Lonnie Johnson Jr. warns Saints fans not to get their hopes up too much about a possible reunion

In the days following NFL Cut Day, teams continue to restructure their rosters. Franchises can assess their weaknesses and address them with players cut by other teams. For the New Orleans Saints, one of the weaknesses circled is the safety position. The group still has Tyrann Mathieu, but no player has yet nabbed the other starting safety spot.

After teams completed their release deals on Tuesday, Saints fans quickly noticed that an old friend was available. Veteran safety Lonnie Johnson Jr. was released by the Houston Texans. Saints fans quickly floated the possibility that Johnson could return to New Orleans.

However, the free agent safety quickly ruled out that possibility and said he would be surprised if he got a call from the team.

Johnson spent the 2023 season in New Orleans, but joined the Texans as a free agent this year. However, his move seemed to be due to the franchise no longer wanting him. He made that clear in another post: “They don't want me, there's nothing I can do.”

When the Saints let Johnson go as a free agent, they probably thought things would improve for the safety group. However, Jordan Howden has slowed down a bit after a promising rookie season and Johnathan Abram was released on Tuesday. Now the Saints only have JT Gray and Will Harris in addition to Mathieu and Howden.

If New Orleans was actually considering changing their mind about Johnson and wanted to bring him back for more depth, it's too late now because Johnson recently signed with the Carolina Panthers. He's now in the division and will face the Saints twice a year. He's also made it clear that he'll be motivated in those games because he doesn't get along with management.

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