ProFootballTalk: Who can turn Saints’ defense around?

Sean Payton wasted no time when firing defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Who’s next up in New Orleans?

Getty Images

Wide receiver Ricardo Louis was one of 14 draft picks to make the Cleveland Browns last season. However, Louis, a fourth-round pick out of Auburn, had some difficulty making the transition to the NFL and only managed 18 catches for 205 yards in his rookie campaign.

But with a year under his belt, the Browns and Louis feel like he’s better situated to contribute for the team this season.

“Now he lines up at the line of scrimmage and hears the play and sees the defense and recognizes the coverage, he goes 100 miles per hour,” wide receiver coach Al Saunders said, via Pat McManamon of ESPN.com. “He’s a talented young man. I’m thrilled he feels really comfortable in what he’s doing and am really excited when we get him to the preseason and take that transition and get into real physical football and play the game when things aren’t what you expect it to be.”

Head coach Hue Jackson echoed the sentiments, saying Louis has “really improved” since last season. Louis agreed that he’s taken a sizable step forward as well.

“There’s a lot of things that you have to be very specific on when it comes to being in the NFL,” Louis said. “You have to be detailed with everything you do as far as preparation and taking the next step.”

That 14-man class will have to be significant contributors eventually for the Browns to build toward contending status. A jump forward from year one to year two is typically expected from players moving into the pros. Louis appears situated to be a more trusted option in 2017.

Getty Images

The family of a man who died in a fall at the stadium formerly known as Sports Authority Field at Mile High last October is suing the Metropolitan Football Stadium District seeking an unstated amount of damages.

According to 9NEWS, the family of Jason Coy filed a claim dated April 11, 2017 alleging that the staircase when Coy fell to his death was “inherently dangerous to patrons” of the stadium.

“On October 24, 2016, while attending a Denver Bronco’s football game as an invitee inside the Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Mr. Coy fell to his death in a fire escape corridor and staircase, inside the North East concourse of the stadium,” the suit states. “The subject corridor was designed, built, and maintained as a fire evacuation escape route and egress method for invited game attendees. The corridor and staircase contained a vault and open shaft that was inherently dangerous to patrons, and Mr. Coy slipped over a handrail near the top of the staircase, falling to his death, at or near the base below. We believe the Stadium District, and others, failed to make the subject staircase and stairwell, reasonably safe for invited guests/patrons, and this failure led directly to Mr. Coy’s fatal injuries.”

Coy was attending a game between the Houston Texans and Broncos the night he fell.

Getty Images

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jeremy Kerley isn’t going to mince words when it comes to his opinion on Chan Gailey.

Kerley played under Gailey with the New York Jets in 2015. It was his worst season as a pro as Kerley caught just 16 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns with the Jets.

Coming off of arguable his best season, Kerley didn’t bother to blunt his opinion on his former offensive coordinator during an interview with Alex Marvez and Phil Savage on Sirius XM NFL Radio.

“What changed a lot for me was in my fifth year, in New York, somebody telling me that, for whatever the reason was, I wasn’t good enough to play in that offense or I wasn’t a fit for that offense,” Kerley said. “And even though I knew I was, it still pissed me off to the point where I was just like, you know, what can I do to try to separate myself or stand out more. And I think, just from that point on and 2015 was by far my worst year in the league. I absolutely hated the NFL. I wasn’t getting any playing time at receiver; I was just strictly punt return. Me and Chan Gailey were always … we didn’t see eye-to-eye. I didn’t have a lot of respect for him. It was probably the same for him.”

Gailey was hired to serve as offensive coordinator after Todd Bowles was brought in to replace Rex Ryan as head coach. Gailey served in the role the last two seasons before retiring at the end of the year. Unsurprisingly, Kerley lasted just one season playing in Gailey’s offense before moving on to the 49ers last year (after a brief stop in Detroit).

“Chan was just one of those type of guys that he has his mind set up before he sees whoever’s there,” Kerley said. “I mean, he just wasn’t a fit for me, so when we came in it was kind of like, I had just signed a four-year, $16-million extension. So I’m assuming this is my time, I’m going to play or I get to maximize my play. And it was the exact opposite. I can’t speak highly of a guy who never really let me have an opportunity to prove. And then the fact that he would always bring in guys that were my same height or my same size after guys went down or whatever happened, it brought me to believe that maybe he just doesn’t really like me.

“For whatever the reason was, I just feel like we were going to bump heads after that. I don’t say this about a lot of people, but I don’t really have a lot of respect for that and how that situation went.”

Kerley ended up in a much better situation with the 49ers. He caught a career-high 64 passes for 667 yards and three touchdowns last year for San Francisco. The three touchdowns matched a career-high. The showing earned his a new three-year deal with the 49ers this offseason.

Getty Images

With Derek Carr getting paid, the five highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL are set. Based on the disputed (but widely recognized) “new money” analysis, they are: (1) Carr; (2) Andrew Luck; (3) Drew Brees; (4) Kirk Cousins; and (5) Joe Flacco.

That doesn’t necessarily (or actually) make them the five best quarterbacks. Identifying the five best quarterbacks in the NFL will be the focal point of Friday’s PFT Live question of the day.

We’re not looking for five quarterbacks you’d start a team with. We want your five quarterbacks based on guys you would take right now to help you win a game.

Former NFL quarterback Brady Quinn will join the show, which will be the last radio/TV show featuring yours truly until July 24. (The TV show is preempted for most of the next month due to that Tour de France thing.) I’ll explain over the weekend the plan for fresh video and audio content during my supposed vacation, since I never actually take a vacation because my job isn’t really a job.

Join us at 6:00 a.m. ET on NBC Sports Radio. The show then shifts to NBCSN at 7:00 a.m. ET.

Getty Images

The Jets confirmed Christopher Johnson will become chairman and CEO if the Senate confirms Woody Johnson as U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain. President Donald Trump nominated the Jets owner on Thursday, 153 days after he unofficially named Johnson to the diplomatic post.

Christopher Johnson, Woody’s brother and also a team owner, will directly oversee all day-to-day team operations in his brother’s absence.

“The New York Jets have been an integral part of our family since 2000, but this is a unique opportunity for Woody. His patriotism and commitment to our country have always been a passion of his,” Christopher Johnson said, via a team press release. “Over the years, we have learned that ownership of the New York Jets is a special responsibility. Personally, if Woody is nominated and confirmed, I would be honored to oversee the organization, continuing to build a team on and off the field that our fans are proud of and deserve.” 

Woody Johnson, now 70, and his family purchased the Jets on Jan. 18, 2000. Woody, a fourth-generation member of the founding family of Johnson & Johnson, is a veteran Republican fundraiser.

“On behalf of the entire organization, we would be extremely proud to see Woody nominated and confirmed as U.S. Ambassador. We could not be more excited for him and his family,” Jets President Neil Glat said in the release.

Getty Images

The Raiders have yet to officially announce Derek Carr has a new deal, but they have called a press conference for 10:30 a.m. PT on Friday at the team facility. Although the team doesn’t specify the reason for the press conference, it will come as no surprise when they announce Carr’s signing.

Besides Carr’s tweet confirming the deal was done, Raiders coach Jack Del Rio tweeted his congratulations to Carr: “Congrats w extension!! Continue to be the great teammate and leader you R. God Bless you & your family! #RaiderNation #ReturnToGreatness”

Carr will become the highest-paid player in NFL history when he signs the five-year, $125 million deal, which includes $40 million fully guaranteed at signing. According to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Carr was out of the country on vacation but is on his way home.

Getty Images

Linebacker David Harris is officially a member of the Patriots.

Word of Harris’ agreement with the defending champions came on Wednesday, but the move was announced by the team on Thursday along with the roster move they made to clear space for Harris’ arrival. They have waived wide receiver DeAndrew White.

Harris, who was released by the Jets earlier this month after 10 seasons with the team, signed a two-year deal with New England with a reported base value of $5 million. He’s the latest acquisition in a busy offseason that has seen New England use their cap space to add veterans all over a roster that was already coming off of a Super Bowl title.

White made the 49ers as an undrafted rookie in 2015 and played in four games. He caught two passes and returned six kickoffs in those appearances and moved on to the Patriots practice squad after getting cut last year. He’ll now have the chance to catch on elsewhere before training camp and may face shorter odds than he did with a Patriots team well-stocked with wideouts.

Getty Images

The Cardinals will have an interesting training camp battle between two players they hope never see the field. Drew Stanton and Blaine Gabbert will compete for the job behind starting quarterback Carson Palmer.

Considering Carson is 38 and entering his 14th season, the Cardinals could choose to keep both backups on the 53-player roster. Coach Bruce Arians said the decision about how many quarterbacks to keep will depend on whether the third quarterback is better than another reserve at another position.

“Who’s the best player, regardless of position?” Arians said, via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN. “Obviously, he’s not going to help special teams, and if you think there’s one you really, really like for the future [you keep him].”

Stanton has served as the team’s backup the past four seasons, while Gabbert signed with the Cardinals on May 11.

The Cardinals started four quarterbacks in 2012 and three in 2014, but Palmer has started all but one game the past two seasons.

Getty Images

Those who hope to advertise their goods and services during Thursday night games streamed by Amazon now know what it will cost. It’s still not clear to the rest of us what they will get.

According to Reuters, Amazon will charge $2.8 million for ad packages.

Amazon reportedly can sell 10 30-second spots per game. It’s unclear what an advertiser precisely will receive in exchange for the $2.8 million. Per the report, the $2.8 million package consists of 30-second ads throughout the 10-game slate that will be streamed by Amazon. Reuters notes that published reports indicated Twitter sold packages a year ago at prices ranging from $2 million to $8 million. Without more details are to everything that each package provided to advertisers, it’s impossible to compare Twitter’s deal to Amazon’s.

Twitter reportedly paid $10 million to stream 10 games last year. Amazon reportedly will be paying $50 million for the 10 games, along with (again, reportedly) $30 million in free marketing.

Sources familiar with the deal separately have insisted PFT that the $50 million and $30 million figures are inaccurate, raising the question of whether someone is pumping up the perceived price to be paid by Amazon in order to create the impression that the right to carry the games carries greater value than it actually does. With the current broadcast deals expiring across the board in five years and with real questions lingering about where the multiple billions will come from the next time around, it makes plenty of sense to create the impression that companies continue to pay way too much for the ability to show NFL games. Even if, you know, they aren’t.

Getty Images

Despite today’s news of his ouster in Kansas City, there’s a chance John Dorsey will be landing on his feet, sooner than later.

In January, Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel dubbed Dorsey, a former Packers executive, as the “best bet” to succeed Ted Thompson as the General Manager in Green Bay. The more immediate question is whether the Packers will be inclined to bring Dorsey back into the fold before such a move is made.

For his part, Dorsey subsequently called his time with the Chiefs the “greatest four years of my life,” and he expressed a desire to stay with the team long enough for his six-year-old son to graduate high school.

Dorsey, who has a year left on his Chiefs deal, can take the year off with pay, stay put in Kansas City, and plan his next move. A respected figure in league circles, he’ll surely find something, somewhere.

He may end up finding the G.M. job that arguably has more job security than any other, since there’s no one person in Titletown who can get up on the wrong side of the bed or catch a wild hair and fire the head of the football operation.

Getty Images

The Rams’ decision to cut defensive tackle Tyrunn Walker today came just moments before news broke that he is under investigation in a sexual assault case in Louisiana, where he grew up and previously played for the Saints.

The New Orleans Advocate reports that two women told police they were drinking with Walker and another man at a Mardi Gras celebration on February 28 when they began to feel disoriented, and that all four people ended up in a hotel room where the two women can remember little more than waking up and finding Walker and the other man sexually assaulting one of the women.

The local prosecutor confirmed that his office has received the police investigation and is reviewing whether to present the case to a grand jury.

The two women, an 18-year-old and a 19-year-old who are both college students, have filed for a restraining order against Walker and the other man, Justin Williams. Both women spoke to the New Orleans Advocate and indicated they think they were drugged.

Although he is no longer under contract to an NFL team, Walker could be subject to NFL discipline even if he is not charged in connection with this case.

Getty Images

When the Chiefs hired coach Andy Reid and then hired G.M. John Dorsey, many assumed that Reid had the same setup he enjoyed in Philadelphia, where he ran the show. In Kansas City, that wasn’t — and isn’t — the case.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Reid and Dorsey separately reported directly to owner Clark Hunt. According to the source, it was Hunt who made the call based on a full review of the all factors to make the move now.

Of course, that won’t keep people from speculating that Reid found a way to make it known in conjunction with his willingness to sign an extension that he wanted to see a change made. The bang-bang timing of the Reid news and the Dorsey news invites that.

A search will commence immediately for a G.M. who will have the same role and authority that Dorsey possessed, reporting directly to Hunt. Internal and external candidates will be considered, with a loose goal of getting the job filled by the start of training camp.

And while it’s very late on the offseason calendar to be making such an important change (it’s the first June firing of a G.M. in a very long time), the quiet spot between the end of the offseason program and the opening of training camp is really the only time of the year when a G.M. isn’t actively working to make the roster better.

Speculation surely will center on people who have experience working with Reid or for Reid. Whether and to what extent there’s familiarity between Reid and the new G.M. will shape the impression as to whether the G.M. has true independence when it comes to shaping the roster.

One name to watch, as one league source has suggested, is co-directly or player personnel Brett Veach. (If Chris Ballard hadn’t left for the Colts, he likely would have been the leading candidate.) But there surely will be plenty of candidates for the chance to put the finishing touches on a franchise that has been knocking on the door for the last four years.

Getty Images

Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro has been versatile and productive in his four seasons. But it’s not what he wanted or expected.

Vaccaro has yet to make All-Pro or even the Pro Bowl, goals for this season.

“I was a top-15 pick,” Vaccaro said, via Josh Katzenstein of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “I should be a Pro Bowler. That’s just the way it goes.”

The Saints selected Vaccaro 15th overall in 2013. They have played him at several positions, and Vaccaro has 235 tackles, six sacks, 22 pass breakups and five interceptions. But it has left him wanting.

“I haven’t met any of my goals, and it pisses me off, really,” Vaccaro said. “I want to really, really, really work hard this summer and prepare for the season that I need to have because I feel like a lot of people know it’s in me. A lot of people know I’m good, but I haven’t earned the respect that I need and I want that.”

Getty Images

Los Angeles has two teams now and they will start to get to know each other this summer while waiting for construction on the stadium they plan to share to be completed.

The Rams and Chargers announced their training camp schedules on Thursday and they include joint practices at each team’s training facility. The teams will have a workout on Wednesday, August 9 at the Rams’ training ground in Irvine and they will also work out together at the Chargesrs’ Costa Mesa facility on a date to be determined.

The two teams will also square off in a preseason game on August 26 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where the Rams are playing until the Inglewood stadium is up and running.

The Chargers will also hold joint practices with the Saints before they play a preseason game on August 20 at the StubHub Center in Carson, which will be their temporary L.A. digs.

Getty Images

The Rams released defensive tackle Tyrunn Walker on Thursday. They signed Walker in March to serve as a backup to Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers.

Walker signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent out of Tulsa in 2012. He made the roster but did not take the field as a rookie. Walker played in seven games in 2013 with four tackles and a sack and became a regular in the Saints defensive line rotation the following season, making 19 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

Walker signed with the Lions before the 2015 season but broke his fibula after only four games that season, and he underperformed last season, going from starter to a reserve player and was even benched for a midseason game.

Walker, 27, played 353 defensive snaps in 2016. He appeared in 15 games, finishing the season with 26 tackles and no sacks.