New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton announced four roster moves after practice on Wednesday. The most-significant move was the loss of veteran left tackle Chris Clark, who was signed just last week but was injured in their preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Clark was designated to the injured reserve list.
Additionally, the Saints waived rookie long snapper Nick Moore. Moore was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Georgia and was competing with Zach Wood, the Saints’ incumbent.
These transactions opened the door for two new additions: free agent linebacker Will Compton and offensive lineman Fisayo Awolaja. Compton’s signing was reported earlier, and he offers the Saints experience as a part-time starter and special teams fixture for both the Tennessee Titans and Washington Redskins. Awolaja initially tried out for the Saints during rookie minicamps as an undrafted free agent out of Northern Colorado, and now they’ll get another look at the 6-foot-4, 304-pounder.
Moves like these are typical around the middle of preseason, with teams churning the bottoms of their rosters to get a look at practice squad candidates or veterans who may stick around on special teams. It’s unfortunate that injuries were involved.
