t realize any cap savings if they trade or waive him. In fact, Anthony will count for the same total — roughly $2.1MM — whether he’s on the New Orleans roster or not.

Jets Pursued Saints RB Alvin Kamara

August 22nd, 2017 at 11:29am CST by Zachary Links

Heading into this year’s draft, the Jets were high Tennessee running back Alvin Kamara. However, GM Mike Maccagnan was unwilling to pay the price to move up and draft him, sources tell Manish Mehta of the Daily News. “Important people” within the organization badly wanted to make a big play to get him and some of those people are still annoyed at the GM’s passiveness, Mehta hears. Alvin Kamara (vertical)

[RELATED: Jets Owner Woody Johnson Sworn In As UK Ambassador]

Ultimately, the Saints grabbed Kamara in the third round via an aggressive deal with the 49ers, shipping their 2018 second-round pick and 2017 seventh-round pick out west for the No. 67 choice. Kamara may not have top billing in New Orleans with Mark Ingram and Adrian Peterson ahead of him on the depth chart, but he is in the midst of an excellent preseason and the Jets are among the teams wishing they could get a re-do on the draft (To play devil’s advocate: the Jets’ 2018 second-round pick could very well be in the No. 33-35 range, and that’s a steep price for a current year third rounder.)

The Jets, meanwhile, have the league’s most lackluster roster and an offense that is painfully short on playmakers. Matt Forte and Bilal Powell will be the top options in the backfield and while they could be a serviceable pair, neither player has guaranteed money beyond this season. It’s too early to anoint Kamara as a star, but he would have given the Jets something to build off of for the future.

“I wouldn’t say we (don’t) have any difference makers,” said coach Todd Bowles earlier this month as he tried to combat criticism. “We just have to play together. If we block the quarterback we’ll have a chance.”

If Kamara turns out to be a starting caliber player, Maccagnan won’t be the only GM kicking himself over a missed opportunity. However, it seems that others at One Jets Drive are growing frustrated with Maccagnan’s passiveness and emphasis on stockpiling draft picks, and that could be a bigger issue for the team down the road.

Delvin Breaux Timetable At Six Weeks

August 18th, 2017 at 6:16pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • Delvin Breaux underwent successful surgery to repair a broken fibula that was initially misdiagnosed, Joel Erickson of the New Orleans Advocate reports. The Saints cornerback went to Green Bay for the surgery — one that removed the old plate in the his leg and replaced it with a longer one. Sean Payton tentatively put the timetable at six weeks, which Erickson estimates will shelve the third-year corner for four games and place him on course to return after New Orleans’ Week 5 bye. “He’ll be back in New Orleans, and when we get back, we’ll have a chance to sit down,” Payton said. “I don’t want to call him up over the phone; I know it went well.”

Saints’ Max Unger Passes Physical

August 17th, 2017 at 5:45pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

When Saints center Max Unger suffered a foot injury in May, the expectation was that he’d miss the opening of the 2017 season. It doesn’t appear that will happen, though, as Unger passed a physical on Thursday and is now eligible to come off the active/physically unable to perform list, Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com tweets.

Max Unger (vertical)

Going without Unger to begin the year would’ve left the Saints sans two of their best offensive linemen at the outset of the campaign. As it stands, the club will have to make do without left tackle Terron Armstead, who suffered a torn labrum in June, until sometime in the fall. Armstead also sat out nine games last year on account of knee and quad issues.

Injuries have been problematic for Unger, too, as the 31-year-old has missed 30 of 128 regular-season games since the Seahawks chose him in the second round of the 2009 draft. Seattle dealt the two-time Pro Bowler and a fourth-round pick to New Orleans for tight end Jimmy Graham and a first-rounder in 2015, and the lineman has been a dependable pivot for the Saints during his two years with the club. Unger has appeared in 31 of a possible 32 contests with the Saints, all starts, and is coming off a year in which he ranked 14th among Pro Football Focus’ 72 qualified centers in overall performance.

Saints’ Delvin Breaux To Undergo Surgery

August 16th, 2017 at 9:20am CST by Zachary Links

So much for being trade bait. The Saints have learned that cornerback Delvin Breaux will require surgery for a fractured fibula, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It will take a bit for him to recover and he will be sidelined for the next four to six weeks, meaning that he’ll miss the start of the 2017 season. 

Breaux’s fracture was first diagnosed as a contusion and the slow pace of his recovery led to the Saints putting him on the trading block. Now that the Saints know that it was really a misdiagnosed fractured fibula, the Saints are probably a bit more understanding. Already, the team has fired two team orthopedists over the issue.

The Saints could look into out-of-house cornerback options while Breaux heals up, but they could also stand pat with P.J. Williams, Ken Crowley, Sterling Moore, and first-round pick Marshon Lattimore at cornerback. Recently, we heard that Williams and Crowley profile as the starters.

Saints Shopping Delvin Breaux

August 14th, 2017 at 9:36am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are shopping cornerback Delvin Breaux, according to Nick Underhill of The Advocate (on Twitter). Underhill hears that New Orleans is frustrated with Breaux’s recent injury history. Delvin Breaux (vertical)

Last year, Breaux missed the start of the season with a broken fibula and had his season shut down in December with a shoulder injury. The Saints are apparently troubled by his fragility here in mid-August, which makes one wonder whether Breaux has re-aggravated one of his injuries in camp. If that’s the case, it’s hard to see teams champing at the bit to acquire him.

Last year, the former CFL standout had a dismal 39.1 score from Pro Football Focus and played in a full slate of games . In 2016, however, he had an 85 overall score which cast him as a top-15 type of cornerback. If Breaux is healthy, real interest from at least a handful of teams can be expected.

The Saints can afford to part with Breaux in the right deal since he is not projected to start in 2017. According to Underhill, P.J. Williams and Ken Crowley look like the clubhouse leaders here in August while Sterling Moore and first-round pick Marshon Lattimore are also expected to see playing time.

 

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/13/17

August 13th, 2017 at 1:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Chicago Bears

Green Bay Packers

  • Claimed off waivers: DL Shaneil Jenkins
  • Waived/injured: TE Beau Sandland

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Chargers

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

  • Waived: OL Richard Levy

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Redskins

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/12/17

August 12th, 2017 at 8:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are today’s minor moves.

  • Ryan Tannehill‘s season is officially over. The Dolphins placed the quarterback on IR and signed linebacker Junior Sylvestre. Tannehill, who will have knee surgery next week, is expected to be ready for the 2018 season. Sylvestre spent time with the Ryan Grigson-era Colts for two years but was cut after Indianapolis’ 2016 training camp. He signed with the Bills earlier this year but was cut after a month.
  • The Panthers signed defensive lineman Connor Wujciak, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Wujciak was an Eagles UDFA signing on in 2016, but an injury wiped out his would-be rookie season. The Chiefs worked out Wujciak last week. Panthers defensive tackle Vernon Butler will miss some time, Ron Rivera revealed Friday — via David Newton of ESPN.com — opening the door for an extra defensive line opportunity. Rivera said Butler’s target date for a return is Week 1. The Panthers waived defensive tackle Drew Iddings with an injury designation to open a roster spot, Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer reports (on Twitter).
  • Carolina also brought back offensive lineman Brian Folkerts, Person reports. The Panthers made room by cutting offensive lineman Tyrus Thompson, who had spent time with them since last season (Twitter links). A three-year backup blocker who played in 16 games for the 2014 Panthers, Folkerts last played for the 2015 Rams. Los Angeles cut him when paring its roster down to 75 players last summer.
  • Cornerback Jumal Rolle signed with the Bills and will replace Charles James, whom the team released, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW reports (on Twitter). Both players have at least two years’ experience and both previously played for the Texans. The 27-year-old Rolle was a Houston UDFA in 2014 and has played in 18 games. Rolle also intercepted three passes as a rookie before becoming mostly a special teams player in the time since. James played in 21 games with Houston between the 2015-16 seasons; Buffalo claimed him on waivers in May.
  • The Broncos relocated defensive lineman Billy Winn to IR after his ACL tear diagnosis emerged Friday. They signed linebacker Nelson Adams, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com reports.
  • Linebacker Reshard Cliett negotiated an injury settlement with the Chiefs, becoming a free agent after being removed from Kansas City’s IR list, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (on Twitter).
  • The Giants waived linebacker Jimmy Herman, whom they signed Friday. James Kratch of NJ.com tweets Herman was given a “left squad” designation.
  • The Saints and linebacker Sae Tautu agreed on an injury settlement to trigger Tautu’s release from New Orleans’ IR, Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com tweets.
  • Rookie wide receiver Keevan Lucas signed a three-year contract with the Eagles, the team announced. Philadelphia waived linebacker Steven Daniels to make room. A Tulsa product, Lucas declared early but was not signed by a team after the draft.
  • Washington signed wide receiver Jamari Staples and waived/injured left tackle Kevin Bowen, per John Keim of ESPN.com. The Chiefs waived Staples in June after initially signing him in May. The Redskins also placed Trent Murphy on IR. Murphy tore his ACL in Washington’s preseason opener Thursday night.

Saints Sign Jason Jones, John Hughes

August 12th, 2017 at 9:17am CST by Ben Levine

The Saints have busy this morning, adding several names to their roster. According to Nick Underhill of The Advocate (via Twitter), the team has signed defensive end Jason Jones, tight end Braedon Bowman, and defensive tackle John Hughes. In a following tweet, Underhill reports that the Saints have signed defensive back Malik Foreman, while ESPN’s Mike Triplett tweets that the team also added wideout Xavier Rush. Finally, the organization placed defensive tackle Devaroe Lawrence on the injured reserve (via Underhill on Twitter).

Jason Jones (Vertical)Jones, 31, is the most experienced member of that grouping, as the 31-year-old has 109 career games (70 starts) under his belt. After spending the first four seasons of his career with the Titans, the former second-rounder has bounced around a bit, playing for the Seahawks, Lions, and Dolphins. He appeared in 14 games last season with Miami, compiling 22 tackles and 3.5 sacks.

Hughes, a former third-rounder, also has more than 50 career NFL games to his name, although he only appeared in six games last season between the Browns and Buccaneers. His best season came during his rookie campaign in 2012, when he collected 34 tackles and three sacks.

Bowman, a former standout at South Alabama, had brief stints with both the Jaguars and Jets last season. Rush, a former receiver out of Tulane, spent some times with the Eagles last year. Finally, Foreman, a former Tennessee product, recorded three interceptions and 14 passes defended during his four-year college career. The defensive back had reportedly signed with the Texans earlier this offseason, but a neck injury caused both sides to pause.

The Saints added Lawrence back in May, but the undrafted rookie was subsequently placed on the NFI list. The former Auburn player missed the end of his college career after undergoing knee surgery.

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