Deion Jones' New Orleans homecoming was short-lived, to say the least.
The New Orleans native and former LSU standout agreed to a free agent deal with the Saints on Aug. 7, and barely two weeks later he's headed to the 49ers by trade, the Associated Press confirms. In exchange the Saints will acquire 26-year running back Zamir White, a 4th round pick of the Raiders in 2022. The move has not yet been announced by the team.
Brought to you by TRANESOUTH: It's hard to stop a Tranewww.audacy.comJones, who began his career with the Falcons and also spent seasons with the Bucs and Panthers, was deep in the Saints' linebacker rotation and was unlikely to make the roster. The trade reunites Jones with Raheem Morris, the current 49ers defensive coordinator who had previously coached him with the Falcons. Jones had been pulling third-team reps in the first two preseason games. New Orleans' linebacker room boasts impressive depth, with the group headlined by Kaden Elliss and Pete Werner. Young, developing players in Danny Stutsman, Isaiah Stalbird and Jaylon Ford make up the five most likely to make the roster.
The running back position is a different story, however. The Saints add White to a room that is beset with injuries, all of which have struck in the past eight days. Audric Estime is dealing with an ankle injury suffered in the preseason opener, Alvin Kamara a knee injury suffered during the joint practice with the Cowboys and Devin Neal is navigating his third hamstring injury of camp after leaving early against the Rams on Saturday. White's presence should help lessen the load on newcomer Travis Etienne and Kendre Miller, who just returned from injury himself. The rest of the room is made up of Ty Chandler and CJ Donaldson, both of whom have seen heavy preseason workloads.
White was also a recent acquisition of the 49ers after being used sparingly in his final two seasons with the Raiders. He had rolled up 29 yards on 12 preseason rushing attempts, but was buried on the depth chart for San Fran. The former Georgia Bulldog's best season came in 2023 when he appeared in all 17 games and carried the ball 104 times for 451 yards and a touchdown.
New Orleans has been active in the training camp trade market the past two seasons, and that could potentially be the case again with several needs emerging due to injuries and other factors. Last year they traded for WRs Devaughn Vele and Ja'Lynn Polk, as well as center Luke Fortner and OT Asim Richards. Vele and Richards remain on the 2026 roster, while Fortner signed with the Panthers in free agency and Polk opted to retire early in training camp.
The Saints returned home over the weekend after a week-long west coast swing where they participated in a pair of joint practices followed by a 34-0 loss to the Rams in Week 2 of the preseason. This week they'll be having an open, nighttime practice at Tulane's Yulman Stadium on Wednesday before heading to Dallas for their preseason finale set for Friday evening.
