Injuries to the Saints on both the offensive and defensive depth charts have led to two intriguing roster additions. WR Greg Camarillo and LB Barrett Ruud will see the practice field for the first time as Saints this week, hoping to fill injury-depleted roles for a team heading into the thick of the preseason.
So, who exactly are these guys? And how will they impact the roster?
LB Barrett Ruud terrorized the Saints for years as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
WR Greg Camarillo
Camarillo is best known for being the lone (and I mean LONE) bright spot on a otherwise unbelievably barren 2007 Miami Dolphins squad. His 64-yard overtime touchdown catch against the Ravens in Week 15 gave Miami its’ only win that year.
Since 2007, Camarillo has seen time as a member of the Minnesota Vikings, playing in 29 games over two seasons. This past offseason, he worked in San Diego with Brees, hoping to tag along with a team as a free agent. That call didn’t come until yesterday, as the Saints officially agreed to terms.
With injuries to Nick Toon, Adrian Arrington, and now Andy Tanner (who left Friday night’s game with an ankle injury), Camarillo fills a need for the Saints. It’s quite possible that he doesn’t make the final squad, but his veteran awareness and connection with Brees make him a viable receiving option.
LB Barrett Ruud
You may remember Ruud from his days in Tampa Bay. He was the guy that always seemed to get to our running back a little quicker than everyone else, a leader on those post-Derrick Brooks Bucs defenses that seemingly stayed in many games. Ruud departed the NFC South for Tennessee as a free agent a year ago, but was injured and placed on the IR before he could really establish himself.
When David Hawthorne departed Seattle for New Orleans this offseason, Ruud was brought in to replace him. Ironically enough, Ruud might fill the same role in New Orleans, playing both as an inside and outside linebacker. Hawthorne’s injury (a meniscus tear) will take at least a few weeks, if not more; Vitt acknowledged that Hawthorne underwent surgery on his bad knee. Curtis Lofton’s status is also up in the air after sustaining a high-ankle spain against Jacksonville.
That leaves the door wide open for Ruud. He knows the division extremely well, and he brings a ton of versatility to a now thin linebacking corps, making him very valuable to the defense. The price for Ruud, at this time, was an undisclosed draft pick. Nonetheless, this was a wise move for the Saints, and I think that will prove to be the case late into the year.
