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New Orleans Saints News & Rumors

Saints HC Sean Payton: We Have To Add Cornerback

April 25th, 2021 at 10:46am CST by Rory Parks

Given their dire salary cap situation, the Saints were unable to do too much in free agency. They watched several high-profile players leave for other clubs, and the contracts they handed out themselves were on the more modest end of the spectrum.

Despite that, and despite the fact that New Orleans is now officially in the post-Drew Brees era, the club still has a talented roster that is capable of competing for a playoff spot. But in order to maintain the level of defensive proficiency the Saints have established under DC Dennis Allen, they will need to address their cornerback situation.

Head coach Sean Payton recently acknowledged as much. “Corner is an area we have to address between now and the season and I think we will be able to find that,” Payton said (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). “But yeah, we lost some good players that we knew we might have to to get our numbers below [the salary cap]. I think that’s part of operating in the salary cap era.”

2020 starter Janoris Jenkins became a cap casualty in March, and while the Saints were able to re-sign P.J. Williams, he is a slot corner and safety, not an outside-the-numbers starter. Patrick Robinson will be back, but he hasn’t played more than 24% of the team’s defensive snaps since he returned to New Orleans in 2018. After Williams and Robinson, there is not much else behind CB1 Marshon Lattimore.

The Saints are armed with the No. 28 overall pick in this week’s draft, and if they elect to go CB with that choice, a player like Florida State’s Asante Samuel Jr. or Virginia Tech’s Caleb Farley might be available. If they wait until Day 2, UCF’s Aaron Robinson or Kentucky’s Kelvin Joseph could be the pick.

There are also a few intriguing veterans that remain available on the free agent market. The Saints expressed interest in Richard Sherman earlier this offseason, and he is still looking for a new home. Jason McCourty and Steven Nelson are also unsigned and have generated some interest on the open market.

Updated 2021 NFL Draft Order: Round 1

April 23rd, 2021 at 2:53pm CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens sent Orlando Brown to the Chiefs on Friday, shuffling the first-round order of the NFL Draft once again. Now, the Ravens are one of four teams to hold multiple first-round picks, joining the Jaguars (Nos. 1 and 25), Jets (Nos. 2 and 23), and Dolphins (Nos. 6 and 18). In turn, Chiefs no longer have a top-32 choice, joining the Seahawks, Texans, and Rams.

As we look ahead to Thursday, here’s how the first round currently stands:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars
2. New York Jets
3. San Francisco 49ers (from HOU via MIA)
4. Atlanta Falcons
5. Cincinnati Bengals
6. Miami Dolphins (from PHI)
7. Detroit Lions
8. Carolina Panthers
9. Denver Broncos
10. Dallas Cowboys
11. New York Giants
12. Philadelphia Eagles (from SF via MIA)
13. Los Angeles Chargers
14. Minnesota Vikings
15. New England Patriots
16. Arizona Cardinals
17. Las Vegas Raiders
18. Miami Dolphins
19. Washington Football Team
20. Chicago Bears
21. Indianapolis Colts
22. Tennessee Titans
23. New York Jets (from SEA)
24. Pittsburgh Steelers
25. Jacksonville Jaguars (from LAR)
26. Cleveland Browns
27. Baltimore Ravens
28. New Orleans Saints
29. Green Bay Packers
30. Buffalo Bills
31. Baltimore Ravens (from KC)
32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Saints Add Two Offensive Linemen

April 20th, 2021 at 5:51pm CST by Ben Levine

The Saints are adding to their offensive line. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that New Orleans has re-signed offensive lineman Will Clapp. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that the team has also signed center Christian Montano to a one-year deal.

Clapp joined the Saints as a seventh-round pick in 2018, and he’s spent time alternating between the active roster and practice squad over the past three seasons. After appearing in a career-high 14 games (with three starts) in 2019, Clapp appeared in eight games this past year. He collected only 62 offensive snaps and 41 special teams snaps, and he was responsible for only a single penalty.

Montano went undrafted last year following a standout career at both Brown University and Tulane University. He spent most of the preseason with the Steelers, but he was let go by the organization prior to the regular season.

The Saints offensive line is already set to look a bit different next season following the release of Nick Easton. Without a whole lot of financial flexibility, the Saints are going to be depending on young players like Adam Trautman and Zack Baun to protect either Jameis Winston or Taysom Hill.

49ers, Ravens, Saints To Skip Offseason Workouts

April 17th, 2021 at 5:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

The list of teams preparing to move ahead with a virtual offseason program has nearly reached 20. The 49ers, Ravens and Saints joined the brigade Saturday, voicing support of the NFLPA’s call to boycott voluntary workouts.

Teams can begin onsite offseason work Monday, though on-field work cannot begin until May 17. The 49ers’ statement indicated many players will not attend (on Twitter); the Ravens and Saints’ statements did not include this language (Twitter links). John Harbaugh said a second straight year with a virtual offseason would be a “colossal mistake,” via ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley (on Twitter), but the Ravens will proceed in this direction anyway.

Saturday’s three teams (so far) announcing they will not show for the start of the voluntary offseason program makes 19 franchises not expected to attend workouts. However, some players on the first team to stand with the NFLPA — the Broncos — will attend their program, and others are on the fence.

It will be interesting to see if other teams who have seen players vow to stay away see some in their ranks report to workouts. Phase 2 of the offseason program will include a rookie minicamp, which will feature draftees and UDFAs vying to take some veterans’ jobs. The NFL and NFLPA have not reached a resolution on the offseason format, despite the league unilaterally releasing a schedule, but the sides still have some time until on-field work commences. Until then, the NFL will see some teams report to workouts and others stay home.

Here are the teams that are planning to begin a virtual offseason Monday:

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/15/21

April 15th, 2021 at 11:04am CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

  • Cut: QB Kyle Sloter

New Orleans Saints

Saints Eyeing QB Kyle Trask?

April 3rd, 2021 at 11:54am CST by Ben Levine

While it’s been assumed that one of Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston will emerge as Drew Brees‘ heir apparent in New Orleans, it sounds like the organization could end up pivoting to the draft to find their future quarterback. During an appearance on SportsCenter, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said the Saints are a “sneaky contender to get a quarterback” after the first round, with Fowler pointing to Florida’s Kyle Trask as a main target (video link).

Fowler adds that there was plenty of buzz during Florida’s Pro Day that the Saints could be eyeing the Heisman Trophy finalist. If the team does end up opting for Trask (or another quarterback), Fowler opines that the player probably wouldn’t see the field much as a rookie. However, that QB would likely be in a position to take on the starting gig in 2021, especially if the team uses a second- or third-round pick on the player.

If New Orleans is indeed seeking a rookie quarterback, Trask would make sense. For starters, the Saints will presumably miss out on the grouping of Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Zach Wilson, Mac Jones and Trey Lance, so there’s some merit to staying patient and seeing how far the second-tier QBs fall. After their first-round pick (No. 28), the Saints are armed with a second (No. 60) and two thirds (No. 98, No. 105); the team may need to trade up in the second round if they truly have their eye on Trask.

The Florida quarterback broke onto the scene in 2019, and he followed that up with a standout campaign in 2020. Trask ultimately finished this past season having connected on 68.9-percent of his passes for 4,283 yards, 43 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.

The Saints made sure to retain Winston via one-year, $12MM deal (including $5.5MM guaranteed) earlier this offseason. Hill will also be playing the 2021 campaign on a one-year, $12MM deal (despite the funky restructuring by the organization last month). Hill got eight starts filling in for an injured Brees in 2020, while Winston was limited to only 11 attempts in four games (although he tossed a 56-yard touchdown during the postseason).

Saints To Sign Tanoh Kpassagnon

March 29th, 2021 at 9:42am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints have agreed to a two-year deal with defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon. Financial terms of the deal are not yet known, but this is likely a low-cost — and potentially high-reward — signing for the Saints

Kpassagnon was a second-round pick of the Chiefs in 2017. Selected in between Patrick Mahomes and Kareem Hunt, the edge rusher has yet to live up his draft billing. Midway through his tenure at Villanova, Kpassagnon switched from tight end to defensive end and put himself on the NFL radar. After notching 9.5 tackles for loss and six sacks in 2015, he turned in an even stronger senior season – 21.5 TFL and eleven sacks, en route to first-team All-America honors.

The 6’7″, 289-pound athlete has spent much of the last four years as a deep reserve, but he started in 15 games for the Chiefs last year. And, in 2019, he notched a career-high four sacks. Meanwhile, the Chiefs are set to move forward with Jarran Reed and Frank Clark on the edges.

Saints CB Marshon Lattimore Arrested

March 26th, 2021 at 6:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Cleveland Police arrested Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore for possession of a loaded handgun believed to be stolen Thursday night, according to Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. Authorities charged Lattimore with receiving stolen property, a fourth-degree felony.

Lattimore was booked into Cuyahoga County Jail. The Cleveland native was a passenger in a vehicle that was pulled over for multiple traffic violations, according to Cleveland Police, who also charged Lattimore for possession of a concealed weapon.

Lattimore’s attorney, Marcus Sidoti, called the matter a “misunderstanding.” The 24-year-old corner is expected to be released from jail Saturday morning, Triplett tweets.

The Pro Bowl defender is going into his fifth-year option season. With a $10.2MM cap hit on the Saints’ books, the team was interested in extending its top cover man. It is now possible Lattimore’s fifth season will include a suspension under the league’s personal conduct policy, though that is not a certainty at this point.

T.J. Carrie To Meet With Saints

March 26th, 2021 at 10:36am CST by Zachary Links

Colts cornerback T.J. Carrie is set to meet with the Saints (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of SiriusXM). The Saints have been looking for corners to support Marshon Lattimore and Carrie could fit the bill.

Carrie spent 2020 with the Colts and finished the year with two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and two touchdowns. His first TD came off of a pick six against the Jets in Week 3. Then, against the Titans in Week 10, he scored again off of a punt return.

Carrie was mostly used as a reserve last year, but he was first-string for much of his early Raiders tenure. There’s a chance that Carrie could fight his way into the starting lineup if he’s signed, though he’s more likely to fill Justin Hardee‘s shoes as a reserve and special teams ace.

The Saints previously considered corners like Chidobe Awuzie, who landed a three-year deal worth ~$22MM with the Bengals. They’re also said to be interested in multiple-time Pro Bowler Richard Sherman. Carrie would represent a cheaper solution at cornerback — one that wouldn’t limit them from a splashier acquisition later this year.

Saints To Sign TE Nick Vannett

March 24th, 2021 at 7:48pm CST by Ben Levine

It didn’t take long for Nick Vannett to find a new home. The free agent tight end is signing with the Saints, reports NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter). Vannett got a three-year deal from New Orleans.

The 28-year-old tight end spent the first three-plus seasons of his career with the Seahawks, including a 2018 campaign where he put up some of the best offensive numbers of his career. That season, Vannett finished with 29 receptions for 269 yards and three touchdowns.

He was traded to the Steelers during the 2019 season, and he signed a two-year deal with the Broncos last offseason. Over the past two years, Vannett has mostly served as a blocking tight end, and he finished this past year with 95 yards from scrimmage and one score. Denver moved on from the veteran yesterday, saving the team $2.68MM against the salary cap with $875K left in dead money.

The Saints tight ends room will look different in 2021. The team released Jared Cook earlier this month, and they saw Josh Hill join his former positions coach (and current Lions head coach), Dan Campbell. 2020 third-rounder Adam Trautman is currently atop the team’s depth chart.

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