Saints Cut Ties With Young Running Back

As you’re watching your team’s roster coming together during this time of the year, you can’t ever regard it as finalized. When you think the coaching staff has confirmed who will play in those positions, one decision can change the course of a player’s career. Signing someone from another team may appear that they’ve locked in who is going to play for the season, but that isn’t always the case. This was proven by the New Orleans Saints, who today waived 26-year-old RB Xazavian Valladay from the team. He was initially signed onto the team in November of last year but never played during an official game. 

Mr. Valladay’s NFL career began in 2023 when he signed with the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent and was then released by the team in August of the same year. A couple of days after being released by the Texans, he was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers and two weeks later was released by that team. A day after that release, he was signed by the New York Jets to their practice squad and in January of the following year was promoted to their active roster with being credited with playing one game as a running back. In August of 2024, Xazavian was waived by the Jets and re-signed to the practice squad, followed by being released by the team two weeks later. Almost two months later, he was signed by the New Orleans Saints to their practice squad. In the first week of January 2025, Mr. Valladay signed a reserve/future contract. 

From what can be viewed of his resume, Xazavian Valladay hasn’t been able to find a team that will make him a permanent member of their roster. Perhaps this gives him an advantage because he has been able to learn the team’s tactics and discuss other possibilities with the coaching staff. If you have been a fan of Mr. Valladay, you hope that he will find a better opportunity where he can be a regular RB on the field and prove his capabilities. The Saints’ current roster of running backs now consists of veteran players Alvin Kamara, who has been with the team since 2017, Kendre Miller, who has been with the team for two seasons, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who completed his rookie year. Newcomers include Marcus Yarns, who was signed at the end of April,  Devin Neal, who was picked up at the beginning of the Draft, and Cam Akers, who was added last week after his performance during the team’s minicamp.