HEADLINES

Erik Harris

Saints Safety Erik Harris Done For Season

October 11th, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Saints safety and special teams maven Erik Harris underwent ACL surgery today and will be out for the remainder of the year, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). Devastatingly, Harris suffered the torn ACL — and meniscus — while intercepting Drew Brees in practice on Monday.Saints general helmet (Featured)

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Harris, 26, was in the midst of his first NFL season, as he spent 2013-2015 in the CFL playing for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The California University (Pa.) alum signed a futures deal with New Orleans earlier this year, and ended up making the club’s initial roster. Through four games, Harris had only played two defensive snaps, but managed to see action on 82.5% of the Saints’ special teams snaps.

With Harris sidelined, Rapoport tossed out fellow safety Alden Darby, who was with the Saints during training camp, as a possible option to be signed in the coming days. Darby was waived/injured by New Orleans in August, and went on to spend a few days on the Colts’ roster.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: J. Long, Raiders, Vegas, Vikings

June 20th, 2016 at 8:43pm CST by Zachary Links

Some league insiders believe that offensive tackle Jake Long‘s legs are “shot,” according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That bit of news clashes with a report from Sunday, in which Long himself claimed that he is finally healthy and ready for a new opportunity. The 31-year-old Long only appeared in four games with the Falcons last season, but he did score a workout with the Bears earlier this month. Unfortunately for Long, Chicago went with fellow offensive lineman Nate Chandler instead, so Long will continue to sit on the free agent market for the time being.

Here’s more from around the NFL…

  • Despite some talk to the contrary, the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee will in fact recommend a stadium plan for the Raiders, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. The plan may not be OK’d on Thursday, he adds, but he hears that it will happen sometime soon. The MGM Grand is fighting the stadium and they could look to counter any approval via the legislature.
  • After adding Kelechi Osemele, Bruce Irvin, and Sean Smith this offseason, ESPN.com’s AFC West writers debated whether the Raiders stand as the most improved team in the division. Jeff Legwold writes that he would be extremely surprised if Oakland didn’t end the playoff drought and notes that Denver made the playoffs in 2014 after a similar free agency binge netted them DeMarcus Ware, Emmanuel Sanders, and T.J. Ward.
  • After spending the offseason putting better pieces around Teddy Bridgewater, the Vikings should be even better than they were in 2015 when they captured the NFC North crown, Ben Goessling of ESPN.com writes. This spring, Vikings general manager Rick Spielman signed established veterans Alex Boone and Andre Smith to start on the offensive line while also bolstering the secondary.
  • The Saints are excited about Canadian import Erik Harris, as Christopher Dabe of The Times-Picayune writes. “He has been a pleasant surprise,” head coach Sean Payton said. “When you get a player from Canada, it is really a free agent signing, so you have not had to use a draft pick.” As shown on Roster Resource, the former Hamilton Tiger-Cats standout is vying with Alden Darby to occupy one of the final safety spots on the team.

Minor NFL Transactions: 2/3/16

February 3rd, 2016 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Wednesday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:

  • The Bengals have signed tight end John Peters to a reserve/futures deal, the team announced today (on Twitter). Peters spent time with Cincinnati last summer after being signed as an undrafted free agent, but was waived by the club before the regular season began.

Earlier updates:

  • After striking gold a year ago with Delvin Breaux, who was New Orleans’ most reliable cornerback in his first season with the club, the Saints have signed another defender from the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Linebacker Erik Harris has inked a contract with the Saints, according to Drew Edwards and Justin Dunk of 3DownNation.com. Harris, who played with Breaux in 2014, recorded 43 tackles and a pair of interceptions this past season.
  • The Bills have signed cornerback Javier Arenas to a reserve/futures contract, the team announced today (via Twitter). A former second-round pick, Arenas has logged a total of 69 career regular season games, including 12 starts, during stints with the Chiefs, Cardinals, and Falcons. However, he didn’t play for an NFL team in 2015 after being cut by the Jets last August.