The New Orleans Saints are still working out their roster, and until game time in Week 1, there will be changes. That could be on the current 53-man roster, the practice squad, or even the current players on season-ending IR. Those injured players are the topic of today’s news.
In an interesting decision, to say the least, the Saints reached injury settlements with RB Devin Neal and EDGE Michael Heldman, sending them both to waivers.
Starting with what an injury settlement is: it is a way for the Saints to move on from these players and avoid using resources on players who were not going to make the roster. The players get paid for the time they would have been out and, in turn, become free agents. The team can re-sign both players once, after the injury settlement period is complete, plus three weeks (which is the rule). The salary cap also saves the team money by going in this direction.
Now, onto the players themselves, it hurts that this is happening with Neal and Heldman. For Neal, he was on the outside of the RB competition due to injuries, but when he played, it was really positive. The hamstring could not heal, as we all saw in the game against the Los Angeles Rams. Still, he could have been a nice long-term RB option for the Saints.
The Heldman move made even less sense. This move suggests he was unlikely to make the roster, likely due to the Saints’ depth at EDGE, but his potential was evident. He made plays throughout the preseason and showed flashes of becoming a really good pass rusher. So, when he did get injured and was ruled out for the year, the Saints got a bit lucky because they could keep him on the roster for the entire year without having to move on from him due to space constraints. This is why the move to reach an injury settlement with him is risky.
If the Saints can bring back these two players after the settlements are finalized, then great; if not, we could look back on this move as a regrettable one.
