- 2015 first-round pick Andrus Peat played primarily on the left side during his rookie year, so the Saints are now considering moving him from right guard to left guard, according to John DeShazier of the team’s website. If New Orleans does make the switch, veterans Tim Lelito and Senio Kelemete would keep competing for the right guard spot.
The Saints haven’t officially announced their roster cuts tonight, but Nick Underhill and Joel Erickson of the Advocate have rounded up the club’s moves (unless noted otherwise). By our count, these transaction leave the Saints with 77 players on their roster, meaning they’ll need to make three more moves before 3pm CT Tuesday.
Waived:
- Reggie Bell, WR
- Jared Dangerfield, WR
- Kaleb Eulls, G
- Jamal Golden, S
- Chris Highland, LS
- Sione Houma, RB
- Dillon Lee, LB
- Cyril Lemon, G
- Jeff Schoettmer, LB
Waived/Injured:
- Jimmy Pruitt, DB (Twitter link via Kristian Garic of WWL 870)
7:51pm: It’s a one-year, minimum salary benefit deal for Barnes, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
6:41pm: The Saints have reached an agreement with veteran offensive lineman Khalif Barnes, according to Nick Underhill of the Advocate (Twitter link). Barnes was part of a workout session in New Orleans earlier today.
Barnes, 34, 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. He lost his starting job in Oakland last season, but still appeared in 14 games, and could serve as depth in New Orleans.
Barnes wasn’t the only acquisition for the Saints today, as the club also sent a conditional seventh-round pick to the Dolphins in exchange for DE/LB Chris McCain.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
6:10pm: The Dolphins will receive a conditional seventh-round pick, tweets Jackson.
5:11pm: The Saints have struck a deal to acquire linebacker Chris McCain from the Dolphins, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter linknk) the first to report that a trade was in the works.
McCain, 24, is entering his third season in the NFL, but hasn’t contributed much during his first two years in the league. He’s appeared in 19 games, but he’s been more of a special teams player than a defensive stalwart. McCain picked up a sack and a forced fumble in 2015, but only played on 113 total snaps (43 on defense), and wasn’t ticketed for a larger role this year.
In New Orleans, special teams will likely be the area of focus for McCain once again. The Saints have a decent crop of linebackers, with Stephone Anthony, James Laurinaitis, and Dannell Ellerbe making up the starting three, and McCain is unlikely to push free agent addition Craig Robertson for playing time. Given that he was an undrafted free agent, McCain is entering the final year of hi deal, but will only reach restricted free agency after 2016.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The Saints tried out a handful of players today, as Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune (on Twitter) reports. Among the players trying out were quarterbacks Ricky Stanzi and Charlie Whitehurst. Guard Todd Herremans, tight end Bear Pascoe, tight end Jack Tabb, and tackle Khalif Barnes also auditioned for New Orleans. 
Currently, the Saints have Luke McCown and Garrett Grayson on the roster behind starter Drew Brees. Grayson gave up two bad interceptions against the Steelers on Friday night and coach Sean Payton expressed frustration with him after the game.
“He struggled tonight. I was disappointed with a couple of those plays,” Payton said (via Nick Underhill of The Advocate). “The interception to the running back is poor; and obviously, he gets blinded on the linebacker throw and forces it. So that was troubling. He had a good play early on with the touchdown pass, but I would like to see him further along at this point than he is.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The old adage that defense wins championships may or may not be true, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a title-winning team that didn’t build heavily through the draft. Rookie classes, naturally, are evaluated on the perceived upside of the NFL newcomers, but which rookies are ready to contribute right out of the gate? And, how do they fit in with their new team schematically?
To help us forecast the immediate future of these NFL neophytes, we enlisted the help of draft guru Dave-Te Thomas who has served as a scouting personnel consultant to NFL teams for multiple decades.
First Round – Sheldon Rankins, DT (Louisville, No. 12 overall)
The Saints found a playmaker in Louisville’s Sheldon Rankins. One month ago, I would have told you that Tyler Davison and Nick Fairley should watch their backs as the former Cardinals powerhouse was rapidly pushing for first unit assignments. Unfortunately, Rankins suffered a broken fibula a couple of weeks ago, meaning that we’ll have to wait a little longer to see him take the field. Even though he seems ticketed for IR-DTR, Rankins still appears poised to make an impact in 2016. 
Thrust right into action as a 280-pound true freshman, Rankins was a valuable performer for Louisville and “fireplug” at the strong-side defensive tackle position, playing in a 4-3 defensive alignment during his first two campaigns.
With the Cardinals shifting to a 3-4 defense in 2014, Rankins returned to his “roots” at strong-side defensive end, a position where he had compiled 153 tackles (112 solos) with 23.0 sacks and 49.0 additional stops behind the line of scrimmage with 23 quarterback pressures, five fumble recoveries, six forced fumbles, six pass deflections, and three interceptions during his sophomore through senior prep campaigns.
Entering the 2015 season, the Cardinals defender has an appropriate last name. If you consider the consensus analysis from professional scouts, at the strong-side defensive tackle position, it is sort of a “rank and file,” with Rankins the unquestioned top 2016 draft talent, and the rest of the eligible prospects “filing” in behind him.
Rankins is a very disruptive run defender with rare initial quickness. He is at his best shooting gaps and planting ball carriers in the backfield, but he also has long arms (33 inches) for his frame and the upper-body strength to press blockers off him. His ability to penetrate also makes it tough for quarterbacks to step up in the pocket, and he doesn’t have to win with quickness to be an effective pass-rusher, either. He has the violent hands and motor to get to the quarterback when he doesn’t win with his first move.
Rankins is an exceptional competitor with great football character and football/classroom intelligence. He’s a self-motivator, called the team’s “best” practice player by the coaching staff. He has developed into a “film junkie” and easily transfers what he learns in film study to the field. He displays elite first-step quickness and explodes into the backfield, as he can handle either the five- or three-technique chores, thanks to his low center of gravity and explosiveness that makes it tough to establish position against him.
Rankins’ hand usage and upper body strength shows that he has more than enough ability to split double teams. He consistently shoots the gaps to make plays in the backfield and excels at using his hands to control blockers and tracks the ball when moving down the line. He is not the type that will have any issues when trying to anchor when forced into phone booth vs. bigger offensive linemen, as he does a very nice job to split double team action with initial quickness and power.
Quarterback Drew Brees and the Saints still aren’t progressing toward a contract extension, the 37-year-old revealed Wednesday.
“Obviously, there’s nothing to report right now. Focused on football, and we’ll see where it leads prior to the season,” said Brees (via Joel Erickson of the New Orleans Advocate).
With the regular season nearing, it seems time is running out for the two sides to reach an agreement. Brees already made it clear in May that he doesn’t want to engage in negotiations during the season. Thus, if there isn’t a deal by Week 1, he could potentially be in his final season with the Saints. Nevertheless, general manager Mickey Loomis isn’t worried.
“Lots of players play into the last year of their contract,” Loomis said before training camp. “It happened the last time with us, not a preference … but nothing unusual.”
As Loomis alluded to, the Saints and Brees have fought over a contract in the past. After the 2011 season, the club placed the franchise tag on Brees before eventually inking him to a five-year, $100MM pact in July 2012. The tag might not be an option next winter, however, as using it on Brees would cost the Saints $43.2MM. As consistently great as Brees has been, that would obviously represent an unpalatable figure for the organization. As things stand, Brees is set to count a quarterback-leading $30MM against New Orleans’ cap this season and haul in $19.75MM – the second-highest base salary for a signal-caller.
During his 10-year run in New Orleans, the ex-Charger has missed just two games, led the Saints to a 94-64 regular-season record, five playoff appearances, and a Super Bowl title to conclude the 2009-10 campaign. Along the way, Brees has thrown 348 touchdowns, amassed three 5,000-yard seasons, made eight Pro Bowls, and established himself as both the Saints’ all-time best player and a shoo-in for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The Saints released Keenan Lewis last week, and the veteran cornerback thinks his relationship with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen led to his ousting, as he tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Facebook link) that he and the New Orleans DC never got along. Allen, for his part, denies any rift with Lewis, and head coach Sean Payton says other issues went into the decision to cut Lewis. “He’s 52 weeks post-surgery…Just availability, ultimately. We wish him well,” Payton told Joel Erickson of the Advocate. “I think ultimately, it was just trying to get him on the field. It’s just been, it seems like, a long time.”
- While the two sides in the Saints‘ ownership spat want until October to decide to on the terms of the settlement that was agreed to earlier this year, the judge in charge of the case has not yet granted that request, writes Ramon Antonio Vargas of the Advocate. Instead, the parties will come together for a conference on the issue tomorrow.
- Earlier this week, we learned that wide receiver Brandon Coleman is not a lock for the Saints‘ roster.
Wide receiver Brandon Coleman isn’t assured of a spot on the Saints roster, as Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes. Coleman, who spent his rookie season on New Orleans’ practice squad, appeared in all 16 games in 2015, posting 30 receptions for 454 yards and two touchdowns. But following the Saints’ most recent preseason game, head coach Sean Payton wasn’t very complementary of Coleman’s performance.
[RELATED: Saints Release Keenan Lewis]
“I thought it was just OK,” said Payton. “And honestly, it’s been kind of pedestrian from him throughout camp. There’s certain things you see and you see and you see and you see, and then all of a sudden they reveal themselves in a game. And you know what, I’m not surprised. And I think he can be better, and I know I’ve seen better.
“So he’s gonna have to pick it up. I think he will. I think he’ll compete. But I don’t like how he’s catching the ball on the first play that comes out of his hands. Too many times the ball’s separating from him.”
The Saints selected Ohio State’s Michael Thomas in the second round of this year’s draft, and he figures to take over for Marques Colston as the club’s big slot. And with Brandin Cooks and Willie Snead locked in on the outside, Coleman is the fourth option on the depth chart, at best. New Orleans has spent all offseason trying to find a veteran to add to that group, as they’ve agreed to terms with both Vincent Brown and Hakeem Nicks, but neither lasted on the roster.
Payton also didn’t have kind words for return man Marcus Murphy, who has fumbled in each of the Saints’ first two preseason contests. “It just can’t happen. We’ll find another returner,” said Payton, who added that undrafted rookie free agent Tommylee Lewis will be given the chance to usurp Murphy’s role. Murphy, 24, was New Orleans’ primary returner in 2015, averaging just under 10 yards per punt return and 25 yards on kickoffs.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
With the Friday release of Keenan Lewis, the Saints have now severed ties with all but one cornerback who made their roster two years ago, observes Joel Erickson of the New Orleans Advocate. That corner is Brian Dixon, who has begun his career with 32 straight appearances since the Saints signed him as an undrafted free agent from Northwest Missouri State. Of New Orleans’ current group of corners, P.J. Williams stands to benefit the most from Lewis’ exit, writes Erickson, who adds that the 2015 third-round pick has impressed this summer. Williams missed his rookie season with a torn hamstring, but the Florida State product is now set to start opposite Delvin Breaux.
- Falcons punter Matt Bosher suffered a chest injury in the team’s game against the Browns on Thursday, so Atlanta will work out free agent Brandon Fields, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Fields might only be a temporary solution if he signs, however, as McClure notes that Bosher is likely to be fine. A Dolphin from 2007-14, Fields played two games last season with the Saints and averaged 41.2 yards (35.1 net) on 10 punts.