We continue our series looking at one veteran player from each team who could be on their team’s roster bubble this summer.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Cairo Santos
Writer: Ken Filler
The Tampa Bay Buccaneer most likely to be cut is kicker Cairo Santos, the veteran kicker who came in midway through the 2018 season and was 17-for-17 when kicking extra points and 9-for-12 on field goals.
Although Santos solidified the Bucs’ kicking game, the team drafted the 2017 Lou Groza award winner, Matt Gay from Utah, in the fifth round of the NFL draft. Gay did not miss an extra point in his college career and in 2018 made 26 of 31 field goal attempts. Gay has a much stronger leg than Santos and would be effective on kickoffs.
Jason Licht wanted some competition in training camp for Santos and it looks like Santos will be the one looking for another job as the 2019 NFL season approaches.
New Orleans Saints: Cameron Meredith
Writer: Emma Marion
With less than $10 million to spend this offseason, the Saints might have to make some big changes to their roster. One player who might see the bad end of this deal is wide receiver Cameron Meredith. Having only played in six games over the last two years, Meredith has lots of rust to shake off before he can even start to compete for a spot on the roster. During the 2017 preseason, Meredith suffered a season-ending ACL tear that kept him out until midway through the 2018 season. If the Saints keep Meredith, he will make as much as $9.6 million over the upcoming two years.
Considering that the Saints have 12 receivers, training camp is going to have a lot of roster spot competition. Since 2015, Meredith has played in only 31 games, reeling in 86 of the 123 passes thrown his way and picking up five touchdowns. The Saints have particularly good depth at receiver with Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn, Jr. as the projected starters. They are then backed up by Tre’Quan Smith and Austin Carr.
Considering that Meredith has been injured for a long time and he hasn’t played a full season yet, the Saints would be smart to pass on him. This extra money could go into signing more depth to the fullback and long snapper positions, which look very bare for the Saints currently. The risk of another season-ending ACL injury just isn’t worth the money the Saints would be paying to keep Meredith.
Atlanta Falcons: Logan Paulsen
Writer: Andersen Pickard
The Falcons have a loaded roster bubble this summer, but one name stands out when discussing who doesn’t make the cut out of training camp. That guy is Logan Pualsen.
Paulsen, now 32, was once an underfed free agent out of UCLA. He spent five years with the Redskins before playing one each with the Bears, 49ers, and Falcons. It doesn’t look like he’ll be in Atlanta much longer. Paulsen started 10 of the 15 games he appeared in last season, providing valuable help as a blocker while hauling in all nine of the passes thrown his way for 91 and a touchdown.
The Falcons’ depth chart at tight end is headlined by Austin Hooper, who is followed by Luke Stocker and Eric Saubert. With the expectation that Atlanta carries three tight ends, Paulsen is the odd man out.
Carolina Panthers: Torrey Smith
Writer: Andersen Pickard
Having already taken a $2 million pay cut to remain on the team, Panthers wide receiver Torrey Smith is seemingly desperate just to have a job in the NFL. Even the salary reduction may not do that. The aging and oft-injured Smith already ranks fourth or fifth in the depth chart, easily behind DJ Moore, Chris Hogan, and Curtis Samuel — and possibly Jarius Wright, too.
Smith, now 30, was drafted in the second round of the 2011 draft by the Baltimore Ravens. In eight games, Smith has started 106 of the 119 games he has appeared in. He started just six of the 11 he appeared in last season, hauling in 17 of 31 targets for 190 yards and two touchdowns, racking up career lows in starts, appearances, targets, catches, yards, and touchdowns.
As always, you never know what happens. If Smith has an impressive summer or if an injury forces him into a larger role, perhaps he stays. But it just doesn’t look like that is going to happen at the moment.
