The Saints had two roster moves yesterday thanks to the spots opened up by the placement of Jonathan Vilma on the reserve/suspended list and the waiving of receiver Kevin Hardy who will no longer accompany the team to training camp. The two pick ups made yesterday to fill those spots were TE Derek Schouman and WR Marques Clark. Those two players will join the team immediately for the beginning of training camp for a chance to compete for the 53 man roster. The depth at receiver is significant, so Clark will have almost no chance of making it. Clark played JUCO ball at Henderson State up until 2006 and he’s been out of football as far as we know ever since. Is this another Beerman situation in the making? Probably not.
Schouman’s signing on the other hand is more intriguing.
The Saints only have David Thomas, who is no guarantee to keep his head healthy, and Michael Higgins/Jake Byrne at tight end behind Jimmy Graham. Schouman could come in and actually have a real shot against that competition. Schouman is originally a 7th round draft pick of a Boise State and he’s a 5 year pro that’s played on three teams already (Bills, Rams and Redskins). Schouman has 27 career receptions and 1 touchdown to show for his career stats, so we’ll see if he can break through the skinny depth chart the Saints have at tight end. Still, unless he can show something he’s yet to at this point in his career, he’s probably a longshot for the 53 man roster. If Higgins saw snaps in 2011, though, you never know with Schouman. He’s certainly got more NFL tenure than the two youngsters. At the very least it’s another body that adds competition, something the Saints sorely needed.
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