Jason Pierre-Paul hardly had time to get his photo taken in a New Orleans Saints uniform before leaving town for a new opportunity. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Miami Dolphins are expected to sign Pierre-Paul from the Saints practice squad, having lost a key starter (Jaelan Phillips) to a season-ending injury.
Pierre-Paul played 17 snaps in the Saints’ Week 12 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, totaling two tackles without registering a quarterback pressure. He wasn’t going to get many reps in New Orleans with Cameron Jordan and Carl Granderson on top of the rotation while Tanoh Kpassagnon is playing heavy minutes as their top backup. And youngsters Isaiah Foskey and Payton Turner are working their way back from injuries, too.
Still, it’s disappointing. The Saints badly need more help rushing the passer. They’ve only bagged 18 sacks in 11 games this season which ties the Carolina Panthers for the second-fewest in the league. They’re getting gashed by mobile quarterbacks and struggling to get home when they do send pressure. With Pierre-Paul out of the picture, someone else may need to step up. The Saints could give preseason standout Niko Lalos an opportunity to come up from the practice squad, but we’ll have to wait and see what their next move is.
