Neither will make the 53.

Can someone copy/paste the article here?

One is a former second-round draft pick, a player who has put together flashes of brilliance but failed to carve out a key role in three seasons with the New Orleans Saints.

The other went undrafted, a free agent who fought his way onto an NFL roster and seemingly established himself — only to lose that spot and spend a year on the street searching for another chance.

Hau'oli Kikaha and Jayrone Elliott both have something to prove this summer, and the Saints are asking them to make their mark at more than one position.

Kikaha and Elliott both entered the NFL primarily as pass-rush talents, but the Saints are asking them to rush the passer and audition at strongside linebacker this summer.

"They just told me they want me to come help out with pass rush, play a little bit off the ball, help out in coverage," said Elliott, who signed with the Saints in January. "I'm very versatile, and I feel like I'm a great athlete, so I can do every aspect."

A.J. Klein started at the strongside linebacker position (or "Sam") for the Saints last season, then moved into the middle on passing downs. With former Jets linebacker Demario Davis in the fold, having signed with the Saints during the offseason, Klein likely projects as the strongside starter again.

But New Orleans is always looking for more options at a position that seems to get hit hard by injury every year.

"We went through a lot of players last year," linebackers coach Mike Nolan said. "We went through five Sams. ... The more depth you can have on the team, the better prepared you are for the long haul."

Identifying Kikaha and Elliott as potential Sam linebackers also adds a little more of a pass-rush presence to the position.

Kikaha — a collegiate defensive end who played the strong side as a rookie, then moved back to end the past two seasons — has recorded four sacks in each of his healthy seasons in New Orleans. Elliott, on the other hand, started his career as an outside linebacker in Green Bay's 3-4 defense, a scheme that asks its outside linebackers to primarily play as edge rushers.

"I get what you're saying, bringing in guys that are primarily on the ball, but I think that's something we want to get done in general — get guys that can do multiple jobs," Kikaha said.

Kikaha played 212 snaps last season, mostly as a situational pass rusher, but the return of Alex Okafor and the addition of first-round pick Marcus Davenport has made defensive end more crowded than ever.

A shift back to linebacker could give him more chances to get on the field.

"I enjoy it, and I think I'm doing pretty well," Kikaha said. "I've just got to organize some man-coverage stuff, but I've gotten a few reps at that, and the more you do, the better you get."

Elliott is coming off of a year that shook his NFL world.

A fixture in Green Bay for three seasons, Elliott said he believed he had carved out a role providing a breather for the starting rushers and serving as a weapon on special teams, but the Packers traded him to Dallas at the end of training camp last year, and the Cowboys cut him a couple weeks later.

"It's humbling, because you think you're a better player than what you are, it seems like," Elliott said. "You thought you were in a good spot, and then you get bumped around."

Elliott said he had five to 10 offers from teams during the offseason, but he chose New Orleans for the chance to contribute to a playoff team. Like Kikaha, he watched as the Saints added edge rushers this offseason, making the task of earning a roster spot that much harder.

New Orleans is also deep at linebacker, a position where the Saints have kept adding players the past three offseasons.

Carving out a role will not be easy in a front seven that is full of options.

For Kikaha and Elliott, the secret might be allowing the Saints to kill two birds with just one roster stone.

Try this ....


Hau'oli Kikaha, Jayrone Elliot look to make most of opportunity to play multiple positions for Saints | Saints | theadvocate.com

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