The Saints released guard Orlando Franklin on Tuesday, less than a week after they signed him last Thursday. It turns out a knee injury may have been behind New Orleans’ decision to quickly cut ties with Franklin.
“The second day, he had some soreness in his knee,” head coach Sean Payton told reporters, including NOLA.com’s Herbie Teope, who notes that Franklin underwent knee surgery in January.
Payton later suggested the Saints could re-sign a healthy Franklin, saying: “I think one of the big things with us being down on the offensive line — and I’m not saying it’s not going to work out with him possibly later for us — but we needed healthy bodies.”
Health is indeed an issue along New Orleans’ offensive line, where stalwarts Terron Armstead (left tackle) and Max Unger (center) are nursing injuries. If the Saints do bring back Franklin to compete for a job when his condition improves, it wouldn’t be the first time an offensive lineman has yo-yoed between their organization and unemployment. New Orleans has signed and released Khalif Barnes on numerous occasions dating back to last season. For the moment, Barnes is on the Saints’ roster as a reserve tackle.
Franklin also worked as a second-teamer during his few practices with the Saints in training camp, which represented new territory for the longtime starter. The 29-year-old started in all 89 appearances with the Broncos and Chargers from 2011-16, but he didn’t turn in a No. 1-caliber performance in San Diego last season. Pro Football Focus ranked Franklin an ugly 65th among 75 qualified guards in 2016, and he then went without a team between his release from the Chargers in mid-May and his short-lived union with the Saints. Franklin drew interest from the Jaguars and Jets in recent months, but it doesn’t seem as if he’ll land anywhere again until he progresses physically.
“I think he’s still trying to get strength back in that knee,” Payton said.