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NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/9/16

November 9th, 2016 at 5:52pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

Seattle Seahawks

Saints Sign S Shiloh Keo

November 9th, 2016 at 9:15am CST by Zachary Links

Saints coach Sean Payton announced that the team has signed safety Shiloh Keo. Payton also confirmed the signing of linebacker Sam Barrington, which was reported earlier today. Shiloh Keo (vertical)

Keo was hit with a two-game suspension stemming from a DUI arrest this offseason. The Broncos released him in the midst of the suspension but they re-signed him once he was cleared to play again. Late last month, Denver cut Keo to make room for newly-acquired tight end A.J. Derby.

Keo appeared in seven games for Denver over the last two seasons. His most productive year came in 2013 while with the Texans. Appearing in all 16 games and starting 11 games at free safety, the Idaho product totaled 63 tackles, six passes defensed, and one interception.

As of this writing, the signing of Keo leaves the Saints with five safeties on the 53-man roster.

Saints To Sign LB Sam Barrington

November 9th, 2016 at 8:43am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are signing linebacker Sam Barrington, according to Alex Marvez of The Sporting News (on Twitter). Barrington has been looking for work since being cut by Kansas City last week. Sam Barrington (vertical)

Barrington will help to provide depth after the Saints placed linebacker James Laurinaitis on injured reserve. The Laurinaitis shutdown allowed New Orleans to activate rookie Sheldon Rankins, but they were left thin when it comes to true linebackers. Before Barrington, the Saints had Craig Robertson, Michael Mauti, Dannell Ellerbe, Nathan Stupar, and Stephone Anthony in the LB group. Now, they once again have one reserve for each starter.

Barrington spent the first three seasons of his career with the Packers but he was waived earlier this year, leading him to the Chiefs. In Kansas City, Barrington made only two appearances on the year. He’s hoping to again see the kind of burn he got in 2014 with Green Bay when he suited up for 14 games and made seven starts in 2014.

Saints Release DT John Jenkins

November 8th, 2016 at 3:21pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are releasing defensive tackle John Jenkins, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Now that we’re past the trade deadline, Jenkins will be subject to waivers before becoming a free agent."<strong

At one point in time, Jenkins was a starter for New Orleans. This year, he was bumped to a reserve role and he apparently was not playing up to coaches’ expectations through the first half of this season. In seven games (one start), Jenkins has ten total tackles and zero sacks. Pro Football Focus has Jenkins rated in the bottom 20% of all qualified interior defenders this year.

Jenkins was only on the field for 33% of the Saints’ defensive snaps this season and was inactive for last week’s game against the 49ers. Now, the team will draw from a DT group of Nick Fairley, rookie Sheldon Rankins, David Onyemata, and Tyeler Davison.

Jenkins saw his salary boosted by about $1MM this year thanks to the proven performance escalator in his rookie deal. Initially due to reach the open this spring, the Saints are giving him a five month head start.

Saints Claim John Phillips

November 7th, 2016 at 6:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Saints Again Decide To Cut Khalif Barnes

November 5th, 2016 at 4:32pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • The Saints have again made the decision to cut Khalif Barnes, Christopher Dabe of NOLA.com tweets. New Orleans promoted linebacker Chris McCain from its practice squad as well, per Dabe (on Twitter). The moves came as the Saints activated Sheldon Rankins and relocated James Laurinaitis to IR. Barnes has vacillated between free agency and the Saints throughout the season but has yet to play in a game this year. Given the pattern that’s formed this season, the 34-year-old tackle could return to the team at some point.

Saints Activate Rankins, Put Laurinaitis On IR

November 5th, 2016 at 3:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints have used their IR exemption on a key performer, bringing back first-round defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Rankins has not played this season, going down with a broken fibula in August. New Orleans played it safe with its top 2016 rookie investment, delaying his return until November after he was initially slated to miss between six and eight weeks. The Louisville defensive tackle appears to be on track to play against the 49ers on Sunday.

To make room for the promising first-year talent on the active roster, the team placed James Laurinaitis on IR, ending his season, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

The 22-year-old Rankins will join a Saints defense that ranks 27th in total defense but one that’s been deprived of some key parts. Delvin Breaux has also missed extensive time, having not played since going down in Week 1. P.J. Williams also resides on IR. New Orleans gave up a league-record 45 touchdown passes last season but upset Seattle last week and has a chance to move to .500 in San Francisco on Sunday.

While they’re not on pace to give up close to the 45 TD tosses they yielded in 2015, having clamped down despite secondary losses to cede just nine through seven games, the Saints have just 10 sacks. That ranks them 30th in the league. Rankins totaled 14 sacks at Louisville between the 2014-15 campaigns and should help in this department if he’s able to contribute consistently.

Laurinaitis has never spent time on IR in seven previous seasons, starting every game in which he played from 2009-15. But with Rankins having returned, he will not be able to continue that run of making it through every season on a Week 17 active roster. The offseason acquisition missed two games for the Saints and entered as a backup after returning from the quadriceps injury that sidelined him, so multiple streaks for the durable talent have ended this season.

The 29-year-old linebacker suffered the quad injury in Week 3 but returned to play in Weeks 6 and 7 for his new team. The former Rams standout did not make a tackle against the Chiefs or Seahawks, however, and will have more time to rehab now. He finishes the season with 17 stops.

One of several veteran Rams cut this offseason, Laurinaitis signed a three-year deal with the Saints and stands to see his base salary balloon from $900K to $2.45MM next season.

Poll: Who Will Win The NFC South?

November 3rd, 2016 at 8:08pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

At the outset of the season, the NFC South wasn’t supposed to look as wide open as it currently does. Back then, the Panthers were the clear-cut favorites after going 15-1 last year and rolling through the NFC playoffs en route to a Super Bowl berth. The 2016 Panthers are a far cry from the 2015 version, though, as reigning NFL MVP Cam Newton and the rest of the team have fallen to earth amid a 2-5 start. Carolina is in last place in the division, trailing two 3-4 rivals (the Buccaneers and Saints) and the 5-3 Falcons. More alarming, perhaps, is that the Panthers have already lost to all three of those clubs this year, giving them that much more ground to make up in the race.

Matt Ryan

The Falcons, led by MVP candidate Matt Ryan, superstar wide receiver Julio Jones and running back Devonta Freeman, are 2-1 in the division and boast its only positive point differential (plus-31). They’re also facing the Buccaneers, who are 2-0 in the NFC South, on Thursday in a crucial divisional battle. A win would make the Falcons all the more difficult to catch, while a victory for the Bucs would vault Jameis Winston & Co. to .500 and keep them perfect against their closest rivals. A Falcons defeat would also cause flashbacks to last season, when the club collapsed after a 6-1 start to finish 8-8. This year’s Falcons began 4-1 and are now in danger of dropping three of four, though their fifth overall ranking in Football Outsiders’ DVOA seemingly indicates they’re for real. Nobody else in the division is even in the top 20 in that metric.

The Saints are at No. 23, but they’ve come around in the standings after an 0-3 start and will reach the .500 mark for the first time this season if they beat the lowly 49ers on Sunday. In their signature victory of the year, the Saints upset the Seahawks, 25-20, last Sunday. That was already the sixth one-score game of 2016 for the Saints, who have gone 3-3 in those contests. That’s also true of the Falcons, while the Bucs have recorded a 2-1 mark in one-score affairs and the Panthers have logged an 0-3 record.

While Atlanta and New Orleans are defensively challenged, both have tremendous offenses and top-tier quarterbacks in Ryan and Drew Brees. Conversely, Tampa Bay and Carolina haven’t done anything at an elite level this year. Barring offensive or defensive turnarounds, that would seem to put each behind the 8-ball, though Newton showed in 2015 that he’s capable of performing like an unstoppable force. Given their general decline this year, the Panthers will need Newton to resemble his 2015 self over the season’s final nine games if they’re going to win the division for the fourth straight year. If not, one of the other clubs should finally dethrone Carolina atop the NFC South.

Saints’ Sheldon Rankins To Debut This Week?

November 3rd, 2016 at 9:52am CST by Zachary Links

Finally, we could be on the verge of seeing Sheldon Rankins‘ NFL debut. Saints coach Sean Payton tells reporters that he anticipates Rankins playing this week, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Sheldon Rankins (vertical)

Rankins, the Saints’ first-round pick in this year’s draft, has yet to take the field after suffering a broken fibula in the summer. Initially, the word was that Rankins would be sidelined for six-to-eight weeks starting in late August. However, the Saints played it safe with the young defensive lineman, pushing his debut off until November.

As a senior at Louisville, Rankins totaled 58 tackles with 13 sacks for a loss and six sacks. The No. 12 overall pick was a popular choice in Defensive Rookie of the Year predictions and while he may not have enough time to win the award this year, he could have a major impact on New Orleans’ D-Line. So far this year, New Orleans has given up the fifth-most yards per game (397.4) to opposing offenses.

Saints Inquired On Joe Haden

November 1st, 2016 at 8:30pm CST by Ben Levine

With the NFL’s trade deadline behind us, it’s time to focus on the deals that weren’t made. According to ESPN’s Ed Werder (via Twitter), the Saints “made [a] play” for Browns cornerback Joe Haden before the deadline. However, the organization ultimately determined that the asking price was too high for the two-time Pro Bowler. Joe Haden In a follow up tweet, Werder says the Saints were simply doing their due diligence on Haden. The player’s salary and injury history ultimately limited the team’s interest.

Haden certainly would have helped a struggling Saints defense. The team’s secondary has allowed the 12th-most passing yards in the league, and it’s worth noting that the majority of the team’s “behind” the Saints in the rankings have yet to have their bye week. While the secondary has allowed a modest nine passing touchdowns this season, they’ve only collected three interceptions while allowing 30.7 points per game, which is good for the second worst mark in the league.

Haden would have been a notable addition to the defense. The 27-year-old has played five games this season, compiling 21 tackles, nine passed defended, and a pair of interceptions. Haden only ranks 29th in Pro Football Focus’ cornerback ratings (subscription required), but the former first-rounder would still be a considerable upgrade over the Saints current defensive backs. Delvin Breaux and Sterling Moore are currently battling injuries, forcing the Saints to rely on journeyman B.W. Webb and undrafted free agent Ken Crawley.

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