New Orleans

Saints

Kirkwood has spent the majority of his career with the Saints after joining them as a UDFA out of Temple in 2018. The veteran receiver participated in the Ravens’ minicamp on a tryout basis earlier this month and will now have a chance to stick on the 53-man roster in training camp. Kirkwood has caught 24 passes for 294 yards and three touchdowns in his career and will need to flash on special teams if he hopes to make the team.

Teamer was released by the Raiders last season following an arrest for a DUI. Teamer has played primarily on special teams during his career, and played his college football at Tulane. It’s a return home for Teamer, who will have a chance to compete for a spot on the 53-man roster this offseason.

Issues concerning Young’s neck became public shortly after he signed with the Saints, who said they were aware of the injury prior to signing the former No. 2 overall pick. Young totaled 7.5 sacks and seven TFLs last season while splitting time between the Commanders and the 49ers. He underwent a surgical procedure to correct the issue and is expected to undergo more tests in about six weeks, per Fowler. Young signed a one-year, $13 million contract with the Saints and is hoping a successful 2024 can lead to a big payday next offseason.

According to Saints beat writer Nick Underhill, the Saints converted Hill’s base salary into a signing bonus to take his cap number from $15.7 million to $6.8 million. The conversion means Hill is now set to count $18 million toward the team’s cap space next season, but they’ll almost certainly find a way to get out of that when the time comes. The league’s ultimate gadget player totaled 692 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns last season and will be 34 before the start of next season. He remains a potential cheat code in leagues where fantasy managers can roster him as a tight end but has no upside as a quarterback at this time.

This comes straight from Kamara’s agent, Brad Cicala. Kamara’s contract runs through the next two seasons and has just $1 million in guarantees remaining, likely prompting the decision. It’s worth noting that Kamara is currently set to earn just over $18 million this season, making any “contract-related” issues a bit confusing, but we’ll likely learn more about this in the coming days. The Saints can notably save more than $18 million by cutting the soon-to-be 29-year-old back after this season. Kamara has functioned as the team’s offensive focal point for much of his seven-year career, touching the ball more than 250 times in all but his rookie campaign.

It was reported yesterday that Johnson suffered a lower leg injury. We now know that he suffered a foot injury that will require surgery to fix. Schefter also noted that the “belief for now is that [Johnson] will be back for the start of the season,” but it sounds like he will miss all or most of training camp. Johnson caught 37 passes for 368 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games last season and doesn’t have much fantasy upside outside of being a week-to-week streaming option. His absence should open up more opportunities for Taysom Hill and Foster Moreau this offseason, with Hill being the only fantasy-relevant player at this time.

The report of Johnson’s lower leg injury comes after the Saints concluded minicamp and he is expected to miss extended time, likely into training camp. The Saints tried out UFL TE Sal Cannella today and also have Foster Moreau, Taysom Hill, and UDFA Dallin Holker on the roster. Later updates will give an idea of just how long Johnson will be out. He totaled 37 receptions for 368 yards and four touchdowns last season, finishing as a fantasy TE2. If he is healthy for the beginning of the season, Johnson will be at TE2 value once again.

Cannella has been a standout tight end for the UFL’s Arlington Renegades. He totaled 496 yards and a league-leading six touchdowns over five games for the Renegades during the 2024 UFL regular season. Cannella was targeted on 21 percent of his routes, a strong rate for a tight end. The former Auburn product has had tryouts for other NFL teams, including the Packers. He likely wouldn’t see much playing time behind Juwan Johnson and Taysom Hill if he makes the New Orleans roster.

After rumors of a potential trade earlier this offseason, Lattimore is now expected to report to mandatory minicamp and prepare for his eighth season with the Saints. Head coach Dennis Allen said back in May that the team was “moving forward” with Lattimore, hinting that the two sides were set to enter the 2024 season together, but his return to team facilities all but confirms that. Lattimore has dealt with nagging injuries over the last two seasons and has been limited to just 17 games over that span as a result. Still a strong option in coverage, his pairing with rookie Kool-Aid McKinstry should make for a formidable secondary on a defense that ranked eighth in points per game (19.2) last season.

Hill, listed as a tight end but used through the years as a versatile offensive weapon, was seen taking direct snaps on offense and working with the special teams unit. Hendrix said Hill being deployed in the “backfield is starting to be a pretty exciting thing to see unfold. There was a play in team where he was the running back in shotgun and took the run left for a nice little gain. On that play, we also saw two players go in motion, with Juwan Johnson and Dallin Holker.” It appears new Saints OC Klint Kubiak is willing to retain always-shifting package of Taysom plays that have been intriguing and sometimes frustrating for fantasy purposes. Hill and Kubiak reportedly met in the offseason to discuss Hill’s role in the Kubiak system; Hill said the conversation was “super positive.” Taysom in 2023 finished as fantasy’s tenth highest scoring tight end, just behind Trey McBride. Continued backfield usage for Hill in 2024 would be decidedly bad news for Alvin Kamara’s touchdown upside.