I’m a little late to the part on this, but running back P.J. Hill (pictured) and fullback Marcus Mailei were both released from the Saints yesterday. This could spell the end of Hill’s stint with the Saints, as he spent part of 2009 on the Saints’ practice squad. Both players spent all of 2010 on injured reserve, which leads me to believe the Saints may not have been thrilled with how rehab was going with both guys. It’s interesting that the Saints didn’t even care to take a look at Hill in next season’s training camp (assuming training camp actually happens). Why?
Well, for starters, Pierre Thomas isn’t under contract, and all signs point to him exploring opportunities elsewhere. There’s also no guarantees Reggie Bush will be back, as talk of his deal needing restructuring has been plentiful. That leaves the team with Chris Ivory, and maybe Lynell Hamilton as the only guaranteed backs on the 2011 training camp roster. Remember, Hamilton also spent all of 2010 on IR with a much more serious injury than Hill. Based on the question marks at running back, you would think Hill would stick around for insurance if nothing else. But not so. As for Mailei, he never showed us much besides a penchant for getting injured. That said, it’s slightly surprising because Heath Evans is also an unrestricted free agent and there’s no guarantees he’ll be back. I think it says something about both players that the Saints parted ways with them despite the uncertainty of returning starters with expired contracts and Reggie Bush’s contract.
Mark this down: while the Saints’ current regime has proven that they are capable of finding capable backs without the help of the draft (Pierre Thomas, Chris Ivory and Lynell Hamilton were all undrafted rookie free agents), they will spend a draft pick on a back in the coming draft for insurance and to create competition for the current players.
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