New Orleans Saints sign Lynn Bowden, Johnathan Abram to practice squad

The New Orleans Saints have signed receiver Lynn Bowden and safety Johnathan Abram to their practice squad, NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported Wednesday. The move comes after the Saints announced their 53-man roster on Tuesday and both players failed to make the cut.

Bowden was most recently a member of the New England Patriots practice squad and appeared in one game in 2022 but did not record any stats. A former third-round pick out of Kentucky in 2020, he is set to enter his fourth NFL season.

His best year of his career came during his rookie season with the Miami Dolphins as he recorded 28 catches for 211 yards. Bowden has not recorded any other stats in the pros outside of that season.

Abram is a former first-round pick who began his college career at Georgia before transferring to Mississippi State. He spent the first three years of his career with the Las Vegas Raiders before the team waived him midway through last season. He was later picked up by the Green Bay Packers and then the Seattle Seahawks.

Abram started 34 of 36 contests he appeared in with the Raiders to record 207 tackles, three interceptions and 12 passes defended. He also started in two of five contests with the Seahawks in 2022.

Both Lynn Bowden and Johnathan Abram will hope to prove themselves as valuable backups for the Saints ready to step up in the event of an injury or suspension. Abram would seem to have the best chance to the two to see the field, but the Saints have plenty of capable safeties for the time being with Tyrann Mathieu, Marcus Maye and J.T. Gray to name a few.

New Orleans will kick off the 2023 season on Sept. 10 against the Tennessee Titans.

Saints also sign linebacker Jaylon Smith to practice squad

The Saints also added linebacker Jaylon Smith, a former second-round pick and Dallas Cowboys starter, to their practice squad. The move came after Smith was released on Tuesday, the same as Bowden and Abram.

Jaylon Smith played five seasons for the Cowboys, working as the main starter at middle linebacker for three years. However, in 2021, Dallas cut Smith because he declined to waive a medical clause in his contract. This was after he needed wrist surgery in the off-season.

He spent a sliver of time with the Packers, then signed with the Giants, where he initially went back and forth from the practice squad to the active roster. Last season, he played in 13 games, starting 11 of them.