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Lastest On Saints’ QB Taysom Hill

December 3rd, 2021 at 7:39pm CST by Ely Allen

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (tweet), Saints’ quarterback Taysom Hill will attempt to play through the injury he suffered after a hit to the middle finger on his throwing hand in Thursday night’s game against the Cowboys.

Confirming what many in the Saints’ organization thought, doctors for the Saints determined that Hill had indeed suffered a mallet finger. While this is the same injury that forced Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson to have surgery and miss 3 games in October, Hill’s injury is not as extensive. ESPN’s Stephania Bell was quoted saying that given the isolation of the one injury to the one finger, it was viable for Hill to play without surgery.

Bell continued, “My expectation is that we will see them customize a splint…that is open on the undersurface so he can feel and grip the ball. Then when he’s not playing, he’ll probably be in a sturdier splint.”

As long as he’s able to reach close to full strength with a couple extra days between games, there’s a good chance Hill continues to start when the Saints travel to East Rutherford to play the Jets in Week 14.

Surgery For Saints QB Taysom Hill?

December 3rd, 2021 at 11:39am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints believe that quarterback Taysom Hill has suffered a torn tendon in his middle finger that may require surgery (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Hill will know more after further testing, but he’s likely dealing with Mallet Finger, the same injury that forced Seahawks QB Russell Wilson to miss time this year.

Hill started under center for the Saints last night, completing just 19 of his 41 throws for two touchdowns against four interceptions. On the plus side, he was able to make plays with his feet, carrying the ball eleven times for 101 yards.

Hill came into the game with a partially torn plantar fascia that still isn’t 100%. Then, after suffering the finger injury, he had to play with a splint on his throwing hand — that didn’t go so well, so it stands to reason that the Saints will keep Hill off the field for at least a few weeks. And, now that the Saints are 5-7 with slim odds of securing a Wild Card spot, there’s little reason to rush things.

“I thought he played with a lot of heart, a lot of guts. We didn’t help him any in the first half,” said head coach Sean Payton, referencing Hill’s first interception, a catchable ball thrown to Kenny Stills (via ESPN.com).

The Saints, who will likely be without Hill, have a little over a week before their next game against the Jets.

Saints Rework Ryan Ramczyk’s Deal

December 3rd, 2021 at 10:08am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints have restructured Ryan Ramczyk‘s contract (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). Now, the right tackle will have a portion of his base salary converted into a fully guaranteed roster bonus for 2022. The move will provide the Saints with an extra $242K in cap room for this year.

[RELATED: Saints Place Kpassagnon On IR]

Ramczyk inked a five-year, $96MM extension with the Saints over the Summer, a mega-deal with $60MM in guarantees. The original agreement also gave the Saints some sorely needed breathing room — his fifth-year option would have carried a hit of $11MM for 2021; the extension tamped it down to $5.5MM. The restructure lowers the hit even further, allowing the Saints to bring in outside help if even more injuries arise.

Ramczyk’s $19.2MM AAV positions him as the NFL’s highest-paid right tackle. It was something of a no-brainer for the Saints — Ramczyk won’t turn 28 until April and he’s performed as one of the best blockers in the league throughout his career.

Unfortunately, Ramczyk has been sidetracked by injuries this year — both he and Alvin Kamara were held out of last night’s game to the Cowboys, a 27-17 loss that dropped the Saints to 5-7 on the year.

Saints Place DE Tanoh Kpassagnon On IR

December 2nd, 2021 at 4:38pm CST by Ben Levine

Tanoh Kpassagnon will be sidelined for at least the next three weeks. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the Saints have placed the defensive end on injured reserve.

Kpassagnon had already been ruled out for Week 13 thanks to a nagging ankle injury. The ailment had forced the defensive lineman to miss the previous two games, as well, and now he won’t see the field until Week 16 at the earliest.

The former second-round pick spent the first four seasons of his career with Kansas City, and he started 23 games for the Chiefs between the 2019 and 2020 seasons (along with six playoff starts and three playoff sacks). He joined the Saints this past offseason on a two-year deal, and he started five of his first eight games with the organization, collecting 18 tackles, four sacks, eight QB hits, and one forced fumble.

New Orleans made a handful of additional moves in anticipation of tonight’s matchup against the Cowboys (per Yates). The team signed offensive tackle Caleb Benenoch, defensive tackle Albert Huggins, and running back Adam Prentice from the practice squad to the active roster, and they also promoted linebacker Chase Hansen and guard Forrest Lamp to the 53-man roster.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/2/21

December 2nd, 2021 at 11:37am CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Thursday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the day:

Dallas Cowboys

Houston Texans

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

Washington Football Team

Saints’ Alvin Kamara To Miss Week 13

December 2nd, 2021 at 9:11am CST by Sam Robinson

Alvin Kamara managed three limited practices for the Saints this week, but the Pro Bowl running back is not set to return for Thursday night’s game against the Cowboys.

The Saints are planning to rule out Kamara and tackles Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk for another game, Ian Rapoport and Jane Slater of NFL.com note (on Twitter). This will be Kamara’s fourth straight absence.

New Orleans did not put Kamara on IR, keeping him on its active roster in hopes he would not need a three-week absence. The knee injury the fifth-year back suffered in early November, however, has resulted in by far the longest absence of his career. Prior to being held out of the Saints’ Week 10 game, Kamara had only missed four games in four seasons.

Without Kamara, the Saints are 0-3 this season. They have lost four consecutive games. Although Taysom Hill is in line to replace Trevor Siemian as the Saints’ starter, the dual-threat quarterback will be without essential personnel against the Cowboys. Armstead and Ramczyk, who have formed a top-tier tackle tandem since 2017, are also battling knee injuries. Armstead is a free agent at season’s end, while the Saints have locked up Ramczyk and Kamara long-term.

Kamara led the NFL with 21 touchdowns last season, helping the Saints stay in gear despite Michael Thomas missing extensive time. Thomas will not play at all this season, and after Kamara’s 840 scrimmage yards had him on pace to set a new career-high, the latter Saints playmaker will fall well short of that mark this season. Although Drew Brees‘ retirement was going to make an impact regardless, injuries have limited the Saints considerably this season. They rank 18th in scoring offense and are looking likely to finish outside the top 10 in points for the first time since 2010.

Saints’ Taysom Hill To Start At QB Tomorrow

December 1st, 2021 at 6:18pm CST by Ben Levine

The Saints are officially turning to Taysom Hill. The veteran will start at quarterback against the Cowboys tomorrow night, reports ESPN’s Mike Triplett.

[RELATED: Saints, Taysom Hill Agree To Extension]

While he was still rostered as an emergency backup, Hill ended up missing the past two weeks while he recovered from a partially torn plantar fascia. With the Trevor Siemian-led offense sputtering, it seemed inevitable that the Saints would turn to Hill once he was fully healthy. That will end up being the case tomorrow night, as the Swiss Army Knife will be under center for New Orleans.

After also dealing with a concussion earlier this year, Hill has been limited to only seven games this season. While the 31-year-old went 3-1 as a starter at QB last season, he’s been limited to only eight pass attempts in 2021 (completing seven of them for 56 yards and one interception). He’s also seen 24 touches for 156 yards and three touchdowns. Hill signed a “unique four-year, hybrid…contract extension” with the Saints last week.

Siemian slid into the starting lineup once Jameis Winston was lost for the season. While the veteran initially played well, the Saints offense has regressed over the past few weeks, leading to the easy decision. Siemian ultimately went 0-4 in his four starts (five games overall), completing 57.2-percent of his passes for 1,083 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions.

Kenny Vaccaro Retires From NFL

December 1st, 2021 at 11:06am CST by Zachary Links

Kenny Vaccaro is calling it a career. On Wednesday, the longtime NFL safety announced that he is stepping away from the game to focus on a new e-sports venture (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).

“This isn’t a reflex decision for me; it’s something I’ve thought about for a long time,” Vaccaro said. “I’ve been a gamer for even longer than I’ve played football, and I’ve always thought of myself as a gamer first. So this is the realization of a long-term dream for me…Life doesn’t end just because you put down the helmet. You can reinvent yourself.”

Vaccaro, a 2013 first-round pick, spent his first five years with the Saints and started in 67 of his 68 regular season games. After that, he found himself in a severely depressed market for veteran safeties. But, after settling for a cheap one-year deal with the Titans in 2018, he parlayed a strong season into a four-year, $26MM extension.

The veteran made 42 for the Titans before his release earlier this year. In 2020, his last NFL campaign, he finished out with 62 stops, one sack, and five passes defensed. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus — which have never been especially fond of his work — gave him a 58.8 overall grade, slotting him just 68th out of 84 qualified safeties.

After 110 career games, multiple postseason trips, and over $28MM in career earnings, Vaccaro is now set to enter the e-sports arena.

Saints Cut WR Kevin White, FB Alex Armah

November 30th, 2021 at 9:54pm CST by Ben Levine

Kevin White‘s stint with the Saints has come to an end. The team has waived the wideout, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). The team has also cut fullback Alex Armah, per Aaron Wilson (on Twitter).

White, the seventh-overall pick in the 2015 draft, battled injuries throughout his Bears tenure and later caught on with the Cardinals and 49ers. He managed to get into three games with San Francisco last season without recording a reception, and he ended up getting cut by the squad in August.

He ultimately caught on with New Orleans, and he ended up seeing time in five games (one start) for his new squad. The 29-year-old contributed one 38-yard reception during his time with the Saints, and he ultimately saw more special teams snaps than offensive snaps. The Saints have been without Michael Thomas all season, and their leading receivers, Deonte Harris and Marquez Callaway, have combined for only 54 receptions. If White couldn’t break into the Saints’ depth chart, he’ll be hard pressed to find another team that’s willing to give him a shot.

Armah, a former sixth-round pick, spent the first four seasons of his career with the Panthers, appearing in 57 games. He joined the Saints this past offseason and ended up getting into nine games (two starts), collecting 22 yards and one touchdown in six touches. Practice squad player Adam Prentice is the only other fullback in the organization.

Minor NFL Transactions:  11/30/21

November 30th, 2021 at 11:59am CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Detroit Lions

  • Waived/Injured: DL Da’Shawn Hand

Green Bay Packers

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Giants

  • Signed (off Bills practice squad): QB Jake Fromm

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

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