The Saints have picked up a pair of names that are impossible to ignore.
New Orleans offensive lineman William Sherman and running back Ulysses Bentley IV have already heard all the Civil War jokes, and they’ve learned to roll with them. Sherman’s nickname is the obvious one: “The General,” he said.
Sherman isn’t named after the William Sherman who led Union forces, but the coincidence has followed him everywhere. This week, the Saints added Bentley, whose first name matches Ulysses S.
Grant’s. One Civil War tie-in might be a curiosity.
Two turns it into a running bit.
“It’s definitely cool to have another commander here with me,” Sherman said.
Bentley said Ulysses is a family name - he’s the fourth - and Sherman said he needs to ask his family about where his name came from “because it’s so random.”
For the record, Sherman goes by Will.
Neither player spends much time studying history, but neither has been able to avoid the references at previous stops. Sherman, a Dallas native who played at Colorado, first picked up “The General” in college, and that’s when the jokes really took off.
Bentley, who was born in New Orleans and played at Ole Miss, heard plenty of the same while there.
“Everybody say the same thing pretty much,” Bentley said, adding that he finds the jokes “a little bit” funny. “It is what it is.”
Sherman said the nickname has grown on him, especially after he was drafted in 2021 and landed with the New England Patriots. In his words, the connection fit.
“Bill Belichick is a big historian,” Sherman said, referencing New England’s former coach. “He definitely was happy about me playing right and left tackle and coming to New England.”
Both players have also had to grind for their NFL chances. Bentley went undrafted in 2025, spent time with the Indianapolis Colts and joined the Saints’ practice squad this week. He has played in just one NFL game.
Sherman is in his second year with New Orleans, but his path was a long one, too. Before he appeared in seven games last season, he hadn’t played in an NFL game since 2021. He spent his first five seasons bouncing between practice squads and chasing a roster spot before signing to the Saints’ 53-man roster in December 2025.
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