By Ross Jackson
Along with three more teams, the New Orleans Saints put in a waiver claim for the most popular player available after Tuesday’s roster cuts.
Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers and Carolina Panthers all submitted claims for cornerback Shemar Bartholomew.
The Panthers were ultimately awarded the 6-foot cover corner who had an outstanding preseason with the New York Jets. For the record, the Chargers (5) also would have been ahead of the Saints (14) in priority order. The order is based on final league standings from the year before.
Bartholomew clearly caught a lot of eyes and for good reason. He did not allow a single catch all preseason and surrendered a passer rating of just 39.6, per Pro Football Focus. He did so on 50 coverage snaps with nine targets.
This would have been an interesting addition for New Orleans. The cornerback room is flush with talent. Starters Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo and Alontae Taylor are solidified. Rookie cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry returned to practice after avoiding a serious injury in the preseason. At roster cuts, the team also committed to keeping Pittsburgh State cornerback Rico Payton, who also posted strong offseason coverage numbers.
Adding a player from waivers required that prospect to be added to the claiming team’s active roster. So, either the Saints were prepared to keep six corners, or they would have done some additional jostling.
The team loves its cornerbacks and has done an excellent job developing talent there. One cornerback told LouisianaSports.Net that the coaching staff of head coach Dennis Allen, defensive coordinator Joe Woods and defensive backs coach Marcus Robertson are “premier developers of talent.” He especially highlighted Robertson’s contributions.
The Saints may have missed out on landing Batholomew, but they still have a very strong cornerback room. They currently are not carrying a corner on their practice squad after the surprise of Sherman Jean-Charles not having landed there yet. It would not be a surprise to see more movement at this position, though unlikely on the active roster.
New Orleans did not come out empty-handed from the first waiver period, however. They did land former Minnesota. Vikings running back and return specialist Kene Nwangwu. Someone that the team expects to contribute on special teams.
