New Orleans Saints surprised the NFL world on Friday when they announced the release of right guard Larry Warford. Saints decided to move on from Warford despite the fact that he had three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances in the past three seasons.
Warford is a cap-casualty according to reports, as the Saints managed to open up more than $7 million by terminating his contract early. Before this, the team only had around $4 million to work with.
Despite Warford’s Pro Bowl-worthy play in recent years, Saints shouldn’t be much affected by the move. The team used their first-round pick in 2020 to draft Michigan’s center Cesar Ruiz, who can play the guard position. Also, second-year player Erik McCoy can also fill the position if needed.
Larry Warford entered the league in 2013 as Detroit Lions’ third-round pick and immediately managed to earn the starting job. After four solid years in Detroit, he inked a four-year, $34 million contract with Saint in 2017.
While Warford provided stability to Saints’ offensive line, the sources say that the team noticed a drop in his performances and were preparing the move for a while now. Still, the 28-year-old should worry much about his future in NFL, as he will probably be snapped up quickly by a guard-needy team.
