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The New Orleans Saints signed four free agents on Wednesday, filling vacancies created on the 53-man roster and practice squad earlier in the week. The most-notable name on the list is linebacker Stephone Anthony, who was released a week ago after filling in on the Saints special teams unit (he followed special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi from their time together with the Miami Dolphins last year). With injuries to key special teamers J.T. Gray and Patrick Robinson, Anthony’s return to the active roster makes sense.
Additionally, the Saints brought in veteran cornerback Johnson Bademosi, who may be able to help out at a position suddenly hit hard by injuries to starter Eli Apple and Robinson, a backup. Starting slot corner P.J. Williams is also out for this week’s game against the Arizona Cardinals as he finishes serving a league-mandated suspension. Bademosi is also on the active roster.
Bademosi is an experienced player who has started games for several teams including the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, and New England Patriots; now, he mostly plays special teams, and was part of the trade package the Houston Texans sent to the Miami Dolphins to acquire left tackle Laremy Tunstil and former Saints receiver Kenny Stills.
The other two players signed by New Orleans, each added to the practice squad, were safety Trae Elston and tight end Jason Vander Laan. Elston is a journeyman who originally signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent back in 2016 out of Ole Miss, though he was waived during roster cuts. He went on to spent time on various practice squads around the league including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Browns, Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, and Miami Dolphins; he was also drafted by the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL, who plan to kick off on Feb. 8, 2020. So that obligation won’t keep him from joining the Saints.
As for Vander Laan: he was a 6-foot-4, 244-pound quarterback prospect out of Ferris State who converted to tight end for the NFL, initially landing with the New York Jets in 2016. He’s since spent time with the Indianapolis Colts, Carolina Panthers, and Patriots practice squads. The Saints had an open spot on the depth chart after promoting Dan Arnold from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, so there are practice snaps available for Vander Laan.
