We’ve seen the New Orleans Saints churn their depth chart before, adding new players to the practice squad to bring in new skill sets and fresh competition throughout the season, but on Tuesday they lost a few veteran players while introducing some newcomers. The team reported a busy update to the daily NFL transactions wire with three new players joining the practice squad and a spot opening on the 53-man roster; let’s run through the news.
CB DaMarcus Fields waived from the 53-man roster
Fields, 24, signed with the Saints this spring as an undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech and initially made the practice squad before being promoted on Sept. 26 to help fill in for injured draft pick Alontae Taylor on special teams. But he was at fault on a successful fake punt by the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4 and it may have cost the rookie his job. We’ll see if he clears waivers and re-signs to the practice squad, but young players like him don’t get many chances in this league. His departure leaves a vacancy on the 53-man roster, which could be filled by a free agent signing, a practice squad promotion, or someone being activated off of injured reserve (like defensive tackle Malcolm Roach, who is now eligible).
CB Tre Swilling released from the practice squad
Swilling, 23, arrived to the Saints with some fanfare as the son of Dome Patrol legend Pat Swilling. But he’s being let go after they signed him on Sept. 12, with new players arriving to compete for his spot on the practice squad. The former Georgia Tech standout has struggled to catch on with a team in the NFL, but we’ll be pulling for him.
CB Chris Harris Jr. signed to the practice squad
Harris, 33, played college football for the Kansas Jayhawks and entered the league as an undrafted free agent after the 2011 NFL draft, making him a contemporary of defensive end Cameron Jordan, running back Mark Ingram II, and quarterback Andy Dalton. He was teammates with cornerback Bradley Roby on the Denver Broncos and signed with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020 (while also being courted by the Saints, who ultimately signed safety Malcolm Jenkins), where he played in 2021. He’ll add some veteran experience to the depth chart after injuries hit the Saints hard early this season.
CB Jordan Brown signed to the practice squad
Brown, 26, signed with the Saints this summer but was injured in their first preseason game and left the team with an injury settlement back on Aug. 23. He’s got experience at both safety and cornerback and entered the NFL as a seventh round draft pick by the Cincinnati Bengals out of South Dakota State (let’s go Jackrabbits). The Saints are continuing to churn the bottom of their depth chart to make sure they’re fielding the most competitive roster possible.
FB Adam Prentice signed to the practice squad
Prentice, 25, joined the Saints last season and hung around throughout training camp and preseason, though they waived him last Saturday before kickoff with the Minnesota Vikings. They activated tight end/fullback J.P. Holtz from the practice squad and he played sparingly in Prentice’s place, but now they have both options. We’ll keep an eye out for any further movement at this position.
RB Latavius Murray signed off of the practice squad by Denver Broncos
Murray, 32, recently re-signed with the Saints practice squad after not hearing so much as a peep of interest from NFL teams over the summer. And he played well enough against the Vikings on Sunday to earn a better opportunity with the Broncos, where he isn’t facing much competition for the lead spot in their backfield rotation. His departure opens a spot for new arrivals like Harris and Brown.
LB Eric Wilson signed off of the practice squad by Green Bay Packers
Wilson, 28, also left the Saints this week to earn a pay raise and a larger role with another team. He was buried on their depth chart behind multiple experienced linebackers on the roster, and the team likes rookie backup Nephi Sewell on the practice squad, so a number of things would’ve had to go wrong for Wilson to get on the field any time soon with New Orleans.
