New Orleans Saints Daily News
By John Hendrix
Dec 2, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers tight end Tom Crabtree (83) rushes with the football after catching a pass as Minnesota Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield (26) grabs his leg during the first quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
The New Orleans Saints will enjoy a much-needed bye week during Week 6. Despite the team not suiting up on Sunday, there are still beaucoup amounts of news to pass along to you today.
Katherine Terrell | Times-Picayune | New Orleans Saints place Jairus Byrd on IR, sign tight end Tom Crabtree
"The New Orleans Saints have signed tight end Tom Crabtree and placed safety Jairus Byrd on injured reserve, ending his season.The move comes days after standout tight end Jimmy Graham injured his shoulder against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Saints reportedly brought in several tight ends for a tryout Tuesday, with Crabtree getting the nod in the late afternoon."
We can only speculate at the Jimmy Graham injury, and the bye week couldn’t come at a better time. Should Graham be out for any time, look for Ben Watson, Josh Hill, and newcomer Tom Crabtree handling duties for the black and gold.
Coley Harvey | ESPN | Bengals pick up LB Khairi Fortt
"Fortt’s release from the Saints was not related to any violation of league rules or legal issues, a league source told ESPN Saints reporter Mike Triplett.“There’s a little uncertainty to where he is at just in regards to the amount of snaps he had or was limited to based on the injury,” Saints coach Sean Payton said when the team put Fortt on the short-term IR in the preseason. “We think he has a chance to develop into a good young player and yet it is still kind of an incomplete, if you will, in regards to the evaluation. The [IR] rule varies. It is only our second year with it. How use it is one element you didn’t have two years ago, three years ago.”"
I’m sure many of you didn’t even know that the Saints forfeited their short-term IR designation on Monday by releasing Fortt. There’s only been speculation on why Fortt departed, and maybe one of these days we will really get an answer. A once promising future thought of a linebacker for the Saints is now gone.
Dan Zinski | The Viking Age | Vikings Cut McLeod Bethel-Thompson from Practice Squad, Sign Pierre Warren
"In addition to cutting Bethel-Thompson, the Vikings have added QB Chandler Harnish, WR Donte Foster and S Pierre Warren.Harnish and Foster will be familiar to Viking fans but Warren not so much."
Warren was a spark in the preseason for the Saints, but at the most depthful position for the team, he failed to make final cuts. When we heard about Jairus Byrd, it looked like we might give Warren a second look. However, that isn’t the case. Just remember this, a team may freely sign a player from another team’s practice squad to their active roster.
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