HEADLINES

Avery Young

Minor NFL Transactions: 2/27/17

February 27th, 2017 at 5:36pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

  • The 49ers have re-signed exclusive rights free agents Carl Bradford (linebacker) and Mike Purcell (defensive lineman), the team announced. San Francisco claimed Bradford, a former Green Bay fourth-round pick, off waivers near the tail end of last season, and the 24-year-old went on to play in two games with the Niners. Purcell, meanwhile, has spent the past three seasons with the 49ers. In 2016, he appeared in 15 games (five starts) and played on roughly a quarter of San Francisco’s defensive snaps.
  • The Buccaneers have re-signed exclusive rights free agents WR Adam Humphries (wide receiver), DB Jude Adjei-Barimah (defensive back), Adarius Glanton (linebacker), and Freddie Martino (wide receiver), reports Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. Humphries (55 receptions, 622 yards, two scores) and Adjei-Barimah (290 defensive snaps before a PED suspension) played the largest roles among this group in 2016.
  • The Cardinals announced that they’re re-signed linebacker Gabe Martin, who was an exclusive rights free agent. Martin, 24, played in eight games last season but spent most of his time on special teams. The former undrafted free agent was placed on injured reserve in November after suffering a knee injury.
  • The Jaguars announced that they’ve signed offensive lineman Greg Van Roten. Van Roten, 27, hasn’t appeared in the NFL since 2013, when he played in three games for Green Bay. After spending a few months with Seattle in 2014, Van Roten signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, where he’s played the past two campaigns.
  • The Colts have agreed to sign offensive lineman Fahn Cooper, the club announced today. Cooper, a 2016 sixth-round choice out of Ole Miss, spent his rookie season on the 49ers’ practice squad. The 23-year-old was placed on San Francisco’s taxi squad injured reserve list in November.
  • The Saints have waived offensive lineman Avery Young, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Young, 24, went undrafted out of Auburn in 2016, and ended up spending the entirety of his rookie campaign on the non-football injury list.

NFC South Notes: Saints, Brees, Alford, Falcons

December 14th, 2016 at 10:24am CST by Zachary Links

It’s now 2017 or bust for the Saints‘ power trio of Drew Brees, coach Sean Payton, and GM Mickey Loomis, ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett opines. The Saints have shown gradual improvement over the past two years, but they’re now on pace for their third straight losing season and patience is wearing thin amongst fans. With Drew Brees signed to a one-year extension through 2017 that will really hamper them in ’18, the Saints are poised to go “all-in” next year, but they’ll have to get things right in free agency. In recent years, high-priced additions like safety Jairus Byrd, cornerback Brandon Browner, running back C.J. Spiller, tight end Coby Fleener, and linebacker James Laurinaitis have flopped.

More from the NFC South:

  • Under the terms of Robert Alford‘s four-year extension with the Falcons, the fourth-year cornerback will receive $21MM guaranteed — $12MM of that is fully guaranteed at signing, while the remaining $9MM becomes fully guaranteed on February 10, 2017, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Because Alford is extremely unlikely to be cut before next spring, that $21MM total is “effectively” guaranteed, and would tie Alford for ninth among corners in terms of guaranteed money.
  • Offensive lineman Avery Young‘s practice window has expired, meaning the Saints will not be able to activate him from the non-football injury list for the remainder of the season, reports Nick Underhill of the Advocate (Twitter link). As Underhill tweeted last week, New Orleans has agreed to pay Young $10K per week while he’s on NFI. Technically, clubs are not required to compensate players on NFI, but most teams work out deals to pay sidelined players at a lower rate.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

Saints Place Hau’oli Kikaha On PUP

August 30th, 2016 at 6:10pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Saints still had a bit of work to do in order to comply with the league’s 75-man roster limit, and they’ve made a few final moves today. The club announced that it’s released defensive tackle C.J. Wilson; waived linebacker Tony Steward, tight end RaShaun Allen, and cornerback Brandon Dixon; placed defensive end Hau’oli Kikaha on PUP; and placed offensive lineman Avery Young on NFI.Hau'oli Kikaha (vertical)

[RELATED: Saints Release Matt Shaughnessy]

Wilson, 29, agreed to a one-year deal with New Orleans earlier this summer. The veteran defensive lineman has78 career games under his belt, with most of that time coming as a rotational option with Packers from 2010-2013. Wilson played in 12 contests in 2016 (eight with the Lions, four with the Raiders), and picked up nine total tackles to go along with one sack.

Kikaha, meanwhile, appeared in 15 games and made 11 starts for New Orleans in 2015. In that time, the 24-year-old racked up 4 sacks, 50 total tackles, two passes defended, four forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Saints Sign 19 Undrafted Free Agents

May 2nd, 2016 at 8:13pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints have announced the signing of 19 undrafted rookie free agents. The full list of Saints UDFAs is below: