The New Orleans Saints have signed guard Yasir Durant (pronounced YAH-seer) and defensive back Bryce Thompson to the active roster from the practice squad, elevated (standard elevation) practice squad running back David Johnson and defensive end Jabari Zuniga to the active roster and waived tight ends J.P. Holtz and Nick Vannett, it was announced today by Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis.
Yasir Durant, 6-7, 330, was originally signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as a rookie free agent in 2020 out of Missouri. As a rookie with the Chiefs, he played in 11 games with one start at right guard and saw action in two postseason games, including the Super Bowl. In 2021, after going to training camp with Kansas City, he was traded to New England at the end of the preseason, played in eight regular season games with one start at right tackle and appeared in one postseason contest. The Philadelphia, Pa. native spent most of the regular season on the Saints practice squad after competing in the preseason with New England. Durant started 33 of his final 34 college games at left tackle for Missouri.
Bryce Thompson, 5-11, 190, originally was signed by New Orleans after the 2021 NFL Draft out of Tennessee and in two seasons, has played in seven games, recording two special teams stops in the five contests he has appeared in during the 2022 season.
David Johnson, 6-1, 224, is an eighth-year NFL veteran who was originally selected by New Orleans in the third round (86th overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals out of Northern Iowa. Johnson has appeared in 87 career regular season games with 63 starts, has carried 995 times for 4,047 yards with 39 touchdowns and has caught 273 passes for 2,758 yards with 18 scores. He has also returned 23 kickoffs for 622 yards with one touchdown. After spending his first five NFL seasons with the Cardinals, Johnson played for the Houston Texans from 2020-21. In 2021, Johnson played in 13 games with four starts, carried 67 times for 228 yards, and caught 32 passes for 225 yards with one touchdown.
Jabari Zuniga, 6-3, 264, was originally selected in the third round (79th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft by the New York Jets out of Florida. The Marietta, Ga. native, has played in 11 games for the Jets from 2020-21 and has recorded eight tackles (four solo), one sack and one forced fumble. After spending the first month of the 2022 season on Seattle's practice squad, Zuniga has spent the past month on the Saints practice squad. In four seasons in Gainesville, he posted 118 tackles, 34.5 stops for loss and 18.5 sacks in 42 appearances. In 2019, he played in six contests with five starts before suffering a high ankle spring and recorded 14 stops, seven stops for loss and three sacks. Zuniga's father, Carlos, is a New Orleans native, who is in the Holy Cross High School Athletic Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in basketball, followed by playing basketball at Tulane from 1976-79.
