Saints Add Veteran DE to Practice Squad, Sign Another to Active Roster

With New Orleans Saints defensive end Payton Turner likely to miss the majority of the 2023 season, another edge defender is on his way to the Big Easy.

After an impressive offseason, New Orleans Saints defensive end, and 2021 first-round pick, Payton Turner is expected to miss significant time with a turf toe injury. Turner is expected to have surgery, similar to last year's preseason injury to starting left tackle Trevor Penning who missed the first 12 weeks of the season. The Saints have a lot of talent on the edge of their defensive line, but that has not stopped them from adding another gifted rusher to the mix.

May 23, 2022; Thousand Oaks, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams linebacker Terrell Lewis (52) during organized team activities at California Lutheran University. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Saints are adding former Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears defensive end Terrell Lewis to their practice squad. He now joins fellow edge defender Niko Lalos in that 16-man group. Per NewOrleans.Football's Nick Underhill, Kyle Phillips has now been signed to the active roster as an additional reformatting of the roster following Turner's injury. Phillips was originally on the practice squad as well.

Lewis graduated from Alabama and boasted impressive numbers as he entered the league. His 6-foot-5, 265 pound frame stands out most immediately. But he paired that with impressive explosion during his pre-draft process. His 37-inch vertical leap and 10-foot-4 broad jump are both measurables that show his ability to win off the line of scrimmage quickly.

He has appeared in just 30 games during his three years in the league, but has already accumulated 6 sacks and 10 additional hits on quarterbacks. He has not seen a ton of opportunity, but has made solid strides when given the chance. He came into the NFL managing an injury, but after that has been mostly available aside from three games missed due to injury his second and third years.

Despite being healthy the majority of his time, he has missed games as an inactive with a talented defensive line in front of him. The former third round selection is a talented player with a lot of tools and solid collegiate production in a limited role. He will likely continue to have a limited role here in New Orleans. Ahead of him will remaining starting defensive ends Cameron Jordan and Carl Granderson along with veteran defensive linemen Phillips and Tanoh Kpassagnon and second-round rookie Isaiah Foskey. However, having too much edge talent is not a bad thing in today's NFL.