After an injury scare, veteran linebacker Ryan Connelly returns to Saints practice.
Ryan Connelly, a veteran linebacker, was one of the New Orleans Saints’ preseason studs, but an injury scare jeopardized his season. In the team’s second preseason game, he injured his knee, which Saints head coach Dennis Allen viewed as a major issue.
He recovered faster than predicted, however, and is already back on the practice squad. Connelly worked out with his teammates during the Saints’ practice session on Wednesday. In his post-practice press conference with local media, Allen acknowledged Connelly’s quick return.
“That’s part of the issue,” Allen said, “because when you start talking about injuries, there’s still a lot of evaluations and things of that nature that have to go through.” It was clearly far superior to our expectations. He’s fine; he was out there training today.”
Connelly has the potential to be a valuable member of the team. He played a lot of snaps in the kicking game and led the team in tackles in their first preseason game, filling in for Demario Davis at middle linebacker. He’s one of four linebackers on the practice squad right now, along with Jaylon Smith, Ty Summers, and undrafted rookie Anfernee Orji, but he might be a game-day call-up to help the depth chart.
He joined the Saints on a reserve/future deal in January after spending the 2022 season on the Minnesota Vikings practice squad. Connelly was picked by the New York Giants in the fifth round in 2019 out of Wisconsin, where he was teammates with linebacker Zack Baun and right lineman Ryan Ramczyk.
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Following the departure of Jaylon Smith, the Saints have signed a former Pro Bowl linebacker.
After losing Jaylon Smith to the Raiders, the Saints acquired LB Cory Littleton to their practice squad ahead of Week 9
The New Orleans Saints have made a roster change following the loss of linebacker Jaylon Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders ahead of the team’s Week 9 game against the Chicago Bears. past Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders, Carolina Panthers, and Houston Texans LB Cory Littleton was signed to the practice squad in exchange for one past Pro Bowler.
“According to a league source, the Saints have signed former #Texans linebacker Cory Littleton to their practice squad,” Aaron Wilson, an NFL reporter for KPRC 2 in Houston, said on Thursday.
When the Rams signed Littleton in 2016, he was an undrafted LB out of Washington. He started one game as a rookie, four games in his sophomore season, and was a full-time starter, Pro Bowler, and second-team All-Pro by 2018.
Littleton got a big free agency contract with the Raiders in 2020, but he never approached the 100-plus tackles-per-year levels he did in Houston. After two years in Vegas, he spent time with the Panthers and Texans. This season, he was released by Houston following only 17 snaps in six games.
