Deion Jones is headed home.
The Saints are signing the New Orleans native, former LSU linebacker and Jesuit High School standout to a one-year deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. At 31, Jones will now have played for all four NFC South teams after this move.
Jones entered the league as a second-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and made his name in Atlanta, where he spent six seasons. He appeared in 85 games there, starting 83 of them, and also made five playoff starts. During that stretch, he was selected for the second team on our All-NFC South Team of the 2010s.
Since leaving the Falcons, Jones has kept moving around the division and beyond. He spent 2022 with the Cleveland Browns, then returned to the NFC South with the Carolina Panthers in 2023. The last two seasons were in Tampa Bay, where he didn’t start a game and logged more snaps on special teams (285) than on defense (120).
The Saints do not necessarily need a corresponding roster move to bring Jones in, because they placed wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk on the reserve/retired list earlier this week.
More roster shuffling still appears to be on the way. Defensive tackle Bryan Bresee has not yet been placed on injured reserve, even though he underwent season-ending knee surgery to repair a torn ACL. And veteran edge rusher Chris Rumph II, who moved to a full-time linebacker role this offseason, left Thursday’s practice with an ankle injury.
Jones’ arrival may be tied to that situation.
In Other News...
LSU Freshmen Are Already Turning Up The Heat In Fall Camp
LSUs second fall camp practice under first-year coach Lane Kiffin brought a little more football bite, with players in shoulder pads for the first time this preseason and the tempo starting to reveal some early pecking order. Junior quarterback Sam Leavitt looked sharper pushing the ball downfield, sophomore running back Dilin Jones was at the front of the backfield group, and the younger defenders kept making their case as the Tigers kept working through the early stages of camp.
Freshman defensive end Lamar Brown was among the players drawing attention with notable plays, and freshman Jhase Thomas has already moved into a starting role at safety ahead of junior Tamarcus Cooley. There is still plenty of camp left, of course, and the backup quarterback race remains a work in progress as Husan Longstreet and Landen Clark keep trying to clean up their accuracy, but LSU is already getting an early glimpse of how quickly some newcomers can push their way into the picture. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Faces A Crucial 5-Star Battle On Two Recruiting Fronts
LSUs recruiting board is getting a familiar late-summer squeeze, with the Tigers trying to hold their ground on one premium target while also protecting a commitment at another marquee position. Five-star wide receiver Easton Royal, who is currently pledged to Texas, has lined up official visits to LSU, Texas and Florida, giving the Tigers a real chance to make their case in person as his process plays out over the next few months.
The other front is just as delicate. Five-star tight end commit Ahmad Hudson has been hearing from Nebraska, and the longer that outside pressure lingers, the more important LSUs own relationship management becomes. Hudsons situation also hints at the balancing act inside Baton Rouge, where football recruiting is competing for attention as the staff continues building out the basketball roster, and that can leave even a committed player looking for steadier contact. [Read more 🡒]