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New Orleans Saints get early start in signing youngsters for 2015

The free-agent season for big-name players won't get cranked up for a few months, but many teams will begin securing promising players for 2015 this week.

Monday is the first day teams are allowed to sign free-agent players for the 2015 season. Teams typically sign a handful of players to "reserve/future" deals that help populate the training camp roster and prevent talented players from being poached.

The New Orleans Saints got a jump on the signings with a flurry of practice squad promotions over the last few weeks.

Quarterback Ryan Griffin was added to the active roster on Saturday, one day before the Saints ended the season with a 23-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The promotion means the Saints won't have to sign Griffin to a reserve/futures contract this week.

Other recent promotions who fall into the same category are: receiver Brandon Coleman (signed through 2016), receiver Seantavius Jones (signed through 2016), defensive lineman Lawrence Virgil (signed through 2015).

Reserve/future deals are typically two years long, although the distinction isn't always important. An NFL player doesn't become a restricted free agent until he reaches three accrued seasons, so Griffin, Coleman, Jones and Virgil could all be under Saints' control until through 2017 if the team chooses to keep them.

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