The New Orleans Saints announced Sunday that they reached injury settlements with two veteran players: left tackle Marshall Newhouse and punt returns specialist Marcus Sherels. The terms of the settlements were not disclosed, but payouts typically match however many game checks the players are expected to miss while recovering from injury. Both Newhouse and Sherels will be able to explore opportunities with other teams.
Newhouse began the offseason as a favorite to win the backup job behind Terron Armstead, but he missed a few weeks of training camp practices and preseason games with an unreported ailment. As an experienced NFL journeyman who has started games for several different teams, he shouldn’t lack for offers on the free agent market.
As for Sherels; the Saints signed the Minnesota Vikings record-holder early back in March, envisioning him as the answer to a decades-long question mark on punt and kickoff return duties. However, he faced tough competition in training camp from undrafted rookie Deonte Harris, who eventually won the job outright. Sherels never suited up for the Saints in their preseason games while managing his injury, but now he’ll have his pick of any number of teams looking for an experienced hand at the position.
