Sean Payton: Saints built teams with Free Agents & UDFA's - Mike Detillier

New Orleans Saints HC Sean Payton reflects on how they have built the team through with drafted and undrafted free agents.

Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints have done a good job in signaling out and then developing players not selected during the three-day NFL draft process. With only 7 rounds, it is the maneuvering behind the scenes to sign players that can help upgrade specific areas on the team, and many times it is on special teams.

The Saints in the past and recent years have signed as undrafted college free agents: 

QB Ryan Griffin, running backs Pierre Thomas, Lynell Hamilton, Chris Ivory, Khiry Robinson, Trey Edmunds, and Travaris Cadet, WRs Brandon Coleman, Tommylee Lewis, Joe Morgan, and Lil’ Jordan Humphrey, WR/KR Deonte Harris, TEs Josh Hill, Garrett Griffin, and Dan Arnold, T Jermey Parnell, G Ethan Greenidge, C Cameron Tom, DTs Shy Tuttle, and Taylor Stallworth, DE Carl Granderson, LBs Jonathan Casillas, Jo-Lonn Dunbar, and Kasim Edebali, CBs Ken Crawley and Arthur Maulet, S Isa Abdul-Quddus, OLB Junior Galette and S/ST standouts in Chris Reis and J.T. Gray. 

There are more names on the list, but the above list goes to show that the Saints scouting department has done a good job in signaling out players that could help the team in certain areas of need not selected on Draft Day.

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Deonte Harris (11) returns a kickoff in the first quarter as San Francisco 49ers free safety Tarvarius Moore (33) chases at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Coming off of playing in the NFC Championship Game, the Saints had WR Lil’ Jordan Humphrey, OG Ethan Greenidge, DE Carl Granderson, WR/KR Deonte Harris, and DT Shy Tuttle all signed as undrafted college free agents.  All players were on the 53-man regular season roster in 2019.

Last year during one of the December Monday Night Saints’ Coaches Shows, I asked Sean Payton about the importance of adding to the football cart by getting good players through the undrafted process and the real starter of the undrafted group, halfback Pierre Thomas.

“You are old enough to remember when the draft had 17 rounds, then it was cut to 12 rounds and now 7 rounds, so there are players there that can make an NFL team, and we pay close attention to players we think can help in specific areas on the team. Then it is up to us as an organization to sign them and the players we may lose out on keeping up with what happens to them with the team they signed with,” Payton said.

“Our scouting department and coaches are involved in the process, and we are always looking to get better players. If it is injuries, age, you lose players in free agency or a trade, development of a player-as a team, you are always looking to get better, and there are spots you can upgrade. There are no positions that you say, “Well, we have too much talent” - training camp, pre-season, age, and injuries take care of that even if you feel you are pretty well stocked at a position. And there is a financial part of this game that always has to be taken into consideration.   We pay close attention to the final cuts to see if someone there can help us or players that we like and we can get on our practice squad. That part of the game is not talked about much or written about very much, but it is vital to have that depth for a long NFL season.”  

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Payton went on to add about the addition in 2007 of Pierre Thomas at halfback when they used a 4th round pick on Ohio State halfback Antonio Pittman, but Thomas beat him out of a roster spot.

“Let me sort of rewind this a little in answering your question, and I’m giving you a long Bobby Hebert reply, but when we came to New Orleans in 2006, we were just looking for players,” a laughing Payton said. “We knew we had some players here on the roster, but we were looking at players that maybe hadn’t fit for other teams, we added through veteran free agency, and Scott Fujita was an early signee and certainly Drew (Brees) came aboard, and that just was huge for us. We got involved in trades, and the 2006 draft was vital for us. We added guys like Zach (Strief), Marques Colston, Reggie (Bush), Roman Harper and Jahri Evans were outstanding for us and we picked (Rob) Ninkovich, and it didn’t work out for him here, but he had an excellent career with the (New England) Patriots. Those guys were so important in our initial season, and people forget we made a couple of draft day deals to acquire a starting center in Jeff Faine from the (Cleveland) Browns, and Hollis Thomas (Philadelphia Eagles) gave us some real solid work upfront defensively for us. That year was a major overhaul year of the roster, but we added a few key core players, certainly Drew Brees, and the draft got us to the NFC Championship game, along with some really good players from we had when we first arrived.”

“So, we drafted a running back high in 2007 to add some depth behind Deuce (McAllister) and Reggie (Bush), but Pierre from training camp, into the pre-season games and the practice sessions was the better player. Once you are here, we are looking at that element and not how you got here. You have to do what you feel is best for the team and Pierre ends up being a really good player for us as a runner and a receiver. Our scouting department did their homework on Pierre, and he came through big. That sent out the signal that as a team, we were going to keep the best player. Keeping Pierre over the draft pick was the right choice. We have missed on players too, and maybe we didn’t have the right vision for what they could do for us, but Pierre was such a big part of our team in those years and so when I’m on the phone back then with a player or his agent I can give them an example of a player we decided to keep over a draft choice."   Sean Payton

Later Bobby Hebert brought up to Coach Payton during the December Saints Coaches Show about players that were released from other teams and added to the 53-man roster or on the developmental squad.

“A great example Bobby (Hebert) is Brian de la Puente,” Coach Payton said. “If my memory is correct, he was on 5 different teams and Seattle (Seahawks) twice when we signed him to our practice squad. In 2011 (Jonathan) Goodwin signs with the (San Francisco) 49ers, and we signed Olin Kreutz, a veteran player, but he decides to retire early on in the season, and Brian becomes the starter for us at center. He ended up starting that year, 2012 and 2013. But, he started out on our practice squad.   Remi Ayodele was also someone that played for a few teams, we ended up signing him and putting him on our developmental squad at first, and he ended up starting for us at defensive tackle.  Wil Lutz was in Baltimore and in competition against Justin Tucker. Tucker is the most accurate placekicker in NFL history-Wil’s an undrafted free agent- so they release him and I spoke to (Ravens head coach) John Harbaugh about him, and we bring Wil in for a workout. Some people laughed when I said it was the best workout I had ever seen a kicker have. We sign Wil, and he’s been a strong and consistent addition to our team.”  Payton continued.

“(Offensive guard/tackle) Senio Kelemete played for us, and he started out on our developmental squad before earning a spot on the 53-man squad, Justin Hardee was a wide receiver in college, and we saw some potential for him as a defensive back, and he was released by Houston in the final cut. We sign Hardee, and he’s turned out to be a very good special teams performer for us.” 

Jan 13, 2019; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill (7) looks to throw a pass during the second quarter of a NFC Divisional playoff football game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

“Just a couple of years ago we picked up Taysom Hill and Austin Carr after the teams they were on released them on the final cutdown and those were going to try and put them on their practice squads, but we had a couple of openings and claimed them off waivers. We had scouted Taysom (Hill) coming out of BYU, and I got to see him play late in some pre-season games, and he was impressive. Green Bay liked him too, but they felt they had to have a roster spot for another position and they tried get him on their developmental squad. Austin (Carr) was the leading receiver for the (New England) Patriots in pre-season that year, and we have done this also in trying to place a player on the developmental squad and him not making it through the waiver claims period.”  

Payton went on to talk about a few of the undrafted players in the 2019 class.

“Deonte (Harris) was someone we saw on film from Assumption College, and we liked his explosive nature with the ball in his hands,” Payton added. “The speed element was there, and we needed to have someone who can flip the field for us. He had put up some impressive numbers in college, but now he’s facing a better level of weekly competition. Some probably passed on him because of his size, but for us, it was more about how well he could handle a more physical league and also ball security. He’s done a really good job for us, and we would like to expand his talents more on the offensive side of the ball and getting him more touches as a runner or a receiver.   

Nov 28, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Shy Tuttle (99) runs after intercepting a pass thrown by Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) (left) during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Shy (Tuttle) had a connection here with our defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen. Shy was from North Carolina, and Ryan was coaching the defensive line at North Carolina State. So he signs on with Tennessee, he battles some injuries in college, and we were able to sign him. He’s given us some quality snaps inside in our rotation upfront. Carl (Granderson) was someone we liked coming out of college (Wyoming), and we were well aware that he wouldn’t be with us during the summer. 

We felt, as an organization, comfortable bringing him in, and once his issues were cleared he came in and he’s shown us some potential as a pass rusher and in pursuit.  We had a group of young wide receivers in camp, and we liked the size and length of (Lil’Jordan) Humphrey, and he’s made developmental progress for us. So for us as an organization, it doesn’t matter how you got here, but how you perform once you are here. It’s not always going to work out as planned, but I think we have done a good job in signaling out players that can help in a specific area of need and sometimes that happens due to an injury, maybe its a specific area to upgrade on special teams or addressing a player leaving during the free agency period.”   Sean Payton

Tennessee wide receiver Marquez Callaway (1) holds the ball after making a touchdown during a game between Missouri and Tennessee in Columbia, Mo. Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019. Tennessee defeated Missouri.  Credit:  Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel-Imagn Content Services, LLC

Undrafted Free Agents on the Saints Roster: 

• MLB Joe Bachie- Michigan State
• WR Marquez Callaway- Tennessee 
• DE Gus Cumberlander- Oregon 
• CB Tino Ellis- Maryland 
• P Blake Gillikin- Penn State
• WR Juwan Johnson- Oregon   
• RB Tony Jones, Jr.- Notre Dame
• OG/OT Adrian Magee- LSU
• OT Darrin Paulo- Utah
• DE Malcolm Roach- Texas 
• OG/C Jordan Steckler- Northern Illinois
• OT/OG Calvin Throckmorton- Oregon
• CB Keith Washington, Jr.- West Virginia 

These players will get their chance, but with an unprecedented offseason with no rookie practice sessions and OTA’s it will be tougher to make the 53-man squad than ever before in the NFL. But the Saints have shown in the past if you are the better player Sean Payton and his coaches will keep you in New Orleans.