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Alvin Kamara Bracing For Six-Game Ban

June 24th, 2022 at 3:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

A Pro Bowl-weekend fight could leave the Saints without their top skill-position player for an extended stretch. Alvin Kamara‘s February arrest put him on the suspension radar, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes the veteran running back is bracing for a six-game ban.

Kamara was arrested shortly after the all-star game at Allegiant Stadium in connection with an incident that occurred at a Las Vegas casino that weekend. The Saints running back told police he “threw a couple of punches” in a fight that also involved cornerback Chris Lammons, a former Kamara teammate (Lammons is now with the Chiefs). Kamara, 26, told police a man, Darnell Greene, called a friend of Kamara’s “ugly” and said, “I’ll whoop your ass, too.”

The perennial Pro Bowl running back said he threw punches thinking the victim was running away and that he could not remember if he punched Greene while he was on the ground. Video surveillance showed Kamara punching Greene approximately eight times and also revealed other members of Kamara’s group stomping on the victim, who was knocked unconscious and sustained an orbital bone fracture. Three of Kamara’s punches indeed came when Greene was on the ground, according to a police report. A felony charge of battery resulting in substantial bodily harm came Kamara’s way.

That may well lead to Kamara’s longest absence as a pro. It is not certain if a ban would occur this season, but that could be the case. A hearing is set for August 1. The NFL’s personal conduct policy calls for a six-game suspension for felony battery.

“We really just have to wait and see what happens,” Saints GM Mickey Loomis said during an interview on the Dattitude podcast (via NOLA.com). “For me, I always try to [determine] what’s the worst-case scenario and what’s the best-case scenario. We have to be prepared for anything. That’s really the way we approach anything and everything, is be prepared for anything that can happen.”

The Saints have Mark Ingram, set for a rare age-33 running back season, but not much in the way of depth behind Kamara. They worked out David Johnson at minicamp and hosted Sony Michel. No deal commenced with Johnson, and Michel signed with the Dolphins.

Saints, Demario Davis Finalizing Extension

June 24th, 2022 at 11:57am CST by Adam La Rose

The Saints have made a number of changes to the contract status of linebacker Demario Davis. Chief among those is a one-year extension to his existing contract, as detailed by ESPN’s Field Yates. 

As a result of the re-working of his existing pact, coupled with the extra year being tacked on, Davis can earn up to $18MM in new money across the next three seasons. One-third of that total is represented by incentives, but the new year in 2024 also includes a $10MM base salary and $2MM roster bonus.

No changes were made to his 2022 cap status, meaning that he will carry a charge of $5.9MM for the upcoming season. In 2023, Davis will see a slight reduction in his salary, but the addition of an equally-valued workout bonus; the Saints are also guaranteeing $1MM of his compensation for that season. While his cap hit will spike next year, the Saints would essentially see no financial relief from cutting him.

In all, as Yates writes, today’s move provides the 33-year-old with “additional security” regarding his financial future. It comes in the wake of recent speculation on that very subject, with Davis himself acknowledging the potential uncertainty he faced in the latter stages of his career. Now, he and the Saints can move forward with greater confidence, as Davis looks to continue his consistent production in New Orleans. The Arkansas State alum has totalled no fewer than 105 tackles in each of his four seasons with the team, missing just one contest during that span. He has been named an All-Pro in each of the past three years.

With an important piece of business done, an integral member of the new-look Saints defense is on the books through 2024, which should allow him to continue his standard of play for at least the near future.

Saints' Trevor Penning Not Lock To Start

June 22nd, 2022 at 5:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Trevor Penning is slotted to be the Saints‘ long-term Terron Armstead replacement, but a stopgap may be required ahead of that succession. The Northern Iowa alum is not a lock to open the season as New Orleans’ left tackle, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com notes. The Saints expected the Division I-FCS product to be raw coming in, and it does not appear he has seized the job for which he’s ultimately ticketed just yet. If Penning is on the bench to start the season, swingman James Hurst would be in line to get the call. The former Ravens starter was a 15-game first-stringer with the Saints last season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/21/22

June 21st, 2022 at 10:35pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor NFL transactions:

Cleveland Browns

New Orleans Saints

Allen was a seventh-round pick by the Rams in 2019. He eventually made his way to the Raiders and Jaguars, where he appeared in five combined games as a rookie. Between 2020 and 2021, the linebacker saw time in 27 games for Jacksonville, compiling 27 tackles and one forced fumble while primarily playing on special teams.

Dillon signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2019, and he ended up spending the better part of three seasons with the organization. He appeared in five total games for the Vikings, including one this past season. He has one career catch.

RB David Johnson Won’t Sign With Saints

June 18th, 2022 at 9:21am CST by Ben Levine

David Johnson ultimately left New Orleans without a deal. After working out for the Saints earlier this week, the veteran running back announced on Twitter that he won’t be signing with the team.

[RELATED: Saints To Meet With RB David Johnson]

“Unfortunate, we couldn’t come to terms,” Johnson wrote. “[B]ut appreciate the Saints for the opportunity! Journey to be continued.”

Johnson participated in the Saints minicamp this week on a tryout basis. New Orleans has Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram atop their depth chart, but there are some questions marks surrounding the duo (Kamara was arrested in February, while Ingram is entering his age-33 season). Johnson could theoretically be an upgrade on the likes of holdovers Tony Jones and Dwayne Washington. At the very least, he’d provide some extra depth if the team does have to play without one of their top-two backs.

Based on Johnson’s tweet, it sounds like a deal may have fallen apart due to contractual disagreements. Considering the Saints tight cap situation, they probably weren’t looking to guarantee much money until the veteran secured a spot on the roster. On the flip side, considering Johnson’s resume, it’d be hard to envision the RB not taking a definitive role.

Of course, Johnson can’t be too picky considering he remains unsigned in June. While the running back hasn’t come close to matching his 2,118-yards-from-scrimmage campaign in 2016, Johnson has proven to be a serviceable back when he’s able to take the field. He topped 1,000 yards from scrimmage as recently as 2020 with the Texans, and while he was limited to a backup role in 2021 (and saw his averages drop across the board), he still managed to top 400 yards from scrimmage while hauling in 32 of his 42 targets.

Latest On Saints’ Demario Davis

June 16th, 2022 at 10:13am CST by Adam La Rose

Demario Davis has been a consistent presence in the middle of the Saints’ defense during his four seasons with the team. He is scheduled to remain in New Orleans for another two years, but the veteran linebacker is aware that his contract status may change soon. 

Davis, 33, began his career with the Jets in 2012. He was a full-time starter by his second year, and remained a significant contributor throughout his tenure. After a single season with the Browns, he was traded back to the Big Apple in 2017. He led the league in solo tackles that year, also setting a new career-high in sacks with five.

That production led to a three-year, $24MM contract with the Saints during the subsequent offseason. He remained as consistent as ever during that span, earning First-Team All-Pro honors in 2019. That led to a three-year extension worth $27MM. He received a Second-Team nod in 2020, after compiling 119 tackles and four sacks. After that season, the Arkansas State alum was one of several Saints veterans who re-worked their contracts to create immediate cap space for the team.

As a result, his 2022 base salary is just $1.1MM, coupled with a cap hit of just under $5.9MM. However, those figures are set to jump to $8.5MM and $13.2MM, respectively, next year. That leaves another extension as a possibility, though the team would see a small financial gain from his release after the 2022 campaign. Davis addressed his contract status at minicamp, his first on-field participation with the team this offseason.

“We’ll see,” he said, via Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com, while speaking about the potential of a new contract. “I have nothing but love for the city. And I have a lot of love for this organization. But at the end of the day, it’s still a business. We’ll see how it goes.”

The Saints have a number of other options to succeed Davis as a starter in the near future, though none of them have established themselves as full-time starters in New Orleans. Depending on his level of play in 2022, then, another new contract could be beneficial for both parties.

Saints DE Marcus Davenport Had Five Offseason Surgeries

June 15th, 2022 at 6:57pm CST by Ben Levine

It sounds like Marcus Davenport hasn’t had the easiest offseason from a health perspective. As Katherine Terrell of The Athletic writes, the Saints defensive end had a pair of surgeries on his knee and three surgeries on his left hand.

Davenport had a stint on IR last season while dealing with a shoulder ailment, so his two surgeries were likely intended to fix that injury. Meanwhile, Davenport said he’s been dealing with a pinkie injury that dates back to college, but the injury has progressively gotten worse and culminated in Davenport having part of the finger amputated.

The latest finger surgery has put Davenport’s shoulder rehab on hold, but the veteran admitted that he’s feeling better and is excited to get back on the field. Saints coach Dennis Allen previously hinted that training camp was a reasonable return date for the defensive end.

The 2018 first-round pick has spent his entire career with New Orleans, missing 17 games in four seasons. While he was limited to only 11 games (nine starts) last season, he still finished with career-highs in tackles (39), sacks (nine), and forced fumbles (three). In total, Davenport has 21 sacks in 48 games.

The 25-year-old helped the Saints open up some cap space this offseason by reworking his deal. More than $8MM of Davenport’s 2022 $9.6MM base salary was turned into a signing bonus, helping the team carve out $6MM. Davenport is set to hit free agent following the 2022 campaign.

Saints K Wil Lutz Receives Clearance To Return

June 14th, 2022 at 3:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

Drew Brees‘ retirement led to four quarterbacks making starts for the Saints last season. Wil Lutz‘s injury produced similar instability. The Saints used four kickers in Lutz’s absence in 2021. Their 2022 outlook at the position appears clearer.

Lutz revealed on Instagram he has received clearance to return to workouts. This will be a welcome sight for the Saints, who used three kickers (Brett Maher, Brian Johnson, Aldrick Rosas) in at least four games, with Maher’s eight leading the way, and Cody Parkey in the other.

A groin injury led to Lutz’s absence. The veteran specialist had an opportunity to return near the midseason point, when the Saints opened his IR-return window. But a setback led to Lutz being shut down for the season. Lutz, 27, said he has undergone two surgeries in the past year.

While the Maher-Johnson-Rosas-Parkey quartet made 25 of 30 field goals, the hired legs combined to go 31-for-38 on extra points. Even while playing exclusively in the longer-range PAT era, Lutz has only missed seven (253-for-260) in his five-season run as New Orleans’ primary kicker. His return stands to help a Saints team that looks better than last year’s iteration — partially because of injured players’ returns. Jameis Winston and Michael Thomas are in line to join Lutz in reclaiming their previous roles with the team.

Lutz, who received a Pro Bowl invite in 2019, is still tied to the five-year extension he signed in March of that year. The Georgia State alum is under contract for two more seasons; he is set to count $5.57MM against New Orleans’ cap in 2022. The Saints’ coalition of 2021 kickers is gone, but the team did sign UDFA John Parker Romo this offseason.

Saints Working Out G Senio Kelemete

June 14th, 2022 at 10:42am CST by Sam Robinson

Senio Kelemete is back with the Saints. For a workout, at least. In addition to bringing in David Johnson and Joe Schobert for minicamp, the Saints are hosting Kelemete, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football tweets. All three vets are participating in the team’s Tuesday workout.

Johnson’s teammate in Houston two years ago, Kelemete may be better known for his time in New Orleans. The 10-year veteran guard played with the Saints from 2014-17, establishing himself as a spot starter to the point the Texans gave him a three-year, $12MM deal to be one of their starting guards in 2018.

The former Cardinals fifth-round pick played three seasons with the Texans. After a 14-start 2018, a season in which Deshaun Watson took more sacks than any quarterback in 12 years, Kelemete missed 15 games in 2019 after an early-season injury. He did not regain a job as a full-time starter in 2020 but did make five starts.

After making two more starts for the Chargers last season, Kelemete has 44 over the course of his career. Twenty-two of those came for the Saints, who had Kelemete as a steady insurance option as they reconstructed their roster ahead of their late-2010s run of playoff berths.

New Orleans has Andrus Peat and Cesar Ruiz locked in at the guard spots, and while the team did not draft any interior O-linemen, it signed veterans Josh Andrews and Forrest Lamp. Swingman James Hurst remains on the team as well. Kelemete, 32, would vie for a depth role if brought back.

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