In a move absolutely no one saw coming, the New Orleans Saints released J.T. Gray on Monday afternoon. NewOrleans.Football's Nick Underhill broke the news in the midst of Labor Day. Alvin Kamara issued a three letter sentiment on social media that echoed the thoughts of many fans, "Wtf."
It's safe to say that was the first thought of many fans when they saw the news. The next thought was probably another three letter sentiment. "Why?"
That's an answer we may never truly get or accept. It does signify the Saints will sign someone soon. Gray was seen as a lock to not only make the 53-man roster, which he did at roster cut, but also be a key contributor on special teams.
Releasing J.T. Gray is a bit of a headscratcher
Kellen Moore has done a great job building the roster in his first offseason as head coach. He's seen positions that needed to be addressed and for the most part he addressed them. The Saints had a lot of work to do, so it was always going to be a multi-year project.
This move here, however, is probably Moore's most questionable to date. He also called releasing Gray "one of the hardest things" he's had to do all year.
Calling Gray a special teams ace almost feels like downplaying how effective he has been. Last season, he was a second team All-Pro for his contributions on special teams. That marked his third time being named to one of the Associated Press' All-Pro teams in his career. It's not as if you could make an argument that he was beginning to tail off.
Bill Belichick also acknowledged Gray as one of the best special teams players in the league. In addition to being one of the greatest coaches of all time, Belichick also coached one of the top special teams players in the league, Matthew Slater. He knows what great special teams play looks like.
Questions begin to flow now. Who is going to be your gunner on punt return? Once again, why did they make this move? Gray suffered a hamstring injury in training camp, but it didn't seem critical. As confusing as this move is, the expectation should be for Gray to bounce back very quickly.