Arthur Maulet

Saints Move Coby Fleener To IR

The concussion Coby Fleener sustained against the Rams last week induced the Saints to place their starting tight end on IR, Nick Underhill of The Advocate tweets.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported this week Fleener’s concussion could linger. He was declared out for this week. To replace Fleener on the 53-man roster, the Saints promted tight end Garrett Griffin from their practice squad, Rapoport tweets.

The Saints also waived cornerback De’Vante Harris, per Herbie Teope of NOLA.com (on Twitter), and promoted cornerback Arthur Maulet from the practice squad.

Fleener has not missed a game since his rookie season, suiting up for all 16 of the Colts’ contests from 2013-15 and each of the Saints’ games last season. He played in 11 New Orleans tilts this year prior to a nasty Blake Countess hit in Los Angeles.

The former second-round pick has become a lower-end target for Drew Brees this season, averaging 26.8 yards per game, but still leads the Saints’ tight ends by a healthy margin. Fleener caught two touchdown passes this season, but it will mark by far his lowest receiving output since his rookie year. He finished with 631 air yards last season. Josh Hill, Michael Hoomanawanui and now Griffin comprise the tight end contingent on New Orleans’ active roster.

Fleener is under contract through the 2020 season.

Harris played in all 11 Saints games this season, starting one. The 2016 UDFA recorded 15 tackles and deflected two passes. Maulet played in one career game, against the Panthers in Week 3. He may well have a chance to play a second against the Panthers on Sunday.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/26/17

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

  • Signed: LB Tre’von Johnson

Indianapolis Colts

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Saints Re-Sign DL Kendall Langford

The Saints have re-signed defensive lineman Kendall Langford, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter links). In related moves, offensive tackle Bryce Harris was released and defensive back Arthur Maulet was waived.Kendall Langford

Langford, 31, had a short stint with New Orleans last week, as he signed with the club on Thursday before being cut on Saturday. Clearly, his release was part of some sort of Saints roster shuffle, as the team wanted him back as soon as possible. A nine-year NFL veteran, Langford spent the past two seasons with the Colts before being released in August. Aside from the Saints, the only club to have expressed interest in Langford over the past month was the 49ers.

New Orleans is coming off its best defensive performance of the 2017 campaign, as it held Cam Newton and the Panthers to juset 13 points and 362 total yards. But the Saints could still use extra depth on the defensive side of the ball, as the unit ranked 31st in DVOA heading into Week 3. Langford, who can play both end and tackle, will help make up for the loss of fellow defenders Nick Fairley and Mitchell Loewen, both of whom are out for the year.

Saints Cut Kendall Langford, Darryl Tapp

Two days after signing him, the Saints made the decision to cut Kendall Langford to make room for players they presumably believe will be of greater use to them on Sunday. New Orleans also cut defensive end Darryl Tapp, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

A 10th-year veteran, Langford signed a one-year deal with the Saints on Thursday. He’d been a starter in all but one season, but the 31-year-old defensive lineman will venture back into free agency. Being a vested veteran, Tapp will as well.

The Saints cut the defensive line duo to sign defensive backs Justin Hardee and Arthur Maulet, Yates reports. New Orleans has encountered a cornerback shortage, with Marshon Lattimore and Sterling Moore deemed out for Week 3. With Delvin Breaux on IR, the team has made moves to enhance its skeleton crew in advance of Sunday’s game against the Panthers.

Langford spent the past two seasons with the Colts but also served as a starter for the Rams and Dolphins. Tapp suited up in all 16 Saints games last season, starting two. It’s possible the team could look to re-sign the pair after its cornerback situation clears up.

Hardee signed with New Orleans’ practice squad on Friday, doing so after the Texans cut him after the preseason concluded. The Saints signed Maulet as a UDFA in May and added him to their practice squad before the regular season.

Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC South

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC South teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Falcons, Panthers, Saints, and Buccaneers are noted below.

Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.

Here are Sunday’s NFC South transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Saints Reach 53-Man Roster Limit

Every team had to get under the 53-man limit by Saturday’s deadline, but the Saints were the last to publicly announce their cuts. Here’s the full rundown of their moves:

Waived:

Released:

IR:

The Saints re-signed Cadet this offseason only to put him on the trade block in June. They didn’t find any takers then and they apparently couldn’t find any now. The Jets, who pursued him in free agency, could have interest in signing him.

Saints, 12 UDFAs Reach Deals

The Saints have agreed to deals with 12 undrafted free agents, all of whom are listed below.