While the top of the New Orleans Saints depth chart has avoided serious injuries, the fringes of the roster can’t seem to catch a break. The Saints sent veteran cornerback Johnson Bademosi to injured reserve on Monday not long after he was activated from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list; a mid-December foot injury in 2019 ended his year. It’s unclear whether his latest injury is related to that issue, which prevented him from competing early in training camp.
Additionally, the Saints also lost cornerback Tino Ellis to a season-ending injury last week. Ellis, an undrafted rookie out of Maryland, had to be waived rather than directly designated to the injured reserve list due to NFL protocols. The move prompted the Saints to try out a pair of free agent cornerbacks, though neither of them were signed.
It means that the Saints have just a handful of cornerbacks on the roster right now: starters Marshon Lattimore and Janoris Jenkins, slot corners P.J. Williams and Patrick Robinson, special teams ace Justin Hardee, and undrafted rookie Keith Washington Jr. (West Virginia). The Saints probably need to sign another cornerback just to pad out the practice rotation for the rest of training camp.
On top of all of this: the Saints also released linebacker Nigel Bradham, which is good news for first- and second-year pros like Zack Baun, Joe Bachie, Kaden Ellis, and Chase Hansen. While the Saints could use reinforcements at cornerback, things are settling in nicely at linebacker.
