In the days following NFL cut day, teams continue to restructure their roster. Franchises are able to assess their weaknesses, and address them with players that were cut from other teams. For the New Orleans Saints, one of the circled weaknesses is the safety position. The group still has Tyrann Mathieu, but no player has snatched the other starting safety spot yet.
After teams finished cuts on Tuesday, Saints fans quickly noticed an old friend was available. Veteran safety Lonnie Johnson Jr. was released by the Houston Texans. Saints fans quickly brought up the possibility of Johnson returning to New Orleans.
The free agent safety, however, quickly shot down the possibility of that happening, saying he’d be surprised if he got a call from the team.
Lonnie Johnson Jr. would be surprised if the Saints wanted to bring him back
Johnson spent the 2023 season in New Orleans, but moved on to the Texans in free agency this year. However, him moving on was seemingly because the franchise no longer wanted him. He made that clear in another post saying, “they don’t want me, nothing I can do.”
When the Saints let Johnson walk in free agency, they probably thought things would play out better for the safety group. However, Jordan Howden has somewhat regressed after a promising rookie season, and Johnathan Abram was released on Tuesday. Now, in addition to Mathieu and Howden, the Saints just have J.T. Gray and Will Harris.
New Orleans could certainly look at its roster and change its tune on Johnson, opting to bring him back for added depth. In 12 games last season, he recorded just nine tackles, two pass deflections, and one interception. He may not be the starting-caliber safety the Saints are looking for. But he is a familiar face that could contribute in a depth role.
