Both the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons are desperate for a win heading into this week’s matchup. For their part, the Saints made quite some roster moves after the major injury development involving Travis Etienne Jr.
The New Orleans Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis announced Oct. 1 that they will be promoting wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. to the active squad.
Austin Jr. has been on and off the active squad for the past three seasons in New Orleans after he wrapped up his lone practice squad season in Jacksonville. He has essentially been the safety net whenever the Saints start running out of depth.
Saints Needed Kevin Austin Jr. as Emergency Depth on Active Squad
With Etienne Jr. being placed on injury reserve, the Saints need some extra depth this week. Although the tight end position is a different forte, the Saints need some more depth at wide receiver to avoid running a skeletal crew.
Plus, they didn’t have any option, per se. After exhausting his three maximum practice squad elevations in the first three weeks, the front office had to sign Austin to the active 53-man roster to keep him eligible for game days.
But it might turn out to be exactly the move they need to even out their record this season to 2-2, with a win against the Falcons.
In the two tight losses that the Saints had this season, 31-30 to Detroit and 35-27 to Las Vegas, the pass game put up numbers, but the supporting cast behind Olave struggled with operational execution.
Outside of Olave, the secondary wideout depth options struggled to consistently separate or secure tough catches in traffic, leading to drive-killing drops on critical third-and-mediums.
Defenses completely zeroed in on Olave, daring the rest of the room to beat man coverage.
Those untimely drops and blown timing routes outside of the main target didn’t let the offense sustain its rhythm, turning manageable third downs into punts and forcing field goals instead of closing out tight games in the red zone.
Austin Jr. has some experience for the Saints, with three starts in the 19 games he appeared in, and he also caught 25 passes for 298 yards with one touchdown. He can be the man coverage that blows up the play in the decisive moments for those game-winning moments.
Saints Also Made Splash with Practice Squad Signings
Besides Austin Jr., the Saints also made a few additions to the practice squad.
The front office added David Ojabo and Ulysses Bentley IV to their practice squad on the same day they promoted Austin Jr.
Both Carl Granderson and Anfernee Jennings have been managing ankle and knee injuries, making the Saints’ need for edge rushing depth obvious. That’s why they added Ojabo. Meanwhile, Bently makes up their safety net if another one from their running back room goes down with an injury.
The Saints had scheduled workout sessions with a few players on Thursday before signing Ojabo and Bently from the group.
A loss here pushes them under .500 and puts them squarely on the defensive in a crowded division race.
Saints Promote Former Jaguars Practice Squad Receiver to Active Squad Before Falcons Game