The New Orleans Saints announced a series of roster moves on Thursday evening, noting that the team had added three new offensive players after tryouts at minicamp. They’ll have opportunities to compete for roster spots during training camp and this summer’s preseason games, but each of these players is very much on the bubble going deeper into the offseason. Get to know the newest members of the black and gold:
C Billy Price
Price struggled with injuries early in his NFL career, but the former Cincinnati Bengals first-round pick brings an an element of versatility to the team with the ability to be plugged in multiple places. He’s seen the field in 69 career games with 45 starts at all three interior line positions. He played center for the final 11 games of the 2022 season for the Arizona Cardinals after he was signed over from the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad. The Saints have valued backups with strong resumes like Austin Reiter, Nick Martin, Josh Andrews, and Will Clapp before, especially in light of Erik McCoy’s recent injuries.
WR Lynn Bowden
The 6-foot-1, 204-pound Bowden has spent three years in the NFL to this point, originally selected by the Las Vegas Raiders in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft out of Kentucky, where he was known as a versatile weapon who lined up all over the formation. But he was traded to Miami just months after being drafted.
New Orleans marks Bowden’s fourth destination at the professional level after he played for the Miami Dolphins (2020 and 2021) and New England Patriots (2022). Over 11 career games with four starts, Bowden has carried the ball nine times for 32 yards and has caught 28 passes for 211 yards. He hasn’t returned many punts or kicks in the NFL but that’s where the Saints were working him this week.
Coutee, a Lukfin, Texas native, most recently saw time with the Indianapolis Colts (2021 and 2022) after spending 2018 to 2020 with the Houston Texans, who selected him in the fourth round at No. 103 overall in the 2018 draft. In 33 regular season games with 10 starts, he’s reeled in 85 passes for 966 yards with four touchdowns. He’s also carried the ball five times for 14 yards with one touchdown, returned 24 punts for 200 yards and brought back five kickoffs for 97 yards.
He also has some experience in the return game, having averaged 8.3 yards per punt return (on 24 tries) but just 19.4 yards per kick return (5 times) in the NFL. That’s an area the Saints could be looking for help after he auditioned in the role at minicamp.
