New Orleans Saints officially sign five players, waive four

Following Sunday’s close to rookie minicamp, the New Orleans Saints officially announced that they have signed five players and waived four. We heard yesterday, after trying out for the team, veteran WR Josh Morgan, WR Kyle Prater, K Zach Hocker, LB Henry Coley and OL Antonio Johnson all reached deals with the Black and Gold. Today, it was made official.

New Orleans also parted ways with four guys. OL Doniel Gambrell, G Andrew Miller, LB Stephon Sanders and WR Malcome Kennedy (injury) have been waived.

Morgan will be entering his eighth NFL season after spending time with the San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins, and most recently the Chicago Bears. While there is no guarantee the 30-year-old lands a spot on the final roster, he should certainly bring in some competition at the the wide receiver position, especially after the New Orleans Saints failed to address the need for one in the draft.

Prater, a product of Northwestern, brings excellent size at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds. He led the Wildcats with 51 receptions and 535 yards as a senior in 2014, ranking seventh in the Big Ten with 4.6 receptions per game.

With the decline in Shayne Graham‘s leg power, there looks to be a little competition at kicker between him, Dustin Hopkins and the newest addition to the position, Zach Hocker. A former Arkansas Razorback, Hocker was drafted in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, spending time with the Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins, but had no luck at a final roster.

Antonio Johnson looks to battle for a depth spot on the offensive line. A former college teammate of Saints’ undrafted free agent Cyril Lemon, Johnson was a four-year starter for North Texas.

Virginia product Henry Coley comes in as an intriguing prospect. He started 11 of 12 games in 2014 at middle linebacker, totaling 76 tackles, eight sacks (fifth in ACC) and two forced fumbles. He was named to the coaches’ All-ACC second team.

These guys apparently impressed over the weekend, but much is still to be accomplished over the next couple of months. With more moves likely coming before minicamp kicks off June 16, be sure to check back with us for any roster updates.

Next: Saints to report to training camp July 29

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