Saints Place LB Alex Anzalone On IR
The Saints have placed linebacker Alex Anzalone on injured reserve, according to the NFL’s transactions wire. It’s not immediately clear whether he is a candidate to return later this year. 
Anzalone was one of two third-round picks for the Saints in this year’s draft. Thanks in part to shoulder injuries, he didn’t see significant playing time at Florida until last season, when he totaled 53 tackles and three sacks. Shoulder issues caught up to Anzalone again when he exited the opening drive of Sunday’s game against Miami.
Anzalone wound up as the Saints’ Week 1 starter at weakside linebacker and the results through four games (or, three-games-and-change) were promising. The rookie has 16 tackles, one sack, and one pass deflection to his credit while ranking as Pro Football Focus’ No. 35 linebacker.
Anzalone’s injury may help to explain the Saints’ workout with Gerald Hodges on Tuesday. Internal options also exist on the New Orleans roster, as the club can turn to Manti Te’o, Nathan Stupar, or the recently-signed Gabe Martin to fill in for the time being.
The linebacker is the second Saints starter to go down this week. On Tuesday, tackle Zach Strief was placed on IR with an MCL sprain.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/3/17
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:
Arizona Cardinals
- OTs Javarius Leamon and Storm Norton; LB Carl Bradford (link)
Baltimore Ravens
- QB Stephen Morris (link via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com); TEs Evan Baylis and Henry Krieger-Coble; CBs Dante Blackmon (link); DB Bennett Jackson (link via Dan Duggan of NJ.com)
Buffalo Bills
- RBs Jalen Simmons and Brandon Wilds (link)
Cleveland Browns
- RBs Josh Rounds and Kelvin Taylor; TEs Evan Baylis, Alex Ellis, Anthony Firkser, and Henry Krieger-Coble (link)
Houston Texans
- RBs Kapri Bibbs and Troymaine Pope; LBs Josh Forrest and Michael Mauti; DBs Charlie Miller, Ed Reynolds, and Andrew Williamson (link)
Indianapolis Colts
- TE Gabe Holmes; OL Anthony Fabiano, Gino Gradkowski, G Cole Toner (link)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- QB Sefo Liufau; WRs Dres Anderson and Nelson Spruce; DT Woodrow Hamilton (link)
Los Angeles Rams
- P Brock Miller (link)
Miami Dolphins
- WRs Jordan Payton and Jordan Williams; OLs Willie Beavers and Jake Rodgers (link)
New Orleans Saints
- TEs Jim Dray, Gavin Escobar, and Brian Parker; OL Andrew Gardner; DT John Hughes (link)
New York Jets
- WR Tavarres King; DT Ed Stinson; S Mykkele Thompson (link)
San Francisco 49ers
- TE Cooper Helfet (link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- DBs Jordan Dangerfield and Harold Jones-Quartey (link)
Tennessee Titans
- WRs Chris Harper, Anthony Nash, Tim Patrick, and Keenan Reynolds (link)
Washington Redskins
- QB Garrett Grayson (link via Pelissero); WRs Amba Etta-Tawo, Kalif Raymond, and Nelson Spruce; OTs Reid Fragel, Javarius Leamon, and Victor Salako (link)
Saints To Sign OL John Greco
The Saints have reached agreement with free agent offensive lineman John Greco, a source tells Joel Erickson of the Advocate (Twitter link).
Greco, at first glance, appears to be a depth signing for New Orleans, who already boast Larry Warford and Andrus Peat as its starting guards. Veteran right tackle Zach Strief will be sidelined for at least eight weeks after being placed on injured reserve earlier today, but Greco doesn’t play tackle, and first-round pick Ryan Ramczyk is expected to take over on the right side when left tackle Terron Armstead presumably returns to the field following the Saints’ Week 5 bye.
If Armstead doesn’t come back in the next few weeks (he’s recovering from a torn labrum), the Saints could hypothetically reshuffle their front five with Greco now in tow. Peat, the club’s left guard, also plays tackle, and could conceivably shift to right tackle to create space for Greco at guard. That’s entirely speculation, however, and all reports have indicated Armstead is progressing quickly.
Greco, 32, was released by the Browns earlier this year after injuries forced him to miss six total games from 2015-16. When he’s been healthy, however, Greco has been a solid starter, and he graded as the league’s No. 18 guard among 75 qualifiers last season, per Pro Football Focus. All told, Greco offers 111 games — and 70 starts — worth of experience.
Before signing with the Saints, Greco also auditioned for the Giants, Bills, and Lions.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/3/17
Today’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: S Trae Elston, S Shamarko Thomas
- Placed on injured reserve: S Colt Anderson
- Released: S Robert Blanton
- Waived: DE Eric Lee
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on IR: WR Damiere Byrd
- Released from IR: LB Jeremy Cash
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted to active roster: LB Deon King
- Signed off Eagles‘ practice squad: WR Bryce Treggs
- Placed on IR: LB Dominique Alexander
Houston Texans
- Signed: DB Marcus Cromartie
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed off Redskins‘ practice squad: G Kyle Kalis
- Signed: C Mike Person
- Placed on IR: C Deyshawn Bond
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted to active roster: DB Jordan Lucas
- Placed on IR: T Eric Smith
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: FB Zach Line, LB Gabe Martin
- Released: DL Kendall Langford
- Waived: LB Ben Heeney
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: LB Josh Carraway
Saints Place Zach Strief On IR
The Saints have placed offensive tackle Zach Strief on injured reserve, a source tells ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Strief suffered an MCL sprain earlier this year but the team was hoping to avoid IR. 
By placing Strief on IR, the Saints will have to keep him out of action for a minimum of eight weeks. The good news is that offensive line coach Dan Roushar says Strief may be a candidate to return later in the season (Twitter link via Joel A. Erickson of The Advocate).
Strief suffered his injury during the team’s season opener and that was a bad blow considering that fellow starting tackle Terron Armstead was also injured to start the year. The Saints have managed to go 2-2 even with their banged up offensive line, but it remains to be seen if they can keep things afloat going forward.
In 2016, the 34-year-old played more than 97% of the Saints’ offensive snaps and posted perhaps the best campaign of his career. He graded as the No. 12 overall tackle in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, which gave him excellent marks in the run and pass game.
The Saints are on bye in Week 5 before facing the Lions in Week 6.
Saints Audition Gerald Hodges
The Saints worked out linebacker Gerald Hodges, according to a source who spoke with Mike Florio of PFT (on Twitter). There’s no word yet on how the audition went or whether a deal is imminent. 
The Bills signed Hodges this offseason after losing Zach Brown and Lerentee McCray, so he appeared to be in line for a starting job or, at the very least, significant playing time. Instead, he was a surprise cut on Sept. 3.
This appears to be Hodges’ first known audition since being let go by Buffalo. In his previous round of free agency, the Chiefs, Seahawks, Jets, Giants, Patriots, Jaguars, and Colts also showed interest in him.
In 2016, Hodges played on roughly half of the 49ers’ defensive snaps last year while grading out as the league’s No. 21 linebacker, per the numbers at Pro Football Focus. In those 15 games, the 26-year-old tallied 80 tackles, three sacks, and two interceptions. He also was on the field for 73 special teams snaps.
Latest On Saints’ Kenny Vaccaro
The Saints have asked teams for a seventh-round pick that can convert to a sixth in exchange for safety Kenny Vaccaro, a source tells ESPN.com’s Mike Sando. Another executive opined that New Orleans would probably have to eat a portion of his contract to facilitate a deal. He’s still due the prorated portion of his $5.7MM salary for 2017. 
“This would be maybe a fourth-rounder if he were not on the final year of his deal, and a sixth-rounder because he is in the final year,” one league insider said. “Vaccaro is making too much money with too little production to get traded now. The Saints would have to eat salary.”
Vaccaro pushed for an extension this offseason, but the interest was not reciprocated by the Saints. Two weeks ago, we learned that the Saints have discussed a Vaccaro trade with a “handful of teams.” We now know that the Saints are not asking for much in return.
Vaccaro has technically started in all four games for the Saints, but he has been taken off the field for significant chunks of time, including the team’s Week 2 loss to the Pats. As of this writing, he is Pro Football Focus’ lowest-ranked safety among those with enough snaps to qualify.
The Saints have roughly four weeks until the Halloween trade deadline if they want to move the veteran.
Saints Activate Willie Snead, Place John Kuhn On IR
John Kuhn‘s September of transactions saw the latest chapter reveal itself Thursday, and the veteran fullback’s time with the team took a bad turn.
The Saints placed Kuhn on IR because of a biceps injury Ian Rapoport of NFL.com refers to as “potentially serious” (Twitter link). Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com tweets Kuhn likely tore a biceps muscle during practice this week.
Kuhn, who re-signed with the franchise again on Monday, looks like he will be out for the season. The Saints used his roster spot to officially activate Willie Snead, who is set to return after serving a three-game suspension.
The 35-year-old Kuhn played in two Saints games this season after suiting up for all 16 in 2016. New Orleans released the blocking back twice this month but re-signed him soon after.
Snead returns after a suspension for a violation of the league’s personal conduct policy. The third-year wideout has been a consistent part of New Orleans’ offense since debuting in 2015.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/27/17
Today’s minor moves:
Houston Texans
- Promoted to active roster: WR Chris Thompson
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted to active roster: LB Ben Heeney
- Placed on IR: DT David Parry
Seattle Seahawks
- Claimed off waivers: LB Justin March-Lillard
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/26/17
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: TE Anthony Denham, LB Earl Okine
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: WR Reggie Davis
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Jamaal Jones
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Tre McBride, CB Doran Grant
- Cut: OL D.J. Tialavea
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: WR Bug Howard
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: LB Tre’von Johnson
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: TE Marcus Lucas, G Ian Silberman
- Cut: OLB Johnathan Calvin, TE Henry Krieger-Coble, T Andrew Wylie
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DB Arthur Maulet
New York Jets
- Signed: CB Robert Nelson
- Cut: WR Kalif Raymond
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DE Branden Jackson
- Cut: DB Tyvis Powell, TE Gabe Holmes