HEADLINES

Bradley Roby

Saints Place CB Bradley Roby On IR

October 25th, 2022 at 4:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints have played their past two games without Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore. They will play at least their next four without veteran starter Bradley Roby.

New Orleans placed Roby on IR on Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Roby suffered a foot injury in last week’s Saints-Cardinals game and needed to be carted off the field. Roby has been a Saints regular for the past two seasons, since New Orleans acquired him from Houston, and has started six games this year. The Saints re-signed wide receiver Keith Kirkwood to take Roby’s roster spot.

Roby, 30, re-signed with the Texans in 2020 but ended up being dealt to the Saints a year later. After playing 42% of New Orleans’ defensive snaps in 2021, he has be on the field for 78% of the team’s 2022 defensive plays. This will be a blow to a Saints team already dealing with trouble at corner.

An abdominal injury has sidelined Lattimore for the past two games; he remains on New Orleans’ active roster. The team has also played without rookie Alontae Taylor for much of this season and was without Paulson Adebo against Arizona. This left a skeleton crew, one including ex-Roby Broncos teammate Chris Harris, in the team’s Week 7 loss to the Cardinals. Roby’s injury obviously makes Lattimore and Adebo’s availability critical going forward, with the Cards’ win having dropped the Saints to 2-5 — their worst mark through seven games since 2005.

After making a name alongside Harris and Aqib Talib on Denver’s Super Bowl-winning defense, Roby has started 56 career games but has been a regular in all 120 he has played as a pro. The former first-round pick has allowed a 50% completion rate and limited quarterbacks to an 83.3 passer rating as the closest defender. Pro Football Focus, however, has the veteran boundary corner rated just inside the top 100 at the position this season.

Eagles Acquire DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson From Saints

August 30th, 2022 at 11:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints are trading one of their top defensive backs to the Eagles. C.J. Gardner-Johnson is heading to Philadelphia, according to Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The teams have since announced the deal.

Gardner-Johnson, who has played both safety and patrolled the slot for the Saints, staged a hold-in effort earlier in camp as he angled for an extension. Talks broke down, and the Saints are bailing on the talented defender.

It did not take too much in the way of compensation for this trade to go down. The Eagles are sending a 2023 fifth-round pick and a 2024 sixth to the Saints for Gardner-Johnson and a 2025 seventh, Pelissero tweets. The 2024 sixth will be the lower of the Eagles’ two selections in that round.

The Eagles actually see Gardner-Johnson as a safety, Pelissero tweets. He will pair with Marcus Epps, who finished a strong training camp, at the position. A report earlier this month indicated the Eagles could acquire a safety, but Gardner-Johnson has largely excelled in the slot prior to this trade.

This will make for an interesting transition for the fourth-year veteran, especially coming in a contract year. Safety, however, as the Jamal Adams, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Derwin James deals have shown, has proven to be a more lucrative position than slot corner.

Tuesday’s deal also marks the third splash trade for the Eagles this offseason; the Saints have now been involved in two of those moves. This trade comes after the move to acquire A.J. Brown and the deal to land a future first-rounder from the Saints. No word about a potential Gardner-Johnson extension has come down. The Eagles could wait here, but Jalen Hurts‘ rookie contract also offers some flexibility. The team also has no notable cash tied to the safety position, having just released Anthony Harris.

While Pro Football Focus has rated Gardner-Johnson outside the top 50 at cornerback in each of the past two years, he carved out a regular role amongst a veteran Saints DB corps. The former fourth-round pick has also become known for his ability to rile up opposition — both opponents and teammates, considering Michael Thomas‘ 2020 team-imposed suspension came after he threw a punch at Gardner-Johnson. It will be interesting to see how he fares in Philly.

The Saints have assembled a deep secondary in recent years, and NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan tweets rookie Alontae Taylor is one of the players — along with Bradley Roby and former slot P.J. Williams — who have worked inside replacing Gardner-Johnson during camp. The team also already has a big-ticket cornerback deal (Marshon Lattimore) in a secondary that also now includes Tyrann Mathieu‘s $9MM-AAV deal.

Saints Rework CB Bradley Roby’s Deal

March 15th, 2022 at 8:22pm CST by Ben Levine

Bradley Roby is staying in New Orleans. The Saints have agreed to a new deal with the cornerback, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). This move will help the Saints open up some cap space while also assuring that Roby stays with the organization.

After reworking his contract last offseason, Roby’s cap hit was set at $10.169MM in 2022. Roby also has void years in 2023, 2024, 2025 at $25MM per year. 

Roby is still playing out a three-year, $36MM deal he signed with the Texans in 2020. He was traded to New Orleans a year later for a third- and sixth-round pick, and he ended up seeing time in 14 games (one start) for his new team. Roby’s first season with the Saints saw him collect 23 tackles, one sack, five passes defended, and one interception.

The Saints were one of the most cash-strapped teams in the NFL, but they’ve already done some work to get under the cap. Of course, the organization is also in the hunt for Deshaun Watson, so it’s not surprising that the front office continues to look for ways to clear money from their books.

Saints Open Up Extra Cap Space

September 18th, 2021 at 10:04am CST by Ben Levine

The Saints have found a couple of ways to open extra cap space in recent weeks. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the organization reworked the contracts of cornerback Bradley Roby and defensive end Marcus Davenport.

[RELATED: Texans Trade Bradley Roby To Saints]

Roby’s restructuring comes on the heels of his trade to New Orleans earlier this month. After the Saints sent a 2022 third-round pick and a conditional 2023 choice to the Texans, they converted $847K of the player’s salary into a bonus. This move created a bit more than $677K in cap space. Per Aaron Wilson (on Twitter), this transaction was possible thanks to the Texans’ willingness to cover $7.58M of Roby’s salary and roster bonus.

The veteran’s cap hold in 2021 is now $1.18MM, but it’s a whopping $10.169MM in 2022. Roby also now has void years in 2023, 2024, 2025 at $25MM per year. The 29-year-old’s suspension ended earlier this week, meaning he should make his season debut this weekend.

Davenport also helped his team open some extra cap by converting $1.35MM of his salary into a bonus. Similar to Roby, the defensive end will also get three void years tacked on to the end of his contract. The move opens up about $1.08MM in cap space. Davenport started New Orleans’ season opener, collecting three tackles, two tackles for loss, and one sack. He was placed on IR this week after suffering a shoulder injury.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/13/21

September 13th, 2021 at 11:35am CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Las Vegas Raiders

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Texans Trade Bradley Roby To Saints

September 9th, 2021 at 1:41pm CST by Zachary Links

The Texans are trading cornerback Bradley Roby to the Saints (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The Texans will receive a 2022 third-round pick and a conditional 2023 choice in the swap (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Meanwhile, as reported on Thursday morning, the Texans will cover $7MM of Roby’s salary this season while the Saints pay the remaining ~$1.8MM.

Roby was hit with a six-game suspension in December for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. He’s already served five of those games, so he’ll be eligible to play for the Saints in Week 2 when they take on the Panthers.

In ten games (all starts), Roby notched 37 tackles, one interception, a fumble recovery, and seven passes defended. Even though he was briefly deactivated in November, the veteran stood as the Texans’ best corner.

Now, the 29-year-old will jump into a Saints secondary that badly needs reinforcements. Between Roby and newcomer Desmond Trufant, the Saints are in a much better position that they were just last week. Together, they’ll team up with Marshon Lattimore, Ken Crawley, and Paulson Adebo. Meanwhile, free safety P.J. Williams should be able to stick to his natural position.

The Saints will assume the rest of Roby’s three-year, $31.5MM deal, keeping him under club control through 2022. The Texans, meanwhile, will move forward with Terrance Mitchell and Desmond King II as their top corners.

Reworked Deal For Saints’ Bradley Roby

September 9th, 2021 at 10:21am CST by Zachary Links

On Wednesday, the Texans shipped cornerback Bradley Roby to the Saints. In order to facilitate the trade, the Texans first converted ~$7.6MM of his base salary into a signing bonus (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). 

Now, Roby will have a base salary of $1.86MM, down from his scheduled $9.5MM. In essence, the Texans are absorbing a larger dead money hit so that the Saints can fit his contract under the salary cap. That likely means a better haul of draft picks for the Texans, though the exact return in the trade is not yet known.

Roby won’t be with the Saints for their season opener against the Packers on Sunday, since he’s still serving the final week of his six-game ban. But, after that, he’ll be good to go for September 19, when they travel to Carolina to face the Panthers.

Roby, 29, recorded 37 tackles, one interception, a fumble recovery, and seven passes defended in 2020. In a trying year for the Texans, he stood as Houston’s best cornerback. Now, he’ll join fellow newcomer Desmond Trufant to help New Orleans’ ailing secondary. The veterans will team up with Marshon Lattimore, Ken Crawley, and Paulson Adebo, though Lattimore could face a suspension of his own before the season is through.

Texans Cut OL Lane Taylor, Get Roster To 53

August 31st, 2021 at 7:07pm CST by Ben Levine

While much of the focus in Houston is on quarterback Deshaun Watson, the Texans still needed to reduce their roster today. They did just that, making the following transactions:

Released

Waived

Released/Failed Physical

Activated from PUP

Placed on Reserve/Suspended list

There’s a number of notable names on this list, including wideout Keke Coutee, who has started 10 of his 23 games over the past three years for the Texans. Perhaps the most important move is the activation of Cannon, who was acquired from the Patriots earlier this offseason. The 33-year-old is expected to provide the Texans offense with a veteran presence, and his return to practice may have bumped another veteran from the roster. The team released lineman Lane Taylor, who sat on PUP for all of the preseason while recovering from a torn ACL. The veteran has only appeared in two games since the 2019 season, and his return to the NFL will now have to take place elsewhere.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/11/21

August 11th, 2021 at 8:54am CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

  • Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Bradley Roby
  • Waived: WR Damon Hazelton

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

  • Claimed off waivers from Cardinals: OT Ryan Pope

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

NFL Suspends Texans’ Bradley Roby

December 1st, 2020 at 9:35am CST by Zachary Links

Texans cornerback Bradley Roby has been suspended six games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. This comes on the heels of the same violation/ban for teammate Will Fuller. The suspensions will keep both players out of action for the rest of the season, plus Week 1 of the 2021 season.

[RELATED: Texans’ Fuller Suspended For PEDs]

“I apologize to my family, my teammates, the Houston Texans organization and the fans,” Roby said in a statement. “A few months ago I unknowingly used a product that was contaminated with a banned substance by the NFL. I recognize that it is my job to know, and be responsible for, everything I put in my body. I will be suspended for six games, ending my season. I will take the necessary steps in the future to prevent this from ever happening again. I look forward to rejoining my teammates next season in our goal to bring a championship to Houston.”

In ten games (all starts), Roby notched 37 tackles, one interception, a fumble recovery, and seven passes defended. Even though he was briefly deactivated in November, the 28-year-old stood as the Texans’ best corner. With Gareon Conley out of the equation, the Texans will move forward with Vernon Hargreaves and Phillip Gaines as their top CBs.

After signing Roby to a three-year, $31.5MM deal in March, the Texans have Roby under contract through 2022.

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