Although the Saints only had one pick in the first three rounds of last week’s draft, they used it on an offensive lineman, Erik McCoy. The team is still exploring veteran front-five depth, however.
The Saints will audition both Sam Young and Ulrick John, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk report (Twitter links). John’s workout is slated for May 10, when New Orleans will hold its rookie minicamp.
While Derek Newton is the most experienced Saints backup offensive lineman, he has played in one game since October 2016 due to the two patellar tendon tears he suffered in his Texans finale. Michael Ola also resides on New Orleans’ roster.
Young, 31, served as a swing option for the Dolphins the past three years. The 6-foot-8 tackle started eight games in that span and was a nine-game starter in Jacksonville between the 2014 and ’15 seasons. Also a tackle, John has not played since the 2017 season and has not seen action with the same franchise in consecutive years. His most relevant NFL work came in three starts for the 2016 Cardinals.
Additionally, the Saints will work out former Lions and Bears fullback Michael Burton, Herbie Teope of NFL.com tweets. That audition will also take place at next weekend’s rookie camp. Like Young and John, Burton is a former Day 3 pick. He played four seasons combined with the NFC North franchises. Burton played just 49 snaps last season in Chicago but graded out well, per Pro Football Focus.
A JOHN gets a Workout in New Orleans !
Well played.