Mark Ingram Could Become Free Agent At Season’s End
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.
Marshon Lattimore Ruled Out For Week 12
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.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/21/17
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
Saints Work Out Nolan Carroll, George Johnson, Others
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.
Saints To Sign CB Dexter McDougle
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.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/20/17
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
Saints To Sign CB Sterling Moore
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.
Saints’ Alex Okafor Out For Season
Alex Okafor‘s season is over. The Saints defensive end suffered a torn Achilles on Sunday that will sideline him for the remainder of the year, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). 
Okafor joined the Saints on a one-year, $3MM deal this offseason and it turned out to be one of the best one-year contracts in the NFL, as detailed recently by PFR’s Dallas Robinson. In ten games, the 26-year-old racked up 43 total tackles and 4.5 sacks – both representing career highs. He currently ranks as Pro Football Focus’ No. 16 ranked edge defender with an 84.7 overall score. His work in 486 snaps has him slotted ahead of big names such as Cameron Wake, Jadeveon Clowney, Chandler Jones, Clay Matthews, and Brian Orakpo. That’s not too shabby for a $3MM investment.
Of course, the trade deadline has come and gone, so the Saints can only look to the free agent market for potential out-of-house upgrades. Jason Jones spent some time with New Orleans during training camp, so he could be a possible fit thanks to his familiarity with the system. It’s not clear if free agents Jared Odrick and Mario Williams are looking to continue their careers, but Tyson Jackson and Jaye Howard, have been hitting the workout circuit hard in recent weeks.
Internally, the Saints could lean more heavily on third-round rookie Trey Hendrickson and sixth-round pick Al-Quadin Muhammad to pick up the slack.
Vaccaro Tweets That He'll Be Back Next Week
- The Saints pulled off a tremendous comeback win when they came back from 15 points down to beat the Redskins in overtime to win their eighth straight game. Safety Kenny Vaccaro made a note of the winning streak on his personal Twitter account today and also made the proclamation that he would be ready to return for the team’s game vs. the Rams next Sunday (Twitter link). The news should be taken with a grain of salt considering the team’s doctors haven’t cleared him to return, but it’s certainly a positive development for New Orleans who have had to be without their starting safety for the past two weeks as he’s been recovering from a groin injury.
Saints Extend Assistant GM Jeff Ireland
The Saints have reached a contract extension with assistant general manager/director of college scouting Jeff Ireland, sources tell Nick Underhill of the Advocate.
Ireland, who has worked in NFL personnel offices since 1994, previously served as the Dolphins’ general manager from 2008-13. New Orleans hired him in January 2015, and Ireland began fully contributing to the club’s draft preparations in 2016, per Underhill. The Saints have nailed a number of draft picks over the past two years, adding talented player such as Michael Thomas, Vonn Bell, Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramczyk, and Alvin Kamara since 2016.
Ireland’s previous contract was set to expire after the 2017 campaign, per Underhill. While his new deal won’t prevent other NFL teams from contacting Ireland about general manager vacancies, it will ensure that he remains with the Saints if a GM offer doesn’t come.