Saints Release 2 Players After Signing Tyrann Mathieu

New Orleans made a huge splash with the signing of Pro Bowl S Tyrann Mathieu, but Saints also released two players this afternoon.

Bob Rose | May 3, 2022

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New Orleans Saints

The biggest New Orleans Saints news of the day was the official signing of veteran S Tyrann Mathieu. New Orleans also released two defensive players, DT Jalen Dalton and CB KeiVarae Russell.

Dalton entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie from North Carolina in 2019. He originally signed with the Chicago Bears, where he was released at the end of training camp after appearing in four preseason games.

He spent time on Chicago’s practice squad in 2019 before being signed by the Saints late in the year and added to their practice squad. Dalton signed a futures contract after the season to compete for a 2020 roster spot.

Dalton was performing well in training camp last year and was in the mix for one of the team’s final roster spots. Unfortunately, a triceps injury suffered late in training camp forced the team to put him on injured reserve and ended his season.

Dalton had 6.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss in his final two collegiate seasons at North Carolina. A four-star recruit out of high school, he went undrafted because of inconsistent production and injury concerns.

Former Saints defensive back KeiVarae Russell at 2021 training camp. Credit: saintswire/USA TODAY

Russell was a third-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs out of Notre Dame. He was released by the Chiefs early in the 2016 regular season, but picked up by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Russell appeared in 20 games over three seasons with Cincinnati. He’d be on the practice squads of the Chargers and Giants in 2019 and 2020 before appearing in two games for the Packers in 2020.

New Orleans added Russell early in training camp last season. He was on the practice squad for most of the year, but played 36 snaps over two games on special teams.

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