This was a bit of a surprise: the New Orleans Saints announce Thursday that they released backup center Billy Price with a non-football injury designation, having signed him after a tryout during minicamp practices in June. They’ll need to look for a different option to compete for the job of backing up Erik McCoy, who has missed nine games with injuries over the last two years.
Price, the Cincinnati Bengals’ former first-round pick, was an experienced starter in the NFL, so it’s disappointing to see the Saints part ways with him. Whether Price suffered an injury while training in the offseason or in some other accident is unclear but he’ll be recovering away from the team while exploring his next opportunities. Good luck to him.
Undrafted rookie Alex Pihlstrom (Illinois) is the only other center on the roster behind McCoy, so look for the Saints to bring in another veteran to push him over the summer. New Orleans has shown interest in another former Ohio State Buckeye, Pat Elflein, though he’s looking for an opportunity to compete for a starting job. Price’s departure leaves the Saints with an open roster spot.
