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Former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Anthony Barr could be in play for the New Orleans Saints.
According to an August 8 report from NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the 31-year-old former Pro Bowl linebacker paid a visit to the Saints.
“Free agent LB Anthony Barr had a good visit with the #Saints but is departing without a deal, source says,” Garafolo posted on X. “New Orleans remains in play for him, but he has interest from other teams and could make more visits in the near future.”
Garafolo’s reporting slightly contradicted a tweet nearly four hours earlier from ESPN’s Dianna Russini that said a Barr signing seemed to be a done deal.
“The New Orleans Saints are expected to sign both Kareem Hunt and Anthony Barr, if both players pass their physicals and are in shape, per sources,” Russini wrote.
Anthony Barr Spent 2022 Season With Cowboys After Signing
Barr spent last season with the Cowboys, signing with Dallas during training camp. He ended up starting 10 of his 14 appearances and notching 58 tackles and two fumble recoveries.
However, while Barr was relatively steady, he wasn’t anywhere close to the player who went to the Pro Bowl four times from 2015 to 2018 as a member of the Minnesota Vikings.
He earned a 59.7 defensive grade, 61.6 run defensive grade and 57.1 grade in coverage from Pro Football Focus. By comparison, though, the grades of two key returning linebackers for the Cowboys from last season, Leighton Vander Esch (73.1 defensive grade) and Damone Clark (65.5 defensive grade) far exceeded Barr’s.
While Barr will explore his options, a destination that appeared to be in the cards was the New York Giants. A previous report had indicated that both sides were working on a scheduled visit until Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media reported that the visit wouldn’t happen after all. Then, on the late afternoon of August 9, Slater updated his reporting.
“Giants general manager Joe Schoen on Wednesday did not rule out Anthony Barr perhaps visiting — or even signing with — his team. But Schoen told reporters nothing has been scheduled yet,” Slater wrote on NJ.com.
Through nine seasons, Barr has posted 553 tackles, 18.5 sacks, 32 pass deflections and five interceptions.
Cowboys Release Tristian Vizcaino, Move Forward With Brandon Aubrey
It looks like the Cowboys may have found their kicker for the 2023 season.
While Dallas still has a long way to go before the determiner their 53-man roster, they’ll at least move forward with one kicker for the near future. The Cowboys released Tristan Vizcaino on Monday, August 7, meaning Brandon Aubrey is now the only kicker on the roster.
The move came shortly after Vizcaino struggled during practice, going 22-of-35 (62.8%) on field goal attempts through the first eight practice sessions of training camp and 4-of-8 on Saturday, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer.
By comparison, Aubrey was slightly better, going 26-of-35 on field goal attempts (74.2%) through the first eight practice sessions.
“Going through the evaluation process, we felt this was an opportunity to give Brandon the majority of the reps,” Mike McCarthy said on Monday. “As far as another kicker, yeah we’re always open for that. But I’m excited. With our young guy and make sure he gets the reps.”
Aubrey is a former soccer player who also played two seasons with the USFL’s Birmingham Stallions.
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Ex-Pro Bowler Could Sign With Cowboys NFC Foe: Report