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New Orleans Saints News & Rumors

Saints Place Cody Parkey On IR

October 12th, 2021 at 12:03pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are placing Cody Parkey on the injured reserve list, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Parkey joined the Saints just over a week ago, but he’ll be out for a while with a groin injury. 

Parkey took over for Aldrick Rosas, who made just 1 of 4 field goal tries in 2021. Parkey, meanwhile, had yet to debut this year. Unfortunately, he pulled his groin during pregame warmups against Washington. The Saints went on to win 33-22, but Parkey was clearly hurting as he missed two of his five extra point tries.

Parkey, 29, made 19 of 22 attempts to help the Browns to the playoffs last year. The Browns placed him on IR and dropped him over the summer after he suffered a quad injury. He’s become a well-traveled pro, having kicked for five NFL teams. After two straight years as the Eagles’ kicker to start his career, which included a Pro Bowl nod in 2014, Parkey has not been with the same team in consecutive seasons since. He bounced to Cleveland in 2016, Miami in ’17, Chicago in ’18, Tennessee in ’19 and back to Cleveland last season. The Bears stint serves as Parkey’s most memorable stay, with the infamous “double doink” game spotlighting their kicker position throughout the following offseason.

The Saints may audition other kickers, but they might not have to sign one. Wil Lutz — who had a groin injury of his own — will be eligible to return after the bye for Week 7.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/9/21

October 9th, 2021 at 4:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is Week 5 Saturday’s minor move spree:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

  • Promoted: TE Shane Zylstra

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Latest On Texans QB Deshaun Watson

October 6th, 2021 at 8:11pm CST by Ben Levine

Deshaun Watson is still on the Houston Texans, but team chairman and CEO Cal McNair insinuated that the trade winds could change on a dime. While McNair wouldn’t rate the team’s chances of trading Watson before the November 2nd trade deadline, he did say the situation is fluid and “day-to-day.”

“We’ll just wait and see,” McNair told Aaron Wilson of SportsTalk790. “It’s a day-to-day thing. Nick is in charge of that, so we’ll see how that works out.”

Watson’s initial trade request partly stemmed from the team’s hiring of general manager Nick Caserio and coach David Culley, with the quarterback citing a lack of communication during the process. McNair was asked about the awkward position his GM and HC have been put in, noting they’ve “made the very best of it.”

“I think they’ve been put in a very tough spot, a spot that is not of their choosing and they’ve made the very best of it and sort of worked through it day to day,” McNair said. “So, we’ll see where it goes.”

Meanwhile, a new suitor could emerge in the Watson sweepstakes. While the Dolphins remain the favorite to acquire the quarterback, “some GMs believe the Saints could emerge as a darkhorse,” according to CBS’s Jason La Canfora (and passed along by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald on Twitter). Meanwhile, La Canfora reiterated that the Eagles aren’t in play for the 26-year-old.

The 2-2 Saints haven’t necessarily struggled to find the end zone, and they’re middle-of-the-road with scoring. While Jameis Winston has done an admirable job filling in for Drew Brees, the Saints also rank toward the bottom of the league in both completions and attempts. The team is clearly keeping Winston on a tight leash, and Watson would provide the Saints with a better chance to replicate the high-powered offense they had for more than a decade.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/6/21

October 6th, 2021 at 6:16pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s taxi squad moves:

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

  • Signed: WR Damon Hazelton

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Signed: DL Willington Previlon

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/6/21

October 6th, 2021 at 5:36pm CST by Zachary Links

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

Arizona Cardinals

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets 

Saints, K Cody Parkey Agree To Deal

October 5th, 2021 at 4:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints are making another change at kicker. They are signing veteran Cody Parkey, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This would stand to signal the end of Aldrick Rosas‘ New Orleans run.

Rosas has made just 1 of 4 field goal tries this season, having missed his past three kicks. The most recent came Sunday in a loss to the Giants. Parkey has not yet kicked during the 2021 season.

This deal appears set to be temporary. Primary Saints kicker Wil Lutz is only expected to miss a couple more games while recovering from his groin injury, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets. Lutz aggravated a groin issue in early August. He has been New Orleans’ primary kicker since 2016.

Parkey has become a well-traveled specialist, having kicked for five teams as a pro. After two straight years as the Eagles’ kicker to start his career, which included a Pro Bowl nod in 2014, Parkey has not been with the same team in consecutive seasons since. He bounced to Cleveland in 2016, Miami in ’17, Chicago in ’18, Tennessee in ’19 and back to Cleveland last season. The Bears stint serves as Parkey’s most memorable stay, with the infamous “double doink” game spotlighting their kicker position throughout the following offseason.

The Saints have, in fact, cut Rosas. They initially signed the ex-Giants Pro Bowler as Lutz’s replacement during the preseason. Rosas, who kicked in six games with the Jaguars last season, continues to see his career trend in the wrong direction. While he missed a difficult field goal in the Saints’ loss to the Giants — from 58 yards out — he missed 36- and 52-yard tries in Week 3.

Parkey, 29, made 19 of 22 attempts to help the Browns to the playoffs. He did miss four extra-point tries in his second Cleveland stay and has not made a 50-yard field goal since 2019. The Browns placed him on IR earlier this year with a quad injury but reached an injury settlement in August, opening the door for Parkey to kick for another team this season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/2/21

October 2nd, 2021 at 4:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is Saturday’s batch of minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

  • Promoted: CB Cam Lewis

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/28/21

September 28th, 2021 at 6:06pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Indianapolis Colts

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Tennessee Titans

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Football Team

Saints’ Terron Armstead To Miss Time

September 27th, 2021 at 2:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Saints left tackle Terron Armstead will miss several weeks with an elbow injury (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Armstead will likely land on the injured reserve list, but it’s not believed to be a season-ender. 

The injury forced Armstead to exit early from Sunday’s victory over the Patriots. It’s somewhat familiar territory for the 30-year-old — he’s never played a full 16-game slate as a pro.

Armstead has been with the Saints for his entire pro career. He’s served as New Orleans’ starting left tackle for the last eight seasons, performing as one of the best left tackles in the league. Armstead earned a Pro Bowl nod for his work last year, his third straight accolade.

In the meantime, the Saints will use James Hurst in Armstead’s stead. They’ll also keep their fingers crossed for center Erik McCoy, who has not played since the season opener.

Armstead is currently on course for free agency next spring, where he’d be one of the top players available. The Saints would ideally like to keep him, but they’d have to top Trent Williams‘ megadeal while the rest of the league bids with an increased cap of about $210MM.

Saints Elevate WR Kenny Stills

September 25th, 2021 at 5:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Thin at wide receiver, the Saints are promoting a familiar player to help fill the void. The team elevated Kenny Stills from its practice squad Saturday.

Should the Saints dress Stills for their Week 3 game against the Patriots, it will mark his first game with the team since 2014. Like former teammate Brandin Cooks, Stills has been involved in multiple trades since his most recent game as a Saint. New Orleans traded Stills to Miami in 2015; the Dolphins sent him to the Texans in 2019.

Stills’ most recent Saints slate remains his best yardage total to date, with the former fifth-round pick accumulating 931 in his second season. The veteran deep threat has 37 touchdown catches and 4,843 receiving yards as a pro. Much has changed since Stills’ last stint on New Orleans’ active roster. Only Cameron Jordan and Terron Armstead remain from that period.

The 29-year-old target has, however, hit a bit of a rough patch since the Texans acquired Cooks and reconfigured their receiving corps last year. Stills has not played in a game since the Texans faced the Patriots in Week 10 of last season. Houston released Stills last November. While the Bills signed him to their practice squad late last season, Stills did not suit up for Buffalo.

The Saints reacquired Stills on a practice squad deal last week. He will join a receiving corps in need. The Saints are down Michael Thomas until at least Week 7, due to his belated ankle surgery, and also have Tre’Quan Smith stashed on IR. New Orleans also elevated center Austin Reiter for Sunday’s game. Starter Erik McCoy remains out with a calf injury.

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