Saints coach Sean Payton downplayed the trade rumors surrounding safety Kenny Vaccaro this week, noting that it’s not unusual for other teams to call about positions of depth (Twitter link via Joel A. Erickson of The Advocate). Another source echoed similar sentiments to Mike Triplett of ESPN.com, pointing out that it only makes sense for the Saints to listen on Vaccaro since he is in the final year of his deal and they might not be willing to spend big money to keep him. Still, second-year pro Vonn Bell took Vaccaro’s place in the lineup on Sunday and that’s not a good sign for his standing in the organization.
More from the South divisions:
- Colts wide receiver Donte Moncrief is in his contract year but he’ll have to step up his play if he wants to get paid this offseason, Stephen Holder of the Indy Star writes. On Sunday, Moncrief caught just two of his eight targets and blew three opportunities for key first downs. His injury history also doesn’t help matters – he missed seven games a shoulder injury in 2016 and sat out the bulk of training camp this year with an injury to the other shoulder. Moncrief, a third-round pick in 2014, is carrying a modest $1.932MM cap number this year.
- The Texans cut Jaelen Strong on Monday, leaving them especially thin at wide receiver. However, the move makes a little more sense after learning that Will Fuller returned to practice for the team on Monday (via tradeAaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle). Fuller had 47 catches for 635 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie but we have not seen him on the field this year due to a broken collarbone suffered in training camp. It’s not immediately clear when the lightning-quick receiver will return to action, however.
- Colts quarterback Andrew Luck won’t play on Sunday, but coach Chuck Pagano is adamant that we’ll see him suit up this season.