Saints sign CB Chris Harris Jr. in last-minute Week 8 roster moves
Kickoff with the Las Vegas Raiders is inching closer by the minute, so the New Orleans Saints took action on Saturday to file a handful of roster moves to finish preparing for the game. The biggest move is veteran cornerback Chris Harris Jr. being signed to the 53-man roster after he was elevated from the practice squad the last three weeks. Harris is a four-time Pro Bowler who won Super Bowl 50 with the Denver Broncos.
We'll dig into that transaction and the other Saints roster moves below:
CB Chris Harris Jr. signed to the 53-man roster
Harris joined the Saints practice squad early in October and immediately got into games as a backup at cornerback, but he’s had to play more often than the team would like given all of their injuries in the secondary. With superstar corner Marshon Lattimore down this week due to an abdominal injury and second-year starter Paulson Adebo questionable to play with a knee issue, it makes sense to keep Harris in the lineup. Teams may elevate practice squad players up to three times before signing them to the active roster, and Harris met his limit, so this was necessary for the Saints to keep him available.
The cornerbacks depth chart for Sunday will include Harris, Alontae Taylor, part-time safety Bryce Thompson, and slot specialist Justin Evans (also listed at safety). Adebo hasn’t played well this season but the Saints could still use him since they’ll be without Lattimore, Bradley Roby (who went on injured reserve with an ankle injury), and P.J. Williams (also on injured reserve with a quadriceps issue, but he’s expected to return soon).
Harris has 14 tackles in his three appearances so far this season.
WR Keith Kirkwood released from the 53-man roster
As was the case last week, Keith Kirkwood has been released to open a roster spot for another player. The Saints are rostering two injured wide receivers in Michael Thomas (foot) and Jarvis Landry (ankle), so they’re having to cycle through other players in order to fill out the depth chart at different positions — essentially limiting themselves to 51 roster spots instead of 53. Hopefully Thomas or Landry (well, hopefully both of them) can return to action soon after missing five and four games, respectively.
Kirkwood could re-sign with the Saints after this Raiders game. The receivers who will be available on Sunday include Chris Olave, Marquez Callaway, Tre’Quan Smith, Rashid Shaheed, and Kevin White.
WR Kevin White elevated from the practice squad
Kevin White is the only single-game practice squad elevation this week, and this is the third and final time he’ll be allowed to play in this capacity. If the Saints want him to suit up for more games they’ll have to sign him to the 53-man roster just like they did with Harris Jr. Though White has predominantly played on special teams covering punts and kickoffs, he did create an impressive 64-yard gain last week while doing most of his damage after the catch. We’ll see if the Saints can continue finding ways to get the ball to him and undrafted rookie Shaheed, who has scored two touchdowns in as many touches this season.
Paste BN Sports+ producer Victoria Hernandez contributed to this story.