New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton referred to outside corner as a "must" for the team to add a player before the 2021 season, and they appear to have done it -- twice.
The Saints appear set to sign cornerbacks Prince Amukamara and KeiVarae Russell, according to a report from ESPN's Dan Graziano, after hosting them for workouts this week.
The signings will be pending physicals. The players mark the latest in a series of veteran signings by the Saints, which also included wide receiver Chris Hogan, cornerback Brian Poole, wide receiver Tommylee Lewis and running back Devonta Freeman.
Even after the signing of Poole, who has played slot corner throughout his career, Payton pointed to a need on the outside after the departure of Janoris Jenkins in the offseason as the team shed more than $100 million to get under the salary cap.
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Amukamara, 32, is more of a household name as a former first-round selection of the New York Giants. The Saints will be the sixth team for Amukamara over his NFL career, during which he also spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, and Las Vegas Raiders. Amukamara spent the 2020 season on the Cardinals practice squad. In his career he's logged 477 tackles, 78 passes defensed and 10 interceptions.
While Amukamara will have to prove he's still got enough left in the tank, he does profile well to the outside. He logged 799 snaps at outside corner in 2019 with the Bears, and was graded at a solid 69.9 in coverage by PFF. He was targeted 58 times, allowing 36 catches while breaking up four passes. His best year as a pro came in the previous season when he was graded at 76.2, allowed 53 catches on 83 targets while breaking up six passes and intercepting three.
Russell was a third-round selection of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2016, where he spent three seasons before being cut prior to the 2020 season. He signed with the Packers, but saw action in just one game during the 2020 season. He's logged 21 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception in his NFL career.
Russell has also gotten the majority of his snaps at outside corner, though with a far lesser track record that Amukamara. In his five seasons he's logged just 183 defensive snaps, but did work in on special teams.
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The pair will add depth to the cornerback position that features All-Pro Marshon Lattimore as an entrenched starter, though he could face disclipline at some point after an offseason arrest in Cleveland. Saints GM Mickey Loomis said last week he hadn't yet heard anything from the NFL regarding potential discipline. The Saints also have veteran Patrick Robinson, who was an excused absence from camp Friday due to a death in the family. The Saints also have veteran PJ Williams, nickel corner CJ Gardner-Johnson, and rookie Paulson Adebo, selected in the third round of the recent draft.
The Saints return to practice on Monday after a day off, and will likely have to make some cuts to clear space for the new players. The Saints listed 89 players on the active roster at Saturday's practice, while Michael Thomas is listed on the physically unable to perform list and Wil Lutz was listed on the non-football injury list. The Saints are allowed to have a 90-man roster until Aug. 17, at which point they'll have to cut that number down to 85.
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