New Orleans Saints Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Saints’ Max Unger To Be Ready For Week 1?

May 14th, 2017 at 8:47am CST by Zachary Links

It now sounds like Max Unger might not miss the start of the season after all. Saints head coach Sean Payton said yesterday that he expects Unger to return to the field in early August with the hope of suiting up for the ever important third preseason game (via Herbie Teope of the Times-Picayune). This jives with a report from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk earlier this week, who wrote that the Saints expected their starting center to be back in action in time for the preseason.

Last Monday, a report indicated that Unger could miss the start of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a lingering foot injury. While the PUP list was mentioned as a possibility, it now sounds like he should be ready to go in Week 1. If that’s the case, then the Saints might not have to look into trading for a quality center after all.

It is fair to wonder why the Saints waited until May to have Unger undergo surgery, but Payton says the medical staff hoped rest after the regular season would work. However, the team noticed at the start of the offseason workout program in April that the problem needed further evaluation.

In 2016, Unger graded out as the No. 11 center in the NFL, per the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. Unger, who came to New Orleans in the Jimmy Graham deal with the Seahawks, has two Pro Bowl nods and a First-Team All-Pro selection on his resume. Teope says Senio Kelemete will likely take the bulk of Unger’s reps at center while Unger is sidelined.

Khalif Barnes, Steve Williams Earn Tryouts

May 13th, 2017 at 8:26pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Offensive lineman Khalif Barnes and cornerback Steve Williams have landed tryouts with the Saints and Cardinals, respectively, according to Nick Underhill of the Advocate and Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter links).

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.

Williams, 26, spent time with both the Chargers and Rams in 2016, appearing in six games (two starts) between the two clubs. Waived by the Rams in December, Williams worked out for the Ravens and 49ers but had yet to land a contract. While the Cardinals are still searching for a cornerback to play opposite Patrick Peterson, Williams would be relegated to special teams duty if signed.

Saints Invite Notable Vets To Rookie Camp

May 12th, 2017 at 10:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints invited some familiar names to their rookie minicamp/tryout venue today. Former Jets, Bills and Falcons passer Matt Simms received an invite, as did former Raiders and Buccaneers wideout Louis Murphy and veteran tight end Clay Harbor (all Twitter links via Nick Underhill of The Advocate). Murphy spent the past two seasons with the Bucs but saw injuries limit him to just six games.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/12/17

May 12th, 2017 at 7:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are today’s minor moves.

A day after being waived by the Bills, cornerback Marcus Roberson landed with the Texans via waiver claim, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link, per ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak). Roberson represents another member of the Bills’ cornerback contingent to be added elsewhere, joining Stephon Gilmore and Nickell Robey-Coleman.
The Ravens now have all the players to whom they extended an RFA or ERFA tender to signed. ERFA inside linebacker Lamar Louis signed his tender today, Jeff Zreibec of the Baltimore Sun tweets.
After giving rookie UDFA Colin Buchanan a $10K signing bonus, the Saints waived him with a “left squad” designation, Nick Underhill of The Advocate reports (on Twitter). The Saints also guaranteed $10K of the Miami (Ohio) product’s rookie salary, per Underhill (on Twitter).
The Colts signed free agent DT Josh Boyd and waived OLB Curt Maggitt with an injury settlement.

Senio Kelemete Incentive Details

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

Given that Max Unger may miss the start of the 2017 campaign, the Saints could turn to reserve interior lineman Senio Kelemete to man the center position until Unger returns to full health. Taking over the starting job could be financially beneficial to Kelemete, as he can earn a $200K incentive if he plays 50% of New Orleans’ snaps next season, according to Nick Underhill of the Advocate (Twitter link). Kelemete, 26, can bring in another $200K for hitting the 60% and 70% snap mark, as well. In 2016, Kelemete played on 57.5% of the Saints’ offensive plays.

Saints Cut Two

May 8th, 2017 at 5:32pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

New Orleans Saints

10 Centers The Saints Could Pursue

May 8th, 2017 at 12:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Saints center Max Unger went under the knife to help fix an issue with his foot, and that surgery will cause him to miss the start of the season. With no exact timetable in place for his return, the Saints will likely consider out-of-house options to help fill the void.

With some help from PFR’s Dallas Robinson, here are centers that New Orleans could look into acquiring:

Nick Mangold (free agent): Mangold remains on the open market and he stands as the most obvious choice for the Saints to consider. The Saints would be hard-pressed to find anyone with a resume as impressive as Mangold’s and the seven-time Pro Bowler probably wouldn’t cost all that much at this stage of the offseason. At the same time, there’s a reason why he is still available here in May and word of clubs asking him to change positions isn’t exactly encouraging.
Jason Kelce (Eagles): Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com was quick to connect the dots on Monday morning after word of Unger’s injury broke. The Eagles reportedly have had Kelce on the trading block for some time now and the Saints would now be a logical landing spot for him. The Eagles beat writer suggests that a Kelce deal could see running back Mark Ingram going to Philly, but I personally have a hard time seeing that happen. If the Saints are unable to meet the Eagles’ asking price for Kelce, however, they might be able to swing a deal for another interesting option on their roster.
Stefen Wisniewski (Eagles): If the Eagles were to trade Kelce, Wisniewski or guard Isaac Seumalo would be the top candidates to step into the starting role. However, Wisniewski himself would make lots of sense as a stopgap for the Saints. Wisniewski was a starter for five straight years with the Raiders and Jaguars before landing with the Eagles as a reserve. In addition to that starting experience, he also offers experience at guard, so he could be used at multiple spots once Unger returns to action. Pro Football Focus ranked him 39th among 72 eligible guards last season with strong marks for his pass blocking skills.
Joe Hawley (Buccaneers): The Buccaneers are moving Ali Marpet to center and he could very well wind up as the starter. There’s also Evan Dietrich-Smith and guard/tackle Ken Pamphile to consider for the No. 1 job and that could make Hawley expendable. The 28-year-old (29 in October) has been the Bucs’ primary center for the last two years, but he could be on the outside looking in after camp concludes. This offseason, he re-signed with the team on a two-year, $5.5MM deal with just $1MM guaranteed. It’s an affordable deal that the Saints could easily wiggle out of next year, if need be. Alternatively, the Bucs may want to dangle Dietrich-Smith in New Orleans’ direction.
Tim Barnes (49ers): Barnes just showed up in San Francisco, but indications are that the Niners will use Jeremy Zuttah as their starting center in 2o17. Before getting cut this offseason, Barnes spent the 2015 and 2016 seasons as the Rams’ starter. Another Niner, Daniel Kilgore, could have appeal for the Saints.
Cameron Erving (Browns): The Browns are planning to move Erving to right tackle now that J.C. Tretter is in town, but perhaps the Saints would be interested in seeing what he can do in the middle. Then again, he was shifted to right tackle last year after performing poorly in 12 games at center.
Matt Slauson (Chargers): Slauson isn’t guaranteed to start this year thanks to the presence of Max Tuerk, Forrest Lamp, and Dan Feeney. All three players are rookies (Tuerk didn’t play in 2016 thanks to his knee injury) but the team is high on each of them. In theory, Slauson could be shifted over to guard with Tuerk starting in the middle, but it’s also possible that Feeney starts at right guard over him. Slauson would be a valuable swing reserve for Los Angeles, but the Bolts might also be willing to trade him thanks to their glut of O-Line options.
Joe Berger (Vikings): Vikings coach Mike Zimmer sees third round rookie Pat Elflein as a center, and that could potentially make Berger expendable. Berger, 35 later this month, has started 68 games over the course of his career. He graded out as the 12th best guard in the entire NFL last season, according to PFF. He earned an even stronger overall score in 2015 when he primarily played in the middle. Berger still has plenty in the tank, so it would be harder to pry him away than some of the other names on this list.

Saints Could Start Senio Kelemete At C

May 8th, 2017 at 11:53am CST by Zachary Links

While Max Unger recovers from surgery, the Saints could fill the gap from within and use center/guard Senio Kelemete as the starter in the middle, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) suggests. Center Jack Allen is also on the roster, but Rapoport seems to think that Kelemete would have the leg up.

Saints C Max Unger To Miss Start Of Season

May 8th, 2017 at 9:09am CST by Zachary Links

Saints star center Max Unger has suffered a foot injury and is expected to miss the start of the 2017 season, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Right now, it looks like Unger will be sidelined for about five months.

The Saints acquired Unger in the 2015 Jimmy Graham trade with the Seahawks. Since then, he has started 31 of 32 possible regular season games, but he’s now slated to be on the PUP list in September. The Saints could turn to backup Jack Allen as the new starter, but it seems more likely that they will look out-of-house for their new No. 1 center.

Former Jets star Nick Mangold remains on the open market and would make a good amount of sense for the Saints, even if he is no longer the Pro Bowl caliber player that he once was. Eagles center Jason Kelce has also been mentioned in trade rumors and one has to wonder if New Orleans could come calling. Kelce is slated to carry a $6.2MM cap hit in 2017, but any team acquiring him would only be looking at a $5MM commitment for the year.

Last year, Unger graded out as the No. 11 ranked center in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. His 83.8 score was roughly in line with his work from the previous two seasons and stands as his second-best PFF showing ever. His best season, per the advanced stats, came in 2012 when he posted an 85.6 overall score. In that season, Unger earned his first of two Pro Bowl nods and his lone First-Team All-Pro selection.

Katzenstein: Anthony Likely To Vie For SLB Job

May 7th, 2017 at 6:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Stephone Anthony may not have an open-and-shut case for a Saints roster spot come training camp. The linebacker has not been able to stick at one position nor has he been the surefire starter the team envisioned when it invested a first-round draft pick in him in 2015. NOLA.com’s Josh Katzenstein, though, expects the Saints to give the former Clemson ‘backer to receive another chance in 2017. Katzenstein, while adding that Anthony has not shown an ability to play special teams, expects the former No. 31 overall pick to compete for the strong-side linebacker spot after being moved there from the middle last year. The Saints added UFAs Alex Okafor and A.J. Klein to their linebacking corps this offseason and used a third-round pick on Florida’s Alex Anzalone, complicating an Anthony ascent.
Willie Snead has not signed his ERFA tender worth $615K yet, but he’s bound to the Saints for the time being. The fourth-year wide receiver caught in with the Saints’ practice squad in December 2014, after the Panthers cut him from theirs, and became a key contributor the past two years. The Saints run the risk of decreasing Snead’s desire to stay in New Orleans long-term by keeping him on the roster at that rate, Katzenstein writes, but the team doesn’t have any incentive to do a deal now. The writer expects a Snead pact at some point, though. The Saints were in the early stages of such a goodwill-based agreement in April, but nothing has transpired on that front since.

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