New Orleans Saints Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Panthers, Saints Eyeing Marvin Bracy

May 21st, 2017 at 8:32pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Both the Panthers and Saints are interested in Olympic sprinter Marvin Bracy as a wide receiver prospect, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link).

Bracy, 23, was a 100-meter Olympian at the Rio Games and is a former United States 60-meter dash champion. He spent a year on the Florida State football team as a redshirt before leaving the program to focus on track. As such, Bracy hasn’t played football since 2012, although he was an All-American in high school.

At 5’9″, Bracy doesn’t offer elite size, but he’s considered a “great raw talent” as a wideout, per Cole. Currently dealing with a groin injury, Bracy has already tried out for the Panthers at their rookie minicamp earlier this month.

Opinion: Saints Should Not Extend Kenny Vaccaro

May 21st, 2017 at 11:18am CST by Rory Parks

David Grunfeld of the Times-Picayune believes the Saints should let Kenny Vaccaro play out the 2017 season, his contract year, and then determine whether or not to give him a big-money deal or put the franchise tag on him in advance of free agency next offseason. The club has two former second-rounders, Marcus Williams and Vonn Bell, who could theoretically replace much of Vaccaro’s production at a fraction of the cost.

Saints Rookie Justin Thomas Continues To Change Positions

May 20th, 2017 at 12:32pm CST by Ben Levine

Saints undrafted rookie Justin Thomas served as the starting quarterback for Georgia Tech throughout his college career, but he’s been forced to make a position change in the NFL. Thomas originally auditioned for the Saints as a defensive back, but the team switched him to wideout at the beginning of the multi-day tryout, and the rookie ultimately earned a spot on the team. Predictably, Thomas would be willing to play any position if it meant he’d stick around for the regular season. “Of course, I would like to play quarterback, but at the same time, I’m a realist,” Thomas told Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com. “I didn’t want to lessen my opportunities, so I was open to anything.”

[SOURCE LINK]

Packers, Saints Calling On C Cody Wallace

May 19th, 2017 at 9:25am CST by Zachary Links

The Packers and Saints are among the teams inquiring on former Steelers center Cody Wallace, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter). However, Wallace tells Fowler that he’s still rehabbing his knee injury, so it might be a little while before we see him sign.

Wallace missed the entire 2016 season thanks to a complicated knee injury. Initially, he was believed to have hyperextended his bad knee. Later, it was found that he also suffered bone bruising. When the injury did not respond to treatment, the Steelers officially placed him on IR in November.

The former-fourth rounder has bounced around a bit during his nine-year career having also spent time with the 49ers, Lions, Jets, Texans, and Buccaneers. In 2015, he got a big opportunity in Pittsburgh when he started all 16 games in place of Maurkice Pouncey. Wallace was the Steelers’ fifth-lowest graded center in 2015, but he could still be a quality reserve for the Packers, Saints, or another team.

Justin Thomas Could Play DB Or WR

May 17th, 2017 at 9:55pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Saints signed former Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas on Monday, but Thomas probably won’t be under center in New Orleans, reports Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. Thomas was listed as a defensive back on the Saints’ roster, and could also play wide receiver, per Triplett. At the Senior Bowl, Thomas played defensive back and kick returner, and worked out as a defensive back, wideout, return man, and quarterback at his Pro Day. Thomas, who stands 5’9″, 185 pounds, ran a 40-yard dash in the 4.3-4.4 second range, so he clearly has the speed required to make a position change.

Details On Adrian Peterson’s Saints Contract

May 17th, 2017 at 6:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although Adrian Peterson‘s two-year deal with the Saints has a maximum value of $15.25MM, the veteran running back will have to work to reach that total, as the majority of that figure can only be attained through incentives, as Nick Underhill of the Advocate details.

Incentives are linked to both Peterson’s statistics and New Orleans’ team performance, per Underhill. Peterson can earn $150K, $250K, $750K, or $1MM by rushing for 750, 1,000, 1,250, or 1,500 yards, respectively, in each of the next two seasons. He can bring in another $250K, $500K, or $750K if he scores six, eight, or 10 touchdowns, respectively, although Peterson will only unlock the $750K incentive if he also leads the NFL in rushing scores.

If Peterson rushes for 750 yards and the Saints earn a postseason berth, more incentives are available, according to Underhill. Making the playoffs alone in that scenario is worth $250K to Peterson. A conference championship appearance is worth $500K, while a Super Bowl victory would bring Peterson $1MM.

Peterson can also earn $400K in per-game roster bonuses, although that figure could increase based on his 2017 incentives. The amount of incentives Peterson earns in 2017 will be tacked on to his per-game bonus in 2018, per Underhill. Peterson can also take in $73,529 for each week he makes the Saints’ 53-man roster.

Photo courtesy of Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.

Peterson Deal Has Reasonable Incentives

May 15th, 2017 at 8:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

With just one year and $3.5MM guaranteed on his Saints contract, Adrian Peterson is far removed from those lavish salaries he collected in his final years with the Vikings. However, the relocated running back can collect some additional cash via incentives — some of which being attached to reasonable figures. The future Hall of Fame back has $2.75MM in incentives tied to various milestones in each of the next two years, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets. The 32-year-old running back can collect incentive cash by rushing for 750 yards, scoring at least six touchdowns, or the Saints making the playoffs. Volin doesn’t specify how much each milestone would pay out, but these aren’t outrageous numbers. Peterson scored at least 10 touchdowns in all eight of his seasons that didn’t involve a major September setback. However, with Mark Ingram in the picture, there won’t be as many TD opportunities. Ingram has scored 25 touchdowns over the past three seasons.

Additionally, Volin notes a $750K roster bonus will be tied to Peterson’s 2018 New Orleans employment. That’s rather light compared to the massive $18MM option that was tied to the 2017 season on Peterson’s Vikings contract. But a Saints return in what would be Peterson’s age-33 season in ’18 likely hinges on the running back’s health.

Speaking of positioning, the Saints sound like they might be willing to try Stephone Anthony at middle linebacker again. The Saints moved their underwhelming 2015 first-rounder to the strong side last year, but new linebackers coach Mike Nolan said middle ‘backer suits Anthony best, Herbie Teope of NOLA.com notes. Anthony led the Saints in tackles as a rookie but was moved outside and then benched in 2016. And New Orleans added inside linebackers in Manti Te’o and A.J. Klein this offseason, complicating Anthony’s path back to playing time.

Minor NFC Transactions: 5/15/17

May 15th, 2017 at 5:49pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, we rounded up some minor moves out of the AFC. In the interest of equal time, we turn our attention to the NFC:

The Rams signed two Northwestern State alums in wide receiver Shakeir Ryan and running back De’Mard Llorens, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports. In addition to the skill-position talents from the Natchitoches, Louisiana-based program, the Rams added another small-school product in Mary Hardin-Baylor linebacker Teidrick Smith. The two Division I-FCS talents and Division III defender will displace two Rams in defensive back Jared Collins and offensive lineman Shaq McMeans, per Gonzalez. Their roster currently houses 89 players.
Former Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas signed with the Saints, who also added guard Josh LeRibeus and running back Trey Edmunds, Nick Underhill of The Advocate reports. The 5-foot-11 Thomas operated as a dual-threat quarterback with the Yellowjackets and probably would convert positions for an NFL opportunity. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a sophomore in the program’s run-centric offense and threw for 18 touchdown passes that season. In the two subsequent slates, Thomas combined to throw 21 TDs. The son of former Dolphins Pro Bowl tight end Ferrell Edmunds, Trey Edmunds served as a reserve at Virginia Tech and Maryland.
On a busy Monday, the Saints signed Drew Iddings, a source tells Underhill (on Twitter). Iddings, a former defensive lineman, will be trying to stick as an offensive guard. The 6-foot-6, 290-pound athlete has no significant experience on offense, but New Orleans believes that the powerful lineman can make a smooth transition. In college at South Dakota, Iddings appeared in 46 games and totaled 149 tackles and eight sacks.
The Seahawks cut quarterback Skyler Howard and fullback Brandon Cottom and signed fullback Kyle Coleman and wide receiver Speedy Noil, per a team announcement. Noil entered the draft early out of Texas A&M. He caught just 42 passes combined the past two seasons.
Giants signed wide receiver Kevin Snead, a Carson-Newman product, after his tryout. Snead, a former track star, reportedly ran a sub-4.3-second 40-yard-dash. To make room, the team waived offensive lineman Martin Wallace.
The Lions have signed free agent offensive tackle Arturo Uzdavinis and waived tackle Pierce Burton.
The Vikings signed guard Freddie Tagaloa after a successful rookie minicamp tryout, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
The Cardinals signed wide receiver Larry Clark.

Saints Cut S Shiloh Keo

May 15th, 2017 at 4:34pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints have cut veteran safety Shiloh Keo, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. He was signed to a new one-year deal this March but the Saints did not want to bring him into camp this summer.

Keo was a former draft pick of the Texans who joined the 2015 Super Bowl champion Broncos late in the season. He re-upped with the Broncos for another year, but Denver dropped him while he was serving a two-game suspension for a DUI. The Saints signed him in November 2016 and re-signed him to a new pact this spring, but he apparently wasn’t impressing in practice. In his ten games for the Broncos and Saints in 2016, Keo recovered three fumbles while failing to record a tackle.

Even with Keo gone, the Saints still have a ton of safeties under contract. Vonn Bell and Kenny Vaccaro are slated to start with second-round pick Marcus Williams, free agent Rafael Bush, and several others in support. In reality, there might be only one safety spot up for grabs after Williams and Bush.

In addition to Keo, the Saints also cut wide receiver Ahmad Fulwood, defensive back Anthony Gaitor, tackle Andrew Lauderdale, guard Clint Van Horn, and guard Colin Buchanan.

Saints To Sign Clay Harbor, Khalif Barnes

May 14th, 2017 at 4:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Saints are expected to sign tight end Clay Harbor and offensive lineman Khalif Barnes on Monday, according to Nick Underhill of the Advocate (Twitter link). Both Barnes and Harbor worked out for New Orleans during a weekend minicamp session.

Harbor, 29, spent most of the 2016 campaign with the Lions after being released by the Patriots in early October. In 15 total games last season, Harbor managed only three total targets, so he’s not a offensive threat. But Harbor would give the Saints another option as a blocking tight end, and can also chip in on special teams. At present, New Orleans’ tight end depth chart is comprised of Coby Fleener, Josh Hill, and Michael Hoomanawanui.

Barnes, notably, was signed four separate times by the Saints in 2016, but never actually appeared in a game for the club. The 35-year-old Barnes offers two attributes in spades — experience and versatility. In 11 seasons, Barnes has appeared in more than 150 games (117 starts) with the Jaguars and Raiders. Moreover, Barnes is able to play both inside and out, so he could act as a backup at up to four offensive line spots.

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