With injuries mounting in the secondary, the New Orleans Saints elevated two practice squad defensive backs for Week 4’s game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Starting free safety Marcus Maye is still away from the team during his three-game suspension, and his backup Jordan Howden was pre-emptively ruled out for Sunday’s game due to a finger injury. Starting cornerback Paulson Adebo is out with a hamstring injury, too.
So here’s what you need to know about the guys helping to fill in for them: Johnathan Abram and Cameron Dantzler Sr.:
Johnathan Abram
Abram was elevated for last week’s game with the Green Bay Packers, so the Saints will be able to bring him up for one more matchup before they’re forced to sign him to the 53-man roster in order to keep playing him. The veteran safety primarily played special teams against Green Bay, though, running with four different units in the kicking game (everything but the field goal blocking and kicking squads). We should expect more of the same, but so many absences at safety could force him onto the field with the defense at times on Sunday. He’s wearing No. 24.
Cameron Dantzler Sr.
Dantzler was brought up for the first time last week, having signed with the team just four days prior to kickoff, but they want him available again on Sunday in case an emergency strikes. He was limited to just four snaps (all on special teams with the punt return unit) in his Saints debut, and he wears the No. 11 jersey. But the Saints like his experience with nearly 1,800 defensive snaps played in the NFL since 2020. They’d rather throw him into a game than a less-experienced backup on the practice squad like Faion Hicks (a second-year pro) or Anthony Johnson (a rookie).
Other options at safety
So who else is available to play on Sunday with Maye and Howden out of the picture? Let’s break it down by position, ordered by defensive snaps played this season:
- Tyrann Mathieu: 202 (100%)
- Lonnie Johnson Jr.: 8 (3.96%)
- Ugo Amadi: 3 (1.49%)
- J.T. Gray: 0 (0.0%)
That doesn’t tell the whole story — special teams are a big consideration, and Johnson leads the group with 66 snaps (82.5%) in that role. Gray missed a game but still has 38 snaps (47.5%) while Amadi has 24 (30.0%). But look for some combination of Johnson, Amadi, and Abram to fill in next to Mathieu in the starting lineup. Daniel Sorensen was re-signed this week but he won’t be available on Sunday.
Other options at corner
The Saints are deeper here, but they often play three corners at a time so it’s worth rostering many of them. Here’s how they stack up:
- Marshon Lattimore: 195 (96.5%)
- Alontae Taylor: 181 (89.6%)
- Isaac Yiadom: 67 (33.2%)
Additionally, the Saints are leaving Hicks and Johnson on their practice squad, both of whom figure to be long-term developmental prospects rather than immediate contributors. You hope Dantzler doesn’t see many snaps because it means someone else is missing time, but this is the group the Saints are rolling with on Sunday.
