Saints Announce Elevation Of 4-Year Veteran For Bears Game

The New Orleans Saints will take on the Chicago Bears on Sunday...

Oct 30, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; General view of the New Orleans Saints logo as the midfield logo fleur-de-lis after the game between the New Orleans Saints and the Las Vegas Raiders at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Saints will take on the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon and announced some extra depth for the game.

New Orleans announced that four-year National Football League veteran Nephi Sewell will be elevated from the practice squad for the Week 7 matchup while also announcing that defensive tackle John Ridgeway III will miss the contest.

"The New Orleans Saints have elevated (standard) linebacker Nephi Sewell to the active roster for Sunday's game at the Chicago Bears," the Saints announced. "In an injury update, the team has downgraded defensive tackle John Ridgeway III to out for Sunday's game against the Bears. The Saints will play in Chicago against the Bears at noon Sunday at Soldier Field."

The Saints have a big day ahead

Aug 14, 2025; Carson, CA, USA; A New Orleans Saints helmet on the field during a joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams at the Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Sewell has played in two games so far this season for the Saints with the most recent being Week 6 against the New England Patriots. He hasn't seen a snap on defense yet with all of his playing time being on the special teams. He has appeared on the field this season in 33 snaps overall across two games played. Last year, he played in seven games and saw time on defense while finishing the campaign with one sack and 11 tackles.

Ridgeway hasn't played in a game yet this season for the Saints. He played in 13 games last year for New Orleans and finished the season with 15 tackles, including one for a loss.

For the Saints, this is a very big game. New Orleans is 1-5 on the season with the trade deadline under three weeks away. If the Saints can start to chip away and make up some ground in the standings, maybe it could stop all of the chatter around the league about New Orleans potentially being sellers. It's also a big game for Spencer Rattler who will face off against his old college teammate who he was actually benched for in Caleb Williams.

The Saints have strung together back-to-back solid performances. Now, they need to find a way to get over the hump against Chicago.

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