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Saints To Sign DE Kyle Phillips

July 31st, 2023 at 10:44am CST by Adam La Rose

After spending the past season out of the NFL, Kyle Phillips has found a new home. The defensive end has agreed to a deal with the Saints, as noted (on Twitter) by Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football.

[RELATED: Saints DE Zuniga Retires]

Phillips joined the Jets as a UFDA in 2019, and he carved out a considerable role for himself as a rookie. He started four of 15 games played, logging a snap share of 53%. The Tennessee alum was credited with four sacks and 17 pressures by PFF that year, earning him an overall grade of 66. His follow-up campaigns were not as productive, however.

In both 2020 and 2021, Philips was limited to just seven games played. An ankle injury suffered in the former campaign shut him down for the remainder of the season, one in which his playing time dropped considerably. The 26-year-old’s snap share rose again in 2021, checking in at 47%, but he managed only one sack, along with 13 pressures and the same number of tackles for loss between his final two seasons in New York.

The Jets have invested heavily on the edge in recent years, signing Carl Lawson to a $45MM deal in 2021 and using first-round picks on pass rushers (Jermaine Johnson and Will McDonald) in each of the past two drafts. It thus comes as little surprise that Phillips’ return to the league will see him head elsewhere. In New Orleans, he will look to again earn a rotational role.

The Saints’ edge room is led by Cameron Jordan, who recently indicated he is not eyeing retirement any time soon. New Orleans lost former first-rounder Marcus Davenport in free agency, but the team still has another ex-Day 1 pick (Payton Turner) in the fold. Carl Granderson, Tanoh Kpassagnon and second-round rookie Isaiah Foskey represent the other pass-rushers Phillips will compete with in training camp. A return to the form of his rookie season could not only earn the latter a 53-man roster spot but also provide the Saints with an effective depth contributor.

Saints DE Jabari Zuniga Retires

July 30th, 2023 at 6:23pm CST by Ely Allen

After three short seasons, Saints pass rusher Jabari Zuniga has chosen to hang up his cleats, according to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. It’s unclear for now as to why Zuniga is retiring, but after spending a good portion of his rookie year on injured reserve, health might have factored into the decision.

Zuniga came into the league with big expectations. After redshirting his true freshman year at Florida, Zuniga burst onto the scene, leading the Gators in sacks as a redshirt freshman. He never reached an elite level of play as a pass rusher, but over three and a half seasons in Gainesville, Zuniga racked up 18.5 sacks and 33.0 tackles for loss.

He entered his redshirt senior season as an All-SEC preseason pick and started the season on a strong note, but three games into the year, he suffered a high ankle sprain that would cause him to miss time throughout the rest of the season. The recurring ankle injury hurt his draft stock a bit, but the promise shown during a strong junior season helped him to still get drafted in the third round of the 2020 Draft by the Jets.

He started his rookie year on IR for New York as he dealt with a quadriceps injury. He finally made his NFL debut after seven weeks on IR, playing sparingly against the Chiefs. That minimal usage would continue throughout the rest of the season as he never logged more than 23 percent of the team’s defensive snaps in a game as a rookie.

In his sophomore season, he failed to make the 53-man roster and spent the year on the practice squad for New York, getting called up for three games. In two of those games, he got a bit more run, even earning his first (and what would end up being his only) career sack. He once again failed to make the 53-man roster last year but would sign with the Seahawks‘ practice squad instead. Seattle would release him about a month later, and he would sign with the Saints‘ practice squad and would make one appearance on the team.

The Saints liked enough of what they saw to sign Zuniga to a reserve/futures contract, keeping him on the roster for 2023. Instead, Zuniga made the decision to walk away from the game. It could be that the injuries he suffered lingered throughout the following seasons enough to keep him from ever reaching 100 percent. Regardless, he’s made his decision, and for now, his time in the league is over.

With the roster spot opened up by Zuniga’s departure, the Saints have signed offensive guard Koda Martin, according to Katherine Terrell of ESPN. Martin was waived earlier this week but will make his way back to camp to fill the vacancy formed by Zuniga’s retirement.

Saints RB Alvin Kamara Plans To Meet With Roger Goodell

July 30th, 2023 at 1:03pm CST by Rory Parks

Saints running back Alvin Kamara recently resolved his criminal and civil cases stemming from his involvement in the assault of a man in a Las Vegas nightclub in February 2022. As PFR’s Sam Robinson observed when the resolution was reported, it is now much likelier that the league will hit Kamara with a suspension before the 2023 campaign gets underway. Before that happens, however, Kamara plans to have an in-person meeting with league commissioner Roger Goodell to tell his side of the story, as Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com reports.

Per Duncan, the Saints encouraged Kamara to set up the meeting in an attempt to reduce the size of his suspension, which could be up to six games. It is unclear when the meeting will take place, but it seems that Kamara and Goodell will get together in the next couple of days. Kamara has told reporters that he plans to meet with the media on Wednesday, August 2, saying, “I’ll talk to you all on August 2 after I talk to [Goodell].”

The Las Vegas incident represents the first off-field transgression in Kamara’s seven-year career, as Duncan observes. Nonetheless, it is a serious one, and GM Mickey Loomis has said that the league has not provided any timeline for its decision.

Kamara’s legal matter encountered frequent delays, leaving him free to play throughout the 2022 season. The Saints were less prepared for a Kamara ban last year, but the team has made preparations this offseason. New Orleans agreed to terms on a three-year, $12MM deal with former Packer and Lion Jamaal Williams — last season’s rushing touchdowns leader — and used a third-round pick on TCU back Kendre Miller.

Nonetheless, Kamara should remain the Saints’ top back whenever he is eligible to play, and he will continue to be a focal point of the club’s offense. He is coming off something of a down year, having scored just four total TDs in 2022, but he still posted nearly 1,400 all-purpose yards on 280 touches. While he is techincially under club control through 2025 on his $15MM/year contract, it seems unlikely he will make it to that season without being released or having his contract restructured (his base salary balloons to over $22MM in 2025). If Kamara should turn in a disappointing year in 2023, New Orleans could save some cap space by designating him a post-June 1 cut next year, though the team would also be saddled with a fair amount of dead money in that scenario.

The NFL has declined to comment on the Kamara-Goodell summit.

Saints DE Cameron Jordan Wants To Play For 3-4 More Years

July 30th, 2023 at 11:02am CST by Rory Parks

Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan is entering a contract year, and player and team have been discussing an extension for several months. When those conversations were first reported, we heard that Doug Hendrickson, Jordan’s agent, was hoping to get a deal finalized before training camp. If that did not happen, Hendrickson suggested that negotiations would be tabled until after the season.

On the day veterans reported to camp, Josina Anderson of CBS Sports reported (via Twitter) that talks were ongoing, with no suggestion that they would be tabled. Hendrickson noted in May that he was hoping to secure his client a deal of at least two years in length, while Anderson says that Jordan wants to play for three or four more years.

Jordan, who is entering his age-34 season, has had a remarkably productive and durable career. A first-round pick of the Saints in 2011, the Cal product has spent 12 years in New Orleans and has missed just two games during that time. He has compiled 115.5 sacks, eight Pro Bowl bids, and one First Team All-Pro nomination. He has received Pro Bowl acclaim in each of the past six seasons.

Clearly, Jordan remains an effective player, and Saints GM Mickey Loomis has unequivocally stated that Jordan will not suit up for any other franchise. Still, the fact that a new deal is not yet in place despite motivation on both sides indicates that there is nonetheless a gap to be bridged. Per Anderson, Jordan is seeking “respectable” terms, though it is unclear exactly what that means and how far apart the two sides are.

In addition to Jordan’s age and mileage, his performance did take a bit of a dip in 2022. He recorded 8.5 sacks, down from 12.5 the year prior, and his QB hits dropped from 22 to 13. He has generally been an advanced metrics darling, and while he still earned a strong 74.5 overall grade from Pro Football Focus in 2022, his pass rush grade was a below-average 53.2. That is easily the lowest mark of his career, and combined with the diminished surface-level stats, it is fair to wonder if a more precipitous decline could be forthcoming.

On the other hand, Jordan posted just 7.5 sacks and 16 quarterback hits in 2020 before bouncing back with a more typical performance in 2021, so while Loomis may be concerned about a decline, Jordan’s camp can just as easily argue that 2022 was merely a blip and that the player’s overall body of work is more relevant to contract dicussions. In any event, in light of Anderson’s report, it seems that an agreement may still be struck at some point in the near future.

Saints Extend LS Zach Wood

July 28th, 2023 at 2:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints’ long snapper for the past six seasons, Zach Wood now has another contract in place with the team. This agreement will make the veteran one of the league’s highest-paid long snappers.

While that certainly does not mean big dollars (by NFL standards), as teams barely clear the veteran minimum for this specialty job, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football notes Wood will secure $2.3MM guaranteed on a four-year deal that will through the 2027 season (Twitter link). The Saints have since announced the deal.

Thomas Hennessy (Jets) and Joe Cardona (Patriots) are the only snappers tied to guarantees higher than what the Saints are authorizing for Wood, 30. (Both players received $2.6MM guaranteed on their respective deals.) Venturing deeper into the long-snapping weeds, Underhill tweets Wood will see his $1.17MM 2023 salary fully guaranteed and a partial guarantee ($130K) of his 2024 payout. Wood’s previous Saints deal, agreed to in 2020, ran through the 2023 season; no guarantees remained on that pact.

An SMU alum who caught on with the Cowboys as a UDFA back in 2016, Wood initially signed with the Saints in September 2017. He has worked as New Orleans’ long snapper since the start of that season. One of the longest-tenured Saints, Wood has never missed a game during his six-season run.

Saints G Trai Turner Out For Season

July 28th, 2023 at 1:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Not long after the ink dried on Trai Turner‘s Saints contract, said deal will not end up leading to a cameo with the NFC South team. Turner suffered a torn quadriceps during practice, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

The Saints took a few fliers this week, including a Jimmy Graham reunion. They added two guards, Turner and Max Garcia, in that process. Garcia’s chances of making New Orleans’ roster look to have improved as a result of Turner’s quick setback, which will sideline him for the season.

A former Panthers regular who has since bounced to the Chargers, Steelers and Commanders over the past three years, Turner signed league-minimum Saints deal on Tuesday. While Turner is a nine-year veteran, he is only going into his age-30 season. This certainly represents a blow toward the former third-round pick continuing his career. While Turner had spent his pro career elsewhere, he is a New Orleans native who played at LSU.

Not viewed as the same player he was while in Carolina, Turner has nevertheless been a regular starter with his past three teams. He started 12 games for the Commanders last season, stepping in for ex-Panthers coach Ron Rivera. The Commanders have since made changes at both guard spots, letting Turner walk in free agency and cutting Andrew Norwell. It took Turner until training camp to find another deal, and this injury figures to delay a potential 2024 signing for a while as well.

The Saints return both their guard starters from the past three years — Andrus Peat and Cesar Ruiz — and also traded up for fourth-rounder Nick Saldiveri in April. Garcia joins swingman James Hurst, the team’s primary left tackle last year due to Trevor Penning‘s injury, and Calvin Throckmorton (20 starts from 2021-22) as depth pieces.

Saints Sign G Trai Turner, Reunite With TE Jimmy Graham

July 28th, 2023 at 8:21am CST by Adam La Rose

JULY 28: Graham has earned more than $81MM during his 12-year career, but he will attempt to earn a Saints roster spot on a deal near the league minimum. The Saints are giving Turner the veteran minimum and Graham $1.3MM, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson and WWL-TV’s Brooke Kirchhofer (Twitter links). Graham will see a $153K guarantee, per Spotrac, while Turner’s NFL service-time bracket makes his league-minimum payment $1.17MM. Recently signed guard Max Garcia also received league-minimum money from New Orleans, Wilson tweets.

JULY 25: Tuesday has brought a new face to the Saints’ offensive line along with a familiar one to its tight end group. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that guard Trai Turner is signing in New Orleans, while the team announced the signing of Jimmy Graham on a one-year contract.

The news represents a homecoming for Turner (who conducted a free agent visit yesterday), and a depth addition to the Saints’ interior O-line. The 30-year-old was one of the top guards in the NFL during his time with the Panthers, earning a Pro Bowl nod each season between 2015 and 2019. His career has seen him bounce around since then, however, with one-year Chargers, Steelers and Commanders tenures.

The LSU alum battled injuries in Los Angeles, leading to his release following the 2020 season. He inked a $3MM deal in Pittsburgh, then secured a contract with the same terms last year in Washington. Turner worked as the team’s right guard starter to begin the season, but he was benched in favor of Saahdiq Charles for Week 5. In spite of that move, the veteran wound up seeing a 69% snap share over the course of the season in the nation’s capital, and he will look to earn another starting position with his hometown team.

New Orleans has Cesar Ruiz and Andrus Peat in place as their guard starters, though both have dealt with injuries in their career. Veteran swingman James Hurst is also a starting option on the inside, so Turner will have plenty of competition in training camp as he looks to carve out a role and re-establish his value. Like the offensive line, the team’s TE competition will be worth watching closely.

Graham began his career in New Orleans, earning three Pro Bowl nods and one All-Pro honor across five Saints seasons. He recorded 4,752 yards and 51 touchdowns during that span, leading the league in the latter category with 16 scores in 2013. His time as a favored Drew Brees target came to an end when he was traded to the Seahawks, a deal which began a series of moves around the NFC.

Graham remained productive during his time in Seattle, recording a 900-yard season in 2016 and earning two more Pro Bowl invitations. His production dipped during his two-year stints in Green Bay and Chicago, however, and his $16MM deal signed with the latter team came as a surprise to many. After the end of the 2020 season, Graham contemplated retirement but instead remained in the Windy City for one more year.

He recorded just 14 catches in 2021, however, and spent the past year out of the NFL. Now 36, Graham will need to prove a continued red zone ability to earn a spot with his original team. New Orleans has incumbent Juwan Johnson, free agent signing (and cancer survivor) Foster Moreau and Swiss Army knife Taysom Hill at the top of the depth chart. Graham thus faces a steep challenge to make the 53-man roster out of training camp.

The 2023 season will be the start of the Derek Carr era on offense in New Orleans. Both Turner and Graham could play a complementary role for the unit if they remain healthy and productive over the next several weeks, but at a minimum their additions represent a feel-good move in both cases.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/25/23

July 25th, 2023 at 7:43pm CST by Ben Levine

With a number of teams preparing for the start of training camp, a long list of players were placed on inactive lists today. We’ve compiled all of those and today’s other minor moves below:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Free Agents

Isaiah Wilson hasn’t had an NFL gig since he was released by the Giants in January of 2022. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tweets that the free agent lineman was slapped with a three-game suspension, but it’s uncertain what led to the temporary ban. Wilson was a first-round pick by the Titans in 2020 but got into only one game with Tennessee before getting shipped off to Miami. He was waived by Miami after showing up late to his team physical, and his practice squad stint with New York only lasted one season.

Max Garcia is an experienced addition to the Saints OL room, with the veteran having most recently started seven of his 12 appearances with the Cardinals in 2022. The 31-year-old has 59 games of starting experience, although Pro Football Focus was iffy on his production last year (63rd among 77 qualifying offensive guards).

Following a three-year stint in Cleveland, Terrance Mitchell has spent the past two seasons bouncing around the NFL. He got into 14 games (13 starts) for the Texans in 2021, finishing with 60 tackles and 10 passes defended. He spent the 2022 season with the Titans, finishing with 39 tackles in 11 games (five starts). 49ers fifth-round pick Darrell Luter Jr. is set to miss some time with a knee injury, providing Mitchell with an opportunity during training camp.

Saints Release C Billy Price

July 20th, 2023 at 8:35pm CST by Ben Levine

After signing with the Saints last month, Billy Price‘s stint with the organization has already come to an end. The team announced today that they’ve released the veteran center with a non-football injury designation. The team also announced that they placed tight end Miller Forristall on the physically unable to perform list.

When the Saints first signed Price a month ago, it was assumed the veteran would provide some experienced depth behind starting center Erik McCoy, who has missed nine games over the past two seasons. While Price’s “non-football injury” likely contributed to his release, there’s also a chance the Saints are optimistic about their backup center options heading into 2023. Assuming the team wants to keep Cesar Ruiz at guard, then UDFA Alex Pihlstrom will likely be in the drivers seat for the backup center gig.

Price has 45 games of starting experience under his belt, so a center-needy team will likely consider adding him to the ranks. The former first-round pick found himself in and out of the Bengals’ starting lineup to begin his career, but he’s recently settled into a starting role elsewhere. He started 15 of his 16 appearances for the Giants in 2021, and after starting the 2022 campaign on the Raiders’ practice squad, he started all 11 of his appearances for the Cardinals last year. Pro Football Focus didn’t love his performance in Arizona, grading him as the 35th center among 36 qualified players.

Forristall was a two-time champion at Alabama before going undrafted in 2021. He got into six games with the Browns between the 2021 and 2022 seasons, with the majority of his snaps coming on special teams. He signed a reserve/futures contract with the Saints back in January. With Juwan Johnson, Foster Moreau, and Taysom Hill leading the tight ends depth chart, Forristall’s best chance of making the Saints roster will likely come via special teams.

Saints Sign Round 2 DE Isaiah Foskey, Wrap Draft Class Deals

July 19th, 2023 at 10:17am CST by Sam Robinson

Add the Saints to the list of teams to complete their draft class signings. Second-round defensive end Isaiah Foskey signed his rookie contract Wednesday morning.

The Saints added Foskey with the No. 40 overall pick in April. The terms of this contract will be of interest to the lot of players drafted immediately after Foskey, as this sector of the second round represents the largest unsigned contingent remaining.

[RELATED: Saints, Cameron Jordan Discussing Extension]

Carolina authorizing three fully guaranteed years and a partial guarantee of Year 4 in No. 39 overall pick Jonathan Mingo‘s contract last month slowed negotiations for second-rounders. Foskey receiving similar terms will further move the needle for second-round picks, who have made steady gains on the guarantee front in the years since the 2011 CBA reorganized rookie contracts.

Foskey represents the second major D-end draft investment the Saints have made since 2021, when they drafted Payton Turner in Round 1. Turner has not developed like the team hoped he would, and the Houston alum’s roster spot may not be a lock. It would still surprise if Turner were not on the team come September, but after being a healthy scratch at points last season, the third-year pass rusher’s stock has dropped. The Saints also let Marcus Davenport walk in free agency and have their top sack artist — Jordan — going into his age-34 season.

A Notre Dame product, Foskey delivered strong production during his final two years with the storied program. He notched two 10-sack seasons in that span, totaling 20.5. ESPN’s Scouts Inc. still viewed Foskey as more of a third-round talent, slotting him 77th in this class. But the Saints disagreed and will hope the 6-foot-5 edge player can become a fixture as Jordan moves into his mid-30s.

The Saints centered their draft plan around the defensive line, taking Clemson defensive tackle Bryan Bresee in Round 1. Here is New Orleans’ 2023 draft class:

Round 1, No. 29 (from 49ers through Dolphins and Broncos): Bryan Bresee, DT (Clemson) (signed)
Round 2, No. 40: Isaiah Foskey, DE (Notre Dame) (signed)
Round 3, No. 71: Kendre Miller, RB (TCU) (signed)
Round 4, No. 103 (from Bears): Nick Saldiveri, G (Old Dominion) (signed)
Round 4, No. 127 (from Jaguars): Jake Haener, QB (Fresno State) (signed)
Round 5, No. 146: Jordan Howden, S (Minnesota) (signed)
Round 6, No. 195 (from Steelers through Broncos): A.T. Perry, WR (Wake Forest) (signed)

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