NEW ORLEANS – After returning to the practice field to kick off its bonus week, the New Orleans Saints made a couple of roster moves in the secondary.
The team placed rookie safety Lorenzo Styles Jr. on injured reserve (IR), guaranteeing his absence for at least the first four weeks of the NFL regular season. After that, he can be designated to return.
Styles has been managing a calf injury since the second game of the preseason. He was one of the players consistently identified as a potential IR option after making the initial 53-player roster. He was not spotted at Tuesday’s practice.
With Styles headed to the injury list, a roster spot opened for New Orleans, who filled it by continuing its well-documented pursuit of former Las Vegas Raiders players.
Cornerback Decamerion Richardson was waived in the second phase of regular-season roster moves and was awarded to New Orleans who put in a claim for the 6-foot-2, 195-pound defender.
Richardson adds to an influx of players with length for New Orleans on the defensive side, a quality that defensive coordinator Brandon Staley highlighted the importance of in his Tuesday media availability.
“No matter what the position, if you can get the length with the right other position characteristics with it, it’s certainly an advantage,” he said. “(Former NFL defensive coordinator) Ed Donatell used to tell me that those types of guys are harder to shoot over. So, if you can get that, especially in the secondary, it can be a help.”
Richardson was a fourth-round selection in the 2024 NFL draft and has appeared in 27 games, including 15 last season. He totaled 57 combined tackles, a tackle for a loss and three passes defended.
The Cullen, La. native also ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash during the NFL combine, making him a true height/weight/speed prospect.
He has almost exclusively played at cornerback, making him less of an immediate replacement to Styles, but instead adding more depth to the cornerback position. Meanwhile, defensive back Mike Reid, who impressed enough to earn a spot on the initial 53-player roster, spent a lot of time at safety this offseason. It will be interesting to see if Reid continues to stay with the safeties while Richardson joins the cornerback position.
