Saints quarterback Jake Haener has been practicing since getting diagnosed with skin cancer recently, but he is set to miss a day next week.
Head coach Dennis Allen told reporters at a Friday press conference that Haener is expected to have a procedure on Monday. Haener said last month that he was hoping to have the procedure after the preseason, but that he would see doctors this week to determine the best course of action.
Allen said Haener is expected to miss one day of practice before rejoining the team in Irvine, California on Wednesday.
Haener and fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler are competing to back up Derek Carr this season. Nathan Peterman was also on the roster before being released on Friday.
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Nathan Peterman’s time is up in New Orleans.
The Saints announced Peterman’s release on Friday. They also announced the signing of wide receiver Samson Nacua.
Peterman signed with the Saints in March after spending the last two seasons with the Bears. He started one game in Chicago and he started four games for the Bills during his first two NFL seasons.
The move leaves the Saints with Jake Haener and fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler behind Derek Carr. Haener was recently diagnosed with skin cancer, but has been practicing with the team.
Nacua is the younger brother of Rams wideout Puka Nacua. He transferred from Utah to BYU in 2021, spent time with the Colts after going undrafted in 2022 and caught 11 passes in the UFL this season.
The Saints have taken some hits at wide receiver, with Cedrick Wilson Jr., Equanimeous St. Brown and rookie draft pick Bub Means missing Wednesday’s practice with injuries. They replenished at the position Thursday, bringing back a familiar face.
The team announced it has signed receiver Marquez Callaway.
In a corresponding move, the Saints waived tight end Tommy Hudson with an injury designation.
This marks Callaway’s third stint in New Orleans, first joining the team as a rookie free agent in 2020. He left in free agency in 2023, following Sean Payton to Denver.
But after the Broncos and Raiders waived him last year, he returned to the Saints’ practice squad on Nov. 21.
Callaway signed a futures contract with the Steelers in January, but they cut him Tuesday.
He has appeared in 45 regular-season games with 17 starts for New Orleans, his only career action, and has 83 receptions for 1,069 yards and seven touchdowns. Callaway also has returned 14 punts for 149 yards (10.6 average) and four kickoffs for 94 yards (23.5 average).
Chase Young signed a one-year, $13 million contract with the Saints this offseason, but most of his money is tied to per-game roster bonuses, meaning he has to be on the active roster each week to get it. Which means it’s good news for Young that his head coach sounds optimistic about his ability to contribute this season.
Young had offseason neck surgery, but Saints head coach Dennis Allen says there’s no indication that his health will be a problem.
“He’s certainly ahead of where we thought he was going to be at this point in time and so, I think the ramp up for him is just every day, you’re going to see a little bit more,” Allen said, via the team’s website. “Now, what’s a little bit more? Well, it may be a couple more reps each period until finally, we’re ready to fully incorporate him into the whole deal. I haven’t seen any limitations at all out of him, other than its really kind of been a while since he’s really been playing real football. Just trying to get his football legs up under him a little bit, and I like the progress. I would say he’s exceeded my expectations to this point. . . . He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do, the way we’ve asked him to do it, never has there been any sort of kickback on anything. I’ve been really pleased with that part of it. And I think as you watch practice, I think you can feel it when he’s out there.”
Young was the NFL’s defensive rookie of the year in Washington in 2020, and he looked like he was going to be one of the best defensive ends in the league for years to come. It hasn’t worked out that way, and injuries have been a major problem for him. But a healthy season from Young could be a big boost for the Saints’ defense — and a lucrative year for Young.
The Saints announced Wednesday they will induct former offensive guard Jahri Evans into the club’s Ring of Honor during a halftime ceremony in the Nov. 17 game against the Browns.
“During his 11-year playing career as a Saint, Jahri Evans established himself as one of the greatest Saints of all-time, and we are thrilled to add him to the Ring of Honor,” Saints owner Gayle Benson said in a statement. “Jahri was a true professional, a student of the game and a phenomenal teammate who led our team and our historic offense with his excellence along the offensive line. The battles that Jahri won up front played a pivotal role in us celebrating some of the most memorable moments in our franchise’s history. We look forward to celebrating his legendary career in November in front of our fans in the Caesars Superdome.”
The Saints made Evans a fourth-round draft pick in 2006 out of Bloomsburg, and he developed into an anchor for one of the most dominant offenses in NFL history during his tenure with the Saints.
Evans started all 169 regular-season games he played and all 10 postseason games at right guard. He was a member of the 2009 Super Bowl XLIV championship team.
He is a five-time All-Pro, a six-time Pro Bowler and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2010’s All-Decade Team.
Evans was a Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist in 2023 and finalist in 2024.
He began his coaching career as an offensive assistant for the Saints in 2023.
“From the moment we drafted Jahri Evans in 2006, he was an immediate contributor and integral part of our football team,” Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis said. “Jahri quickly became a mainstay on our offensive line and was one of the most dominant guards in the National Football League. His contributions throughout the week and on gameday were crucial to our team’s success on offense and as a whole during that time. I have been fortunate to have a chance to be around some Hall of Fame offensive lineman during my NFL front office career and Jahri ranks right in that group. We are extremely proud to have Jahri join the Saints Ring of Honor.”
Evans becomes the eighth member of the team’s Ring of Honor, joining owner Tom Benson (2018), kicker Morten Andersen (2016), linebacker Rickey Jackson (2013), quarterback Archie Manning (2013), linebacker Sam Mills (2021), tackle William Roaf (2013) and defensive end Will Smith (2019).
Saints linebacker Demario Davis injured his hamstring during individual drills Wednesday, Matthew Paras of nola.com reports. Davis did not participate in team drills.
Saints coach Dennis Allen did not offer additional details on Davis’ injury.
Davis joined the Saints as a free agent in 2018 and has not missed a game in five seasons in New Orleans. He has earned first- or second-team All-Pro after each of the past five seasons.
The Saints did see the return of receiver Chris Olave, who left practice early Tuesday after landing on his hip.
Veteran linebacker A.J. Klein has played his final NFL snap.
Klein announced his retirement in a post to Instagram on Tuesday. The announcement comes as NFL training camps unfold without him for the first time since 2013.
The Panthers made Klein a fifth-round choice that year and he spent four seasons in Carolina before moving on to the Saints for three seasons. He played for the Bills in 2020 and 2021 and then split the 2022 season between Buffalo, Chicago and Baltimore. Klein then returned to play two games for the Bills last season.
Klein played 162 regular season and playoff games for his career. He had 505 tackles, 15.5 sacks, four interceptions, eight forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries in those appearances.
The Saints have an injury concern with their top receiver, though the severity is currently unclear.
Chris Olave had to exit Tuesday’s practice early, with head coach Dennis Allen saying after the session that Olave is dealing with a hip issue.
“I think he just landed on his hip,” Allen said in his press conference. “It’s hip and that’s really about all I’ve got right now.”
Olave, 24, led New Orleans with 87 receptions and 1,123 yards, along with tying for the team lead with five touchdowns in 2023. He’s recorded 159 catches for 2,165 yards with nine touchdowns in his young career.
The Saints are practicing at UC Irvine in Southern California for training camp. We’ll see if Olave needs to miss any additional time with his hip injury in the coming days.
As football season creeps closer, many who weren’t paying close attention during the offseason are realizing that the new kickoff rule comes with a major change.
The surprise onside kick is dead and gone.
Many are acting as if that’s new. It’s not. It was a clear and obvious part of the rule change that the league adopted in late March.
All onside kicks will be announced in advance, since the onside kick will entail an entirely different formation. Also, onside kicks can’t happen until the fourth quarter. And only the team that is trailing can perform them.
While the pre-2024 efforts to minimize the kickoff had made it harder for onside kicks to be recovered, the possibility of a surprise onside kick lingered. Now, it won’t. It can’t happen, ever.
It’s one of the only rule changes that restrict the options that teams previously had. Twice in the last 30 years (Cowboys-Steelers and Saints-Colts), successful surprise onside kicks happened in the Super Bowl.
Still, the league believes it’s a fair trade. More kickoff returns in exchange for no possibility ever and under any circumstances of a surprise onside kick.
Regardless, those who didn’t realize this consequence to the new kickoff formation in March are figuring it out now. And many apparently don’t like it.
The good news is that the new formation was adopted as a one-year experiment. To continue it in 2025, another 24 votes of the 32 owners will be needed to keep it going.
Taysom Hill has never had a clearly defined position during his eight seasons with the Saints, and he won’t have one this year either.
Saints head coach Dennis Allen said the Saints expect Hill to remain a jack of all trades, and Allen made clear that quarterback remains one of the positions Hill will play.
“He’s gonna do a lot of stuff. He’s gonna run routes from in line, out wide, out of the backfield, he’s going to block, he’s going to run the ball out of the backfield, I think he’s going to do a lot of stuff. He’s going to line up at the quarterback position at some point in time. I think he’s an awesome weapon to have,” Allen said.
Hill said new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is going to use the fullback position in new and interesting ways and that Hill will get some snaps at fullback.
“I feel like the use of the fullback in this system, that role has been expanded,” Hill said. “I have done more of that.”
Ultimately, Hill said, his role in the offense is a work in progress.
“I feel like I have a good idea but I still think that they’re figuring out what that is going to look like,” Hill said.
Hill turns 34 next month, but as a player he’s continuing to evolve.
