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New Orleans Saints News & Rumors

South Notes: Saints, Gregory, Beasley, Colts

March 30th, 2015 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

The Saints have been one of the league’s busiest teams this month, stockpiling several early-round draft picks and trading core contributors like Jimmy Graham, Kenny Stills, and Ben Grubbs. According to Peter King of TheMMQB.com, the team wants to continue to be active over the course of the next month, which could mean trading veteran guard Jahri Evans, or perhaps extending or dealing defensive end Cameron Jordan. As we wait to see what else GM Mickey Loomis and the Saints have up their sleeves, let’s check in on a few more items from around the NFL’s two South divisions….

  • While Randy Gregory‘s failed drug test at the combine may result in him not being a top-10 pick, it hasn’t necessarily diminished interest in him around the league. Faced with the possibility of Gregory being available, clubs with picks in the second half of the first round are taking a closer look at the Nebraska product. According to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Panthers are the latest team to work out Gregory.
  • Clemson’s Vic Beasley, one of this year’s top edge-rushing prospects, had a workout today with the Falcons, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
  • Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com is confused by the Colts‘ apparent decision not to make head coach Chuck Pagano a serious contract extension offer this offseason. Meanwhile, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explores whether Ryan Grigson‘s involvement in the Deflategate saga could cause a strain on the relationship between Indianapolis’ coach and general manager.

Brian Dixon Arrested

March 29th, 2015 at 11:49am CST by Rory Parks

Saints cornerback Brian Dixon was arrested in Miami Beach early this morning for resisting arrest, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. As Florio writes, Dixon is charged only with resisting arrest, so it is unclear why he was being arrested in the first place. Dixon was pulled over while driving a moped.

The Northwest Missouri State product caught on with the Saints as an undrafted free agent last year, seeing action in all 16 games and recording 18 total tackles with one pass defensed and one forced fumble.

Dixon tweeted the following about an hour ago: “It hurts to know that I wasn’t causing no trouble and was fully cooperating.”

NFC Links: Cowboys, AP, Saints, Bears, 49ers

March 27th, 2015 at 8:13pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Cowboys seemingly downgraded significantly at running back this offseason in replacing reigning rushing champ DeMarco Murray, who signed with the NFC East rival Eagles, with Darren McFadden. Given that and Adrian Peterson‘s unhappiness with the Vikings, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com took a look at whether Dallas should attempt to acquire the former NFL MVP.

Peterson, 30, has three years left on his current contract, and missed all of last season because of domestic violence issues. His off-field problems aside, Fitzgerald opines that Dallas would be better off steering clear of Peterson because of the difficulty that would come with fitting him under the team’s salary cap. The Cowboys have worked hard in recent years to better their long-term cap situation and they still have to find a way to retain wide receiver Dez Bryant beyond the 2015 season. Adding Peterson, although enticing, would be imprudent.

Here’s a look at some other NFC clubs currently in the news:

  • The Saints need an edge rusher and could take one with their first-round pick, the 13th overall selection, writes Larry Holder of NOLA.com. “I think we’ll have to draft at least one if not two defensive linemen and or outside linebacker pass rushers,” head coach Sean Payton said. The Saints must generate a better pass rush going forward after finishing an underwhelming 21st in the league in sacks last year.
  • The staff at CSNChicago.com is analyzing possible draft prospects the Bears could target. The site examined Colorado State offensive tackle Ty Sambrailo, whom it sees as a fit for the Bears in the second or third round.
  • The 49ers waived cornerback Cameron Fuller on Friday, according to the team’s website. San Francisco signed Fuller to its practice squad late last season and activated him for one game, in which he didn’t play.

La Canfora’s Latest: Mariota, AP, Dolphins

March 26th, 2015 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

After spending four days at this week’s league meetings in Arizona, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com came away with some additional insight and information on a number of key storylines around the NFL, including Marcus Mariota‘s potential landing spot and the Adrian Peterson situation in Minnesota. Let’s round up some of the highlights from La Canfora’s latest column….

  • After speaking to a number of team executives around the NFL, La Canfora gets the “strong sense” that Mariota won’t make it past the second overall pick. That doesn’t necessarily mean Mariota will be a Titan, but if a team wants to move up to snag him, a trade with Tennessee at No. 2 is more likely than a move to No. 5 or 6. “He’s going second overall,” said one GM who has an eye on the Mariota market. “I don’t know to which team, but he’s going second overall.”
  • Ben Dogra, Peterson’s agent, was “ever-present” at this week’s meetings, and his mission to get his client off the Vikings‘ roster “remains at full throttle,” according to La Canfora. While head coach Mike Zimmer indicated yesterday that the team had no plans to trade its star running back, Dogra will continue to do whatever he can to accommodate an exodus from Minnesota for Peterson, and has told people he’s confident a deal can get done before the draft.
  • As La Canfora notes, and as I alluded to yesterday in the wake of Zimmer’s comments, the Vikings aren’t budging, and they have no reason to — the team is unlikely to get a whole lot in return for a 30-year-old running back who sat out most of last year, won’t be reinstated until April 15 at the earliest, and has three years and $45MM left on his deal.
  • Several people told La Canfora this week that Mike Tannenbaum is “clearly calling the shots” for the Dolphins, with GM Dennis Hickey playing a reduced role.
  • Many people in the know believe that the Saints will ultimately end up with Tom Benson‘s wife Gayle rather than his grandchildren, as a legal battle for the franchise continues to play out.

Saints Notes: Evans, Spencer, Jordan, Draft

March 25th, 2015 at 10:49am CST by Luke Adams

Although he was the last head coach to arrive at the NFC coaches’ breakfast in Phoenix this morning, Sean Payton of the Saints may have dropped more noteworthy tidbits for reporters in Arizona than any other NFC coach. Let’s dive in and round up the highlights, via Larry Holder, Nick Underhill, Ian Rapoport, and Mike Garafolo (all links go to Twitter)….

  • The Saints explored the possibility of trading both Jahri Evans and Ben Grubbs, since it wasn’t feasible to keep both high-priced guards. With Grubbs having been sent to Kansas City, Evans is poised to stick around, but his contract may still be addressed and modified, per Payton.
  • There were “four or five teams” talking to the Saints about a potential Jimmy Graham trade, including the Dolphins. Asked about whether last year’s positional battle or contract negotiations involving Graham played a part in the team’s decision to trade the tight end, Payton replied, “Zero. None.” The head coach added that he has spoken to Drew Brees about the deal, and the quarterback handled it fine.
  • Payton confirmed that free agent DE/OLB Anthony Spencer visited the Saints on Monday, but said there’s nothing to announce at this point.
  • Payton likes this year’s draft class for wide receivers, and believes the team will take at least one or two defensive linemen or edge defenders in the draft. Adding a tight end, either in free agency or the draft, is also a priority.
  • General manager Mickey Loomis has begun discussions on a potential long-term contract extension for defensive Cameron Jordan.
  • Payton believes there’s a good chance Travaris Cadet would have re-signed with the Saints if the club hadn’t added C.J. Spiller in free agency. The head coach added that he had dinner in Los Angeles with Reggie Bush to discuss a potential reunion before signing Spiller, since the team expected Spiller to “end up somewhere else at a higher number.”
  • Asked about finding a successor for Brees, Payton said he thinks the veteran quarterback has “a lot of good football left,” but he’s open to drafting a QB if there’s value to be had. However, Payton dismissed the idea of trading up for Marcus Mariota, saying that “won’t happen.”
  • Prior to releasing him, the Saints wanted Curtis Lofton to make some adjustments and improvements to his game, and to take a pay cut, but it didn’t pan out.

Extra Points: Carr, Cowboys, Green, Spikes

March 24th, 2015 at 10:36pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s round up some assorted items from around the NFL…

  • Cowboys COO Stephen Jones said the club isn’t certain it will ask cornerback Brandon Carr to take a pay cut, according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star Telegram (Twitter link). Jones adds that Dallas has accounted for Carr’s salary in its books, and discussions are still ongoing. For his part, Carr has indicated that he is not amenable to a pay reduction.
  • Florida offensive lineman Chaz Green will have a full schedule, as he has visits set up with the Buccaneers, Panthers, Falcons, Texans, Cowboys, Bills, Saints, and Chargers, tweets Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net.
  • The Vikings’ signing of Casey Matthews probably signals the end of their interest in Brandon Spikes, says Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (Twitter link). Minnesota was only “lukewarm” on Spikes as it was, and Wolfson hears that Spikes is asking for to much money.
  • Western Oregon receiver Tyrell Williams already had a workout with the Patriots, and he also has a private workout with the Lions lined up, per Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
  • In his review of free agency, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap analyzes the 10 worst contracts handed out during the offseason, listing Ndamukong Suh and Byron Maxwell‘s deals Nos. one and two, respectively.
  • Also at Over the Cap, Bryce Johnston uses his expected contract value metric to determine which contracts are the most likely to be “one-and-done,” with Tramon Williams (Browns) and Andre Johnson (Colts) topping the list.

South Notes: Titans, Spencer, Saints, Panthers

March 24th, 2015 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

With the Buccaneers viewed as very likely to draft Jameis Winston first overall next month, the Titans‘ pick at No. 2 is a big one, since it’s not clear whether Tennessee will opt for quarterback Marcus Mariota or select a defender.

Asked today about the Mariota possibility, Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt told reporters, including Jim Corbett of USA Today (Twitter link) that “if he comes to us at No. 2, he’s definitely going to be the Day One starter.” As Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports tweets, Whisenhunt later clarified that he meant if his team were to draft a quarterback second overall, it would be with the expectation that the player would start immediately.

Whisenhunt’s comments don’t necessarily signal that Tennessee is leaning toward the Oregon signal-caller, but the door certainly doesn’t seem closed on that outcome either. Here are a few more notes from around the NFL’s two South divisions:

  • The latest report on the possibility of a Titans sale has led to the latest round of denials from the organization. This time, it’s interim president Steve Underwood saying that ownership is committed to the team, and doesn’t intend to field offers on the franchise, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. Per Wyatt, Tommy Smith‘s replacement also made it clear that he has confidence in Whisenhunt and GM Ruston Webster.
  • Former Cowboys DE/OLB Anthony Spencer is visiting New Orleans to meet with the Saints, per Kristian Garic of WWL 870 (via Twitter). Spencer, who has spent all eight years of his NFL career with Dallas, hasn’t started a game since his Pro Bowl season in 2012, but has a history with Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.
  • Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman said today that linebacker Thomas Davis will be next in line for a contract extension, and also suggested that wide receiver Greg Jennings and cornerback Alan Ball are still in play for Carolina — both players have drawn interest from other teams as well, and are taking their time to make decisions.
  • Texans head coach Bill O’Brien identified safety and offensive line as two spots at which he wants to improve his team’s depth, adding that he’d like to upgrade the club’s return game as well (Twitter link via John McClain of the Houston Chronicle).

Bills Rumors: Draft, QBs, Spikes, Dareus

March 24th, 2015 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bills are one of two teams – along with the Seahawks – without a first-round pick this year, and it doesn’t look like that will change. General manager Doug Whaley tells Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that his team has no plans to trade into the first round this spring. Whaley also weighed in on a number of other Bills-related topics today, so let’s check out the highlights….

  • Trade speculation has been swirling around veteran quarterbacks like Drew Brees and Philip Rivers lately, but Whaley hasn’t been contacted by the Saints or Chargers, and hasn’t reached out to either team, about those signal-callers, tweets Rodak. Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (Twitter link) independently confirms, via multiple sources, that the Bills aren’t pursuing Rivers at all, though he cautions that could change if the San Diego QB nears free agency next year.
  • Whaley intends to get in touch with linebacker Brandon Spikes next week, and isn’t ruling out a potential return to Buffalo for the veteran free agent (Twitter link via Rodak).
  • While the Bills may be willing to make Spikes a modest offer, they don’t have much flexibiity to go higher than the minimum. Whaley, on the team’s remaining cap space: “We’re tapped out. [We’re] at the point now where we’ve got to save for the draft choices and injury replacements” (Twitter link via Carucci).
  • Asked by Rodak if he’s concerned that Ndamukong Suh‘s monster contract could set a precedent for Marcell Dareus‘ next deal, Whaley replied with an emphatic “yes” (Twitter link).

Saints GM: Drew Brees Not Going Anywhere

March 23rd, 2015 at 12:40pm CST by Luke Adams

The Saints have parted ways with several veteran players this offseason, trading away former All-Pros like Jimmy Graham and Ben Grubbs, sending young, inexpensive wideout Kenny Stills to Miami, and releasing top tackler Curtis Lofton. As the team overhauls its roster though, general manager Mickey Loomis insists that former Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees isn’t on the trade block, as he tells Jim Corbett of USA Today.

“Anybody who thinks we’re trading Drew Brees, that’s just not true,” Loomis said.

Despite a cap hit of $26.4MM for the coming season, the second-highest cap number in the NFL, Brees was never considered a real trade candidate within the last weeks, even as Loomis and the Saints significantly retooled the roster. In fact, around the time news of the Stills trade broke, one report indicated that Brees and young receiver Brandin Cooks were the only players on the New Orleans roster who were untouchable.

Still, Brees only has one year remaining on his contract after the 2015 season (featuring a $27.4MM cap hit for 2016), and turned 36 in January. There’s been some speculation that the Saints could use their excess of 2015 draft picks to make a play for Marcus Mariota, eyeing him as Brees’ long-term replacement. That always looked like a long shot though, and Loomis’ comments suggest it’s not in the Saints’ plans.

The more realistic and likely scenario has the team using those extra draft picks to stock up on defensive talent, perhaps using one or two selections to give Brees a little more help on the offensive side of the ball. Although Graham and Stills are gone, the Saints re-signed Mark Ingram, brought in C.J. Spiller and Pro Bowl center Max Unger, and wideouts Cooks and Marques Colston are still around, so the veteran signal-caller should have no shortage of weapons.

Draft Notes: Rowe, Carter, Anthony

March 20th, 2015 at 7:41pm CST by Rob DiRe

As teams are setting up their draft boards, many are meeting with prospects to try to learn as much as they can as they prepare for the 2015 NFL Draft.

Here are a few prospects that have visited with organizations, with new updates added to the top:

  • The Dolphins will host Utah defensive back Eric Rowe, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Rowe projects as either a cornerback or a safety depending on which team drafts him, and with good size and speed he could be a impact player later in the draft. Wilson also writes that Rowe will meet with the Ravens, Lions, Buccaneers, and Texans.
  • The Ravens met with Sacramento State receiver DeAndre Carter, writes Wilson. Carter was the top receiver in FCS competition last year, catching 99 passes for over 1,300 yards and 17 touchdowns on his way to becoming a first-team All American selection.
  • The Saints worked out Clemson linebacker Stephone Anthony, writes Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (via Twitter). Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, linebackers coach Joe Vitt, and assistant general manager Jeff Ireland met with Anthony.
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