Saints Notebook: Coordinators Speak, Roster Moves Put a Safety on IR

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Late Addition for Saints

Late this afternoon, the Saints were awarded cornerback Decamerion Richardson off waivers from the Raiders. Originally a 4th round draft pick of Las Vegas in 2024, the tall 6' 2" corner has totaled 57-tackles in his two season with the Raiders along with three pass deflections. No word yet as whether or not he will be added to the practice squad or directly to the roster with the placing of Lorenzo Styles Jr on the IR today.

Another Saints on the IR

As the various Saints coordinators spoke with the media today, the New Orleans Saints made a number of roster moves

Saints fifth round draft pick, safety Lorenzo Styles Jr, has been placed on the Injured Reserve/Designated to Return list. The rookie injured his calf during the preseason game at the Rams. He is expected to return after the first four games of the season.

The Saints added some offensive weapons to their practice squad today, putting the official number at 14 out of the 17 allowed. The club gets an additional slot, instead of the usual 16, because of the International Player rule, giving kicker Charlie Smyth a slot on the squad.

Wide receiver Cedric Tillman was added to the Saints practice group today. The 6' 3", 215-pounder was originally drafted by the Browns in the 2023 draft in the third round. He played in 38-games with 19-starts for Cleveland. In his three seasons, the long, lanky wide out grabbed 71-passes for 833-yards and five touchdowns. Last year, he played in a baker's dozen games for the Browns with 10-starts.

Also added to the practice squad, tight end Stone Smartt. The 6' 4", 226-pounder was originally signed by the Chargers in 2022 as an undrafted free agent. While at Old Dominion, he played both quarterback and wide receiver, then transitioned to the TE slot while with L.A. He played four seasons for the Chargers, then on to the Jets last season. The Sacramento native played in 53-games over those five years, starting seven, catching 38-passes for 432-yards and a touchdown. He was also a special teamer in those years.

Special Teams Coordinator Speaks

Today, the Saints coordinators took to the podium to face the media. First up, special teams coordinator Phil Galiano, who was asked about his new rookie returners.

"I'm really excited about a couple of guys we drafted," Galiano shared. "I'm excited for Barion (Brown, 6th round pick, WR and returner out of LSU). It's unfortunate (Lorenzo) Styles (safety and 5th round pick out of Ohio State)had a little bit of a nagging injury, but I think we kind of saw what he was able to do there."

Styles, as mentioned above, has since been placed on the Injured Reserve/Designated to Return list, meaning he will be available to get back on the active roster after Week 4.

Galiano was especially pleased with the play of some special team cornerbacks.

"Mike Reid comes in and makes some good plays on special teams," Galiano continued. JP (Jayden) Price has the ability to not only play core special teams, but also an accomplished returner in college. We liked him coming out."

Who Will Be the Main Returner?

But for the Saints special teams coordinator, the LSU grad is the one expected to do most of the returning.

"I think our play going (forward) is that Barion (will be the main returner)," Galiano explained. "We have a couple of other guys that we have to make sure we are ready to go, but that's the plan going forward."

Wright Got it Right

Having three place kickers in training camp, the way the Saints did in the final week, can be a luxury. However, it can be a problem, especially for the guy who has to be the holder for all three of the place kickers.

"The guy it was hardest on was (punter/holder) Ryan Wright," Galiano told the media. "You have three different kickers that like the ball held in a slightly different way. When you're doing a pregame warm-up, which was the first time in my career of having three kickers in a pregame warm-up, and Ryan, he doesn't want to let those guys down. He wants to be able to put it perfect for them. Having two veteran guys (Wright and long snapper Zach Wood), they didn't let it distract them from what they needed to accomplish."

Later this evening, we'll hear what defensive coordinator Brandon Staley and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier had to say

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