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New Orleans Saints News & Rumors

Reggie Bush Says Two Teams Have Interest

June 23rd, 2016 at 2:43pm CST by Zachary Links

Free agent running back Reggie Bush says that he has received calls from two interested NFL teams this offseason (Twitter link via SiriusXM NFL Radio), though he did not specify which teams have inquired on him. Bush added that he is taking his time in the process and wants to do things “the right way,” which likely means that no deal is imminent for the 31-year-old. Reggie Bush (vertical)

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Bush announced in February that he is intent on playing in 2016, though it was unclear at the time whether that feeling was being reciprocated back from any of the league’s 32 teams. Now, if Bush is to be believed, there are at least a pair of clubs that would be interested in having him aboard.

The Lions cut Bush prior to the 2015 season to save money after he missed much of the previous campaign with ankle injuries. Bush went on to sign the 49ers, but he played just five games before tearing his left ACL on the concrete at the Edwards Jones Dome in St. Louis. Bush later sued the St. Louis Regional Convention and Stadium Authority over his injury, which capped his season’s statline at a grand total of 28 yards. Now, Bush says he has recovered from his ACL tear.

“I feel healthy and can make an impact on the field,” Bush told SiriusXM (Twitter link). “I think I’ve benefited from playing in different offenses.”

Despite getting heavy run as the lead back in Miami and Detroit between 2011 and 2013, he probably would only carry value as a third-down specialty back if he returns for the 2016 season. Any deal he signs will likely be light on guarantees.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Curtis Lofton Hopes To Continue Playing

June 23rd, 2016 at 11:18am CST by Zachary Links

Free agent linebacker Curtis Lofton is without a team as we head into July, but he hopes that will change by August. In an interview on 92.9 The Game, Lofton explained he underwent offseason ankle and knee surgeries, but intends to continue playing in 2016 (Twitter link via Alex Marvez of FOX Sports). Curtis Lofton

[RELATED: 2016 NFL Free Agents]

Lofton, 30, was released in a cap-saving move by the Raiders in March. The Oklahoma product joined the Raiders for the 2015 season after spending his previous seven NFL seasons in Atlanta and New Orleans. Unfortunately, inking a three-year, $18MM deal with Oakland, Lofton failed to make a real impact for the team, starting just nine games and struggling to produce. Pro Football Focus ranked him 94th out of 97 qualified linebackers.

Lofton’s contract stipulated that $3.5MM of his $5.35MM base salary for 2016 would become guaranteed in February, less than a week after the Super Bowl. Reportedly, the Raiders couldn’t cut the linebacker prior to that date because he was unable to pass a physical due to an arm injury and they ultimately wound up waiving him with a failed physical designation.

Now that Lofton has copped to having serious ankle and knee issues in addition to his arm surgery, it seems unlikely that he’ll net a deal with much in the way of guarantees. However, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a team bring him in on a low-risk, one-year deal while there are expanded rosters. After all, Lofton can provide valuable experience for someone’s linebacking corps after playing in a starting role across his eight-year career.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Saints Work Out P Spencer Lanning

June 21st, 2016 at 10:20pm CST by Dallas Robinson
  • Veteran wide receiver Denarius Moore has worked out for both the Lions and Jaguars this offseason, PFR has learned. Moore was signed by the Bengals prior to the 2015 season, but was cut before the season began and ultimately appeared in five games with the Bills. The 27-year-old was part of a wideout contingent that auditioned for the Saints last month.
  • Free agent punter Spencer Lanning worked out for the Saints last week, PFR has learned. Lanning, 28, was the Brown’s full-time punter from 2013-2014, but appeared in just one game last season, filling in for the Bears in early October while Pat O’Donnell was injured. The South Carolina product also auditioned for the Jaguars back in January, but is in no rush to sign as training camp approaches.

La Canfora: NFL Happy About Benson Settlement

June 21st, 2016 at 9:24am CST by Zachary Links
  • There are a lot of people in the NFL world who are breathing a sigh of relief now that the Saints ownership battle appears to be over. Last week, owner Tom Benson reached an accord with his estranged heirs that will keep Benson in power and put the legal turmoil behind him. The settlement still requires the approval of the league’s owners, but La Canfora believes that Benson is unlikely not to get the OK of 24 of his peers. Still, even if the team winds up in the hands of wife Gayle Benson, some owners will be concerned about her ability to manage the organization long-term.

Saints Excited About CFL Player

June 20th, 2016 at 8:43pm CST by Zachary Links
  • The Saints are excited about Canadian import Erik Harris, as Christopher Dabe of The Times-Picayune writes. “He has been a pleasant surprise,” head coach Sean Payton said. “When you get a player from Canada, it is really a free agent signing, so you have not had to use a draft pick.” As shown on Roster Resource, the former Hamilton Tiger-Cats standout is vying with Alden Darby to occupy one of the final safety spots on the team.

Saints Place Jamarca Sanford On Injured Reserve

June 18th, 2016 at 12:14pm CST by Ben Levine

Jamarca Sanford may have signed an extension with the Saints this past offseason, but the veteran’s tenure in New Orleans might be over. Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com reports (via Twitter) that the team has placed the veteran safety on the injured reserve. To take his roster spot, the Saints have signed nose tackle Lawrence Virgil.

The 30-year-old played in all 16 games for the Saints last season, compiling 14 tackles and one interception in 105 total defensive snaps. The former seventh-round pick has settled into a back-up/special teams role over the past several years, but the Saints thought enough of him to offer a one-year contract this past offseason. Before joining the Saints in 2014, Sanford played for the Redskins and Vikings, where he started 44 games in five seasons.

The Saints signed veteran defensive back Roman Harper earlier this month, but Woodbery isn’t sure if that addition was related to the Sanford move. Either way, the writer notes that Sanford’s roster spot was certainly in question following the acquisition of Harper.

As Woodbery tweets, Lawrence Virgil was originally signed by the Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2014. After compiling a pair of tackles as a rookie, the Valdosta State product spent 2015 on the injured reserve.

Settlement Reached In Saints Ownership Spat

June 17th, 2016 at 5:54pm CST by Zachary Links

5:54pm: The settlement still requires NFL approval, tweets CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora. That means at least 24 owners must sign off on it.

2:45pm: The Saints announced that a settlement has been reached in the dispute between owner Tom Benson and his estranged heirs. Terms of the settlement are confidential and therefore unknown at this time. Tom Benson (vertical)

The agreement means that it will be “business as usual” for the Saints as well as other key Benson properties, including the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans, a local television station, and a cluster of car dealerships. The settlement comes on the heels of a court decision in June which ruled that Benson, despite the protests of the heirs he was feuding with, is mentally competent and fit to run his businesses.

Years ago, the Saints owner designated granddaughter Rita Benson LeBlanc as his handpicked successor. Then, in January 2016, he announced that he decided to instead transfer ownership of the city’s two major pro sports franchises to his wife, Gayle, when he dies. Meanwhile, LeBlanc’s offices at the teams’ Metairie headquarters were vacated and her company-issued Mercedes-Benz and cell phone was seized. LeBlanc, who was less than thrilled by all of this, filed a lawsuit claiming Benson is mentally incompetent and being manipulated by his wife.

Now, the 88-year-old will presumably remain at the helm of his sports franchises and, down the line, they will be owned and operated by his current spouse.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Saints Have Several Difficult Roster Decisions

June 17th, 2016 at 11:23am CST by Ben Levine

The Saints will ultimately have to choose between kickers Kai Forbath and Connor Barth. Unfortunately, as Evan Woodbury of NOLA.com notes, making that decision is easier said than done.

[SOURCE LINK]

Saints Audition 3 Notable Veterans

June 16th, 2016 at 11:12am CST by Connor J. Byrne

THURSDAY: 11:12am: Meachem is back out on the field today and continuing to audition for the Saints, Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune tweets.

WEDNESDAY, 3:54pm: Meachem didn’t practice today because of a foot injury, writes Katherine Terrell of NOLA.com. He remains in the running for a contract.

12:02pm: There’s no sign of Meachem at Saints practice, but the other tryout guys are back today, Christopher Dabe of The Times-Picayune tweets. That could be an indication that Meachem is not in the team’s plans, but we’ll have to wait for further developments.

TUESDAY, 4:58pm: The Saints tried out nearly a dozen players on the first day of their minicamp Tuesday, according to Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com. Notably, receiver Robert Meachem and a pair of veteran defensive ends – Darryl Tapp and Matt Shaughnessy – were among those who auditioned.

Robert Meachem

Meachem previously worked out in April for the Saints, and if he signs with them, it would be his third tenure with the club. New Orleans used its first-round pick (27th overall) in 2007 on Meachem, who went on to catch 141 passes and 23 touchdowns there before signing with the Chargers in 2012. After an uninspiring season in San Diego, Meachem rejoined the Saints, picked up just 23 receptions and two scores in 26 games from 2013-14, and hasn’t played since. The Saints aren’t exactly loaded at wideout beyond Brandin Cooks, Willie Snead and second-rounder Michael Thomas, however, so it seems the soon-to-be 32-year-old Meachem will have a legitimate chance to crack the roster if the team signs him.

Tapp, meanwhile, is a 10-year veteran who spent the previous two campaigns in Detroit and appeared in all 32 of its regular-season games – mostly as a reserve. Tapp logged only one start with the Lions and recorded 2.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. Two of those sacks and a pair of forced fumbles came in 2015 for Tapp, whom Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked 78th out of 110 qualifying edge defenders – placing him ahead of Saints reserve DE Kasim Edebali (91st) but behind Obum Gwacham (58th). Tapp graded out well against the run, which – like everything else – was a major problem for the Saints’ porous defense last season.

Shaughnessy, like Meachem, has drawn past interest from the Saints, who auditioned him in October and last month. He also worked out for Arizona prior to its playoff game against Green Bay in January, but the Cardinals didn’t sign him. Shaughnessy played with the Cardinals from 2013-14 before sitting out last season. In 75 career games (48 starts), the 29-year-old has accumulated 18.5 sacks – a personal-best seven of which came with the Raiders in 2010.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC Notes: Panthers, Vikings, Saints, Falcons

June 15th, 2016 at 11:20am CST by Zachary Links

Panthers coach Ron Rivera admits that Fletcher Cox‘s massive new deal with the Eagles doesn’t help the Panthers’ cause in trying to lock up Kawann Short, Bill Voth of Black and Blue Review writes.

“This is the hard part right now is what’s going on in the league,” Rivera said. “I think some of these contracts are unbelievable as far as what I’m seeing and hearing.”

Word is that the Panthers may not be willing to go above $15MM/year for their standout defensive tackle. Cox, meanwhile, will average nearly $17.2MM per season on his new deal with a great deal in the way of guarantees early on in the pact.

Here’s more from the NFC:

  • The Vikings can’t seem to find the right counterpart for Harrison Smith at safety, writes Ben Goessling of ESPN.com, who lists Michael Griffin, Andrew Sendejo, Anthony Harris, Antone Exum, and Jayron Kearse as contenders for the job. Right now, there’s no word as to whether the Vikings could look out-of-house to help bolster the group. Griffin, 31, is the most experienced of the bunch by far, and given that he excels in coverage, he might be the favorite to line up opposite Smith. “One thing I try not to do, especially in OTAs where we’re not in pads, is try to jump to some kind of conclusion of who should be the starter,” said head coach Mike Zimmer of the competition. “I’ll kind of let that play out in camp.”
  • Veteran defensive end Darryl Tapp tried out for the Saints on Tuesday, as Evan Woodbery of The Times Picayune tweets.
  • The Falcons are trying out wide receiver Donatella Luckett, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • UDFA tight end Ben Braunecker has a real good shot to make the Bears‘ roster, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Braunecker was seen working with Chicago’s second-team offense during OTAs.
  • The Bears are trying out tight end Ryan Taylor and defensive lineman Marquise Jackson, according to Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).
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