Saints cut RB Malcolm Brown amid flurry of roster moves

Malcolm Brown‘s stint with the Saints ultimately lasted less than a month. The veteran running back was released today, according to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com. The Saints also signed quarterback K.J. Costello, via Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football; and safety Jack Koerner, per Sean Fazende of FOX8 in New Orleans; and they waived/injured defensive back Bryce Thompson, via Wilson.

Brown spent the first six years of his career with the Rams, spending most of his tenure as the No. 2 running back behind Todd Gurley. A rookie Cam Akers and second-year Darrell Henderson led the Rams in carries in 2020, but Brown still saw the most work of his career. He finished that campaign with 581 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns on 124 touches. He joined the Dolphins last offseason and started three of his seven appearances, collecting 135 yards and one score. He landed on IR in late October and didn’t see the field again that season.

Alvin Kamara‘s status is still uncertain, but the Saints must feel comfortable with the rest of their RB depth. That grouping is led by Mark Ingram and also includes Dwayne Washington, Tony Jones Jr. and Devine Ozigbo.

Costello, who split his collegiate career between Stanford and Mississippi State, went undrafted in 2021. He had a brief offseason stint with the Raiders last year before joining the USFL back in May. Koerner, an undrafted rookie out of Iowa, joined the Saints earlier this offseason but was waived in May. Thompson spent much of the 2021 campaign on New Orleans’ practice squad, but he did get into two games with the Saints. A lower-leg injury will likely keep him sidelined for a bit, and assuming he goes unclaimed, he’ll land on the Saints injured reserve.