It’s always tough to see young players stumble as they chase their NFL dreams, but that’s an unfortunate part of the business. And the New Orleans Saints let go of several players after veteran free agents tried out during minicamp this week, including an undrafted rookie with a lot of fans. These players will hit the waiver wire and be pursuing their careers elsewhere:
WR Malik Flowers
Flowers arrived with a lot of fanfare after tying Rashid Shaheed’s college record for return touchdowns, but the Saints chose to go in a different direction after inviting more-experienced pros Lynn Bowden Jr. and Keke Coutee to compete with him at minicamp.
RB SaRodorick Thompson Jr.
Thompson was in a tight spot, working against other reserves like Ellis Merriweather, Eno Benjamin, and Kirk Merritt for the last spot on the depth chart at running back, and the Saints ultimately decided to go with a smaller group for training camp later this summer.
OL Yasir Durant
The Saints made the interior line a point of emphasis this offseason by bringing Durant back from last year’s practice squad and signing more reserves like Koda Martin as well as undrafted free agents Alex Pihlstrom and Mark Evans II, while drafting Nick Saldiveri in the fourth round. Add them to a group that includes last year’s backups Calvin Throckmorton and Lewis Kidd plus the recently-signed Billy Price and there wasn’t room for Durant.
