The New Orleans Saints are continuing to tweak their depth chart at running back as the regular season approaches, with head coach Dennis Allen announcing multiple roster moves for their practice squad on Thursday.
“We added a couple of runners to the practice squad and we released a couple of players from the practice squad,” Allen said, confirming that rookie running back Ellis Merriweather and veteran linebacker Ty Summers were both waived. “It’s a lot of transactions that happen in the first weeks of the season, so it’s all about roster management.”
With Alvin Kamara suspended and Kirk Merritt coming off an injury — with Kendre Miller managing a new hamstring issue — it made sense to reinforce the depth chart. But the Saints wanted to get someone they were more comfortable throwing into a game by bringing Tony Jones Jr. back. Here’s what you need to know about each move:
RB Ellis Merriweather waived
Merriweather did everything he could to make the team, even returning punts and kickoffs early in training camp before shifting his focus to other roles. He could return should the Saints go in a different direction higher up the depth chart.
LB Ty Summers waived
The Saints had a surplus of linebackers with five on the 53-man roster and four on the practice squad, which is a lot even for them (they usually keep just seven). Summers was the odd man out as a special teams ace who didn’t offer quite as much defensively as his competition.
RB Tony Jones Jr. signed
Allen: “Tony’s a guy that’s been in the system. He’s really been in the same basic install meetings all throughout training camp, so there’s a familiarity in what we’re doing offensively. So that’s what was intriguing about him.”
Jones is listed at 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, so he meets the larger size the Saints have been looking for at running back as of late. He first arrived in New Orleans as an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame and followed Sean Payton to the Denver Broncos, who recently cut him.
RB Jordan Mims signed
Allen: “Mims is a guy that we watched on tape, we felt that he had some little bit of change-of-pace back (qualities), some quickness, some change of direction as well as his ability out of the backfield.”
Mims is a little lighter than the Saints like at running back, being listed at 6-foot-0 and 205 pounds, but he moves well and has some qualities the team values. As Allen observed, he’s a skilled receiver who can cut on a dime. He’s more comparable to Kamara and Merritt than Williams and Miller.
