The Saints have placed running back C.J. Spiller on injured reserve, ending his season a week early, according to Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com (Twitter link).
Now in the books for Spiller, 2015 goes down as the worst season of the six-year veteran’s career. The former top 10 pick out of Clemson signed a four-year, $18MM deal with the Saints last offseason and was expected to serve as a significant weapon as both a runner and pass catcher. Instead, in 13 games, the ex-Bill amassed only 112 yards on a meager 36 carries and caught 34 passes at just 7.0 yards per reception. His season hit a nadir last week when he was made inactive for New Orleans’ win over Jacksonville. Head coach Sean Payton classified Spiller as “healthy” after the game, but added that “he’s still fighting to get that strength back in the leg from (his arthroscopic knee surgery in training camp),” per ESPN’s Mike Triplett. Payton cited that as the main reason Spiller was barely involved in the Saints’ offense this year.
Katherine Terrell of NOLA.com wrote earlier this month (via an NFL Network report) that Spiller could be one and done with the Saints, but it would be costly for the team to get rid of him this offseason. The Saints will incur a $3.75MM cap hit next season and save just $750,000 if they cut Spiller in the coming months, according to OverTheCap.com. His contract is more team-friendly thereafter, but he’ll still be on the Saints’ books through 2018.