DT John Ridgeway III and a 7th round pick traded to the Saints for a 6th round pick (1 Viewer)

[Elvis]

We needed a tackle, but not a defensive one.

 

[oysters]

Doubt it. Most of his contract is guaranteed this year.

I think I read that 2.5 is guaranteed but he has another 3 in playtime or roster incentives. So we would save some money cutting him

 

[SAINTSFAN]

I think I read that 2.5 is guaranteed but he has another 3 in playtime or roster incentives. So we would save some money cutting him

It is another $300,000 in total per game bonuses for the season.

Khalen Saunders Contract Details, Salary Cap Charges, Bonus Money, and Contract History | Over The Cap

Khalen Saunders contract and salary cap details, including signing bonus, guaranteed salary, dead money, roster bonuses, and contract history

overthecap.com

 

[HJBandME]

Tell him he was quite annoying as a child

He knows!

 

[oysters]

It is another $300,000 in total per game bonuses for the season.

Khalen Saunders Contract Details, Salary Cap Charges, Bonus Money, and Contract History | Over The Cap

Khalen Saunders contract and salary cap details, including signing bonus, guaranteed salary, dead money, roster bonuses, and contract history

overthecap.com

Ahh, so not saving that much then.

 

[RaisingTheBar]

He might if they can't find a trade partner. At this point, with the addition of Ridgeway and the presence of Boyd, he doesn't really have a role on the DL.

You’re talking about a career below average DT and an unproven rookie who hasn’t wowed anyone in preseason….Yeah I think bink is safe. At the worst he will be is traded. He won’t be cut.

 

[saint_drago]

If this guy can consistently play a big role in run stuffing, he could be a game changer for this defense. Far too often this front seven have to sell out to stop the run, and while it works early on in the season, we almost always end up getting exploited by mid season when teams have enough tape to exploit our poor play at the position.

Yeah I'm hoping our run defense is stout. Not that long ago we had one of the best run defenses in the league year in, year out. We were going to give up yards and points in the passing game but by god you weren't going to run it down our throat. Might not always generate a lot of pressure but you were banging your head into a stone wall trying to run against the Saints. Our D line was absolutely loaded. We had talent and depth so everybody could be kept fresh. Those were the days.

 

[Brennan77]

Yeah I'm hoping our run defense is stout. Not that long ago we had one of the best run defenses in the league year in, year out. We were going to give up yards and points in the passing game but by god you weren't going to run it down our throat. Might not always generate a lot of pressure but you were banging your head into a stone wall trying to run against the Saints. Our D line was absolutely loaded. We had talent and depth so everybody could be kept fresh. Those were the days.

I mean, it was two years ago. It'll come back around.

 

[Optimistic Ozzy]

Yeah I'm hoping our run defense is stout. Not that long ago we had one of the best run defenses in the league year in, year out. We were going to give up yards and points in the passing game but by god you weren't going to run it down our throat. Might not always generate a lot of pressure but you were banging your head into a stone wall trying to run against the Saints. Our D line was absolutely loaded. We had talent and depth so everybody could be kept fresh. Those were the days.

Also, you could have Ridgeway and Bresee up front. This would free up Bresee to a point and allow him to get in the backfield to pressure the QB. Just my vision.

 

[RebSaint]

Interesting. Curious as to what they see in him. When he came out in draft, he was considered to be a good physical specimen who really did not put it together on the field. Low risk bet on his potential I guess.

At least it’s better than the high risk, low return guys we have on the roster now.

 

[longtime lurker]

Commanders GM Reveals Reason Behind Saints Trade

The Washington Commanders are making some adjustments with the defensive line, trading John Ridgeway III to the New Orleans Saints in a draft pick swap. Command

www.si.com

 

[St. Widge]

You’re talking about a career below average DT and an unproven rookie who hasn’t wowed anyone in preseason….Yeah I think bink is safe. At the worst he will be is traded. He won’t be cut.

I'm not saying he is definitely gone, but when you lose your starting job, complain about it on social media, and the team you play for goes out and trades for a guy who plays the same position as you, there is a chance you are going to get cut or traded. And there have been media reports that it could happen. They may just decide to keep him around since they wouldn't save much money by getting rid of him, but if the right trade offer comes in or they get into a numbers crunch, I could see him getting cut.

I mean, I think Ridgeway is better than below average as a run stopping NT, but even if he is, that must mean they think Saunders is below that otherwise they would not have traded for him.

As far as the rookie, reports out of camp have been that Boyd looks great and that the team really likes him.

Beyond all that, Saunders has been a well below average DT since he got here and he's been a not insignificant part of why the run defense was bad last year.

 

[B4YOU]

Saunders was the one we were all excited about last year when they signed both he and Shepherd, but its Shepherd that holds up better in run defense and provided some pass rush from the interior, Saunders not so much, he's athletic for his size but that's where it stops it would seem.

2023 QB hits:
Breese - 9
Shepherd - 8
Sunders - 2 (TFL 1, sack 0)

Now think about their snaps counts.

DA is addressing DEF line issues: Young improves DE pass rush, Jordan improves 3rd down DT pass rush, draft Boyd for future run support, trade for Ridgeway for today run support, elevate Breese over Saunders.

 

[RaisingTheBar]

I'm not saying he is definitely gone, but when you lose your starting job, complain about it on social media, and the team you play for goes out and trades for a guy who plays the same position as you, there is a chance you are going to get cut or traded. And there have been media reports that it could happen. They may just decide to keep him around since they wouldn't save much money by getting rid of him, but if the right trade offer comes in or they get into a numbers crunch, I could see him getting cut.

I mean, I think Ridgeway is better than below average as a run stopping NT, but even if he is, that must mean they think Saunders is below that otherwise they would not have traded for him.

As far as the rookie, reports out of camp have been that Boyd looks great and that the team really likes him.

Beyond all that, Saunders has been a well below average DT since he got here and he's been a not insignificant part of why the run defense was bad last year.

Just bc they traded for Ridgeway doesn’t mean they think he’s better then Saunders lol that’s a HUGE leap to make

DA said they were going to get him whether Saunders was injuried or not for depth.

This will all be answered if Saunders is on the roster for the Panthers game and when healthy if he plays more than Ridgeway. Bresse is damn good and should be starting, doesn’t mean anyone behind him is bad. Just because you trade for a player doesn’t mean that player is automatically going to be an immediate contributor. We traded a 6.5 round pick.

Again I can’t argue with anyone who says he will be traded, but cut…don’t see it happening.

 

[St. Widge]

Just bc they traded for Ridgeway doesn’t mean they think he’s better then Saunders lol that’s a HUGE leap to make

DA said they were going to get him whether Saunders was injuried or not for depth.

This will all be answered if Saunders is on the roster for the Panthers game and when healthy if he plays more than Ridgeway. Bresse is damn good and should be starting, doesn’t mean anyone behind him is bad. Just because you trade for a player doesn’t mean that player is automatically going to be an immediate contributor. We traded a 6.5 round pick.

Again I can’t argue with anyone who says he will be traded, but cut…don’t see it happening.

I'm not sure why you trade for Ridgeway if you don't think he's better than Saunders when you already have 3 DT, Shepherd, Breese, and Boyd, who you like. I guess it's possible they just think he's better than Boyd and not better than Saunders, but it would seem odd to trade any pick for a #4 DT when Saunders should be healthy in a couple weeks.

I didn't say "he will be cut" or that he will be traded. I said it could happen given that he lost his starting job and complained about it on social media. I'm sure they would try to trade him first, but there may not be a taker. And they have 5 DTs on the active roster and one on the practice squad right now. That seems like far to many DTs to have on the roster for the year especially when Jordan is going to be playing some DT on passing downs. IMO, the mostly likely to go is Saunders because he has not played up to his contract, they just drafted and really like Boyd, they just traded for Ridgeway, and Breese and Sheherd are the starters. But, I could be wrong.

Maybe they will keep 5 DTs on the active roster and one on the PS, but that seems unlikely to me.