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Sports
Who Will Leonard
Could Saints RB Alvin Kamara Be Leaving The NFC South?
ALVIN KAMARA
Alvin Kamara, one of the most explosive and versatile running backs in the NFL, could be on the trade block.
Kamara and the Saints have been negotiating a poten- tial long-term extension in re- cent days, but while Kamara is expected to return to the team after missing a few days for medical reasons, things ap- pear to be moving in the wrong direction on that front.
It’s hard to imagine the Saints actually shipping Ka- mara elsewhere. If Kamara and his representatives price themselves out of what the Saints can afford, they may be left with the dilemma of either breaking the bank at a position where teams try to avoid doing so, or letting one of the league’s most dangerous offensive weapons wreak havoc on the league for another team.
Jameis Winston Assists
New Orleans Saints
In Any Way Needed
From time to time during a drills involving quarter- backs and running backs, quarterback Jameis Win- ston will move to the other side of the line of scrimmage and become the opponent, to provide the offense a "look."
Nothing major – the New Orleans Saints aren't hoping to see Winston need to use any tackling skills – but for Winston, just part of who he is.
"The only thing that I try to do is to serve," he said. "I think that's an important part of leadership. I see No. 9 (Drew Brees) doing it every single day.”
So far, it has been impos- sible to locate a Saint who wouldn't agree that Winston has been an outstanding teammate. The former No. 1 overall draft pick, an unre- stricted free agent signee who spent his first five seasons with Tampa Bay, appears to have been a fit since the first Zoom call.
"He's super likable,"
JAMEIS WINSTON
Saints quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi said. "I think when someone has a passion for what they're doing, it's in- fectious."
Talent is something Win- ston also has in abundance. In joining a quarterback room that includes Brees and Taysom Hill, Winston helps to give New Orleans an admirable situation.
In five years with the Buc- caneers, he completed 1,563 of 2,548 passes for 19,737 yards, with 121 touchdowns and 88 interceptions. Signing a one-year deal with the Saints meant learning a new offense, which Coach Sean Payton said Winston is doing well.
Fournette Oust From
Bucs' Backfield?
The Tampa Bay Bucca- neers added another big name to their offense Wednesday night, agreeing to a one-year deal with free agent running back Leonard Fournette.
Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski have already given the Bucs plenty of na- tional star power on offense, and now they’re adding a back who was a top-five draft pick just three years ago.
But while it’s understand- able for Bucs fans to be ex- cited about this addition, how will it impact a Tampa Bay depth chart that was already crowded at running back?
Ronald Jones, II is heading into his third NFL season as the team’s unques- tioned workhorse, something head coach Bruce Arians has made clear on multiple occasions throughout the off- season and training camp. Earlier on Wednesday, Ari- ans praised Jones’ improve- ments as a pass-catcher, and has repeatedly stated that Jones will be “the guy” in the Tampa Bay backfield this sea- son.
That didn’t stop the Bucs from adding multiple new faces to the group earlier this offseason, though. They spent
LEONARD FOURNETTE
a third-round pick on Van- derbilt’s Ke’Shawn Vaughn, and more recently signed veteran LeSean McCoy. Dare Ogun- bowale rounds out the team’s current projections for the running backs likely to make the 53-man roster, while rookie Ray Calais could land on the practice squad.
Who could be the odd man out, now that Four- nette is crashing the party?
Jones won’t be going anywhere, and Ogun- bowale’s special teams prowess may have his spot more secure than McCoy or Vaughn. McCoy was the most recent addition, but the team has far less invested in him than Vaughn, who had the Bucs’ decision makers ex- tremely excited heading into camp.
Mohamed Sanu Released By Patriots
Mohamed Sanu’s time with the New England Patriots was brief.
Sanu was acquired by the Patriots at last year’s trade deadline, and the team is re- leasing him ahead of the 2020 season.
The Patriots traded a sec- ond-round pick for Sanu last year, but he only delivered 26 catches for 207 yards and a touchdown in eight games with the team. The big issue for Sanu was an ankle injury that plagued him during most of his time with New England. He underwent offseason ankle surgery in hopes of improving his health, but apparently he
MOHAMED SANU
wasn’t looking good enough for the Patriots in camp.
Some Patriots insiders projected Sanu would not make the roster. Part of the reason is the Patriots can save $6.5M against the salary cap with the release.
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