Saints sign pair of familiar names at LB, DT ahead of preseason finale

The New Orleans Saints executed a pair of moves Friday morning ahead of their open practice at the Caesars Superdome, bringing back a pair of familiar South Louisiana names.

The Saints brought back linebacker Andrew Dowell, who spent multiple seasons with the Saints before tearing his ACL early in the 2023 offseason, and also signed former Southern DT Camron Peterson.

To make room on the roster the Saints waived a pair of rookies in CB Kalen Ford-Dement and DL Trajan Jeffcoat, the latter of whom has been out since dislocating his elbow on the second day of training camp.

Dowell has been a special teams ace throughout his career and certainly could help him carve out a spot on either the Saints roster or practice squad. Saints head coach Dennis Allen said he expects the linebacker to play in Sunday's preseason finale despite only logging one practice, as he's already familiar with the scheme.

Peterson played two years at Southern in Baton Rouge after transferring from McNeese State. He signed with the Ravens as a UDFA for the 2023 season.

The Saints close out their preseason slate on Sunday with a matchup against the Tennessee Titans before the preseason opener on Sept. 8 against the Carolina Panthers. The team cuts down to 53 on Tuesday.