METAIRIE, La. -- The New Orleans Saints have released safety J.T. Gray, head coach Kellen Moore said on Monday.
Gray, who joined the Saints in 2018 as an undrafted rookie free agent, was a special teams standout and team captain. He has been a first-team All-Pro selection twice and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2021 as a special-teamer.
"That was one of the hardest things so far this year. It was a challenging move, he's a really good special teams player and a really good player," Moore said.
Moore said Gray's release came down to roster flexibility and was not related to the hamstring injury he had earlier in the summer. Moore said Gray is healthy now but said the challenge of the injury was that it limited his exposure in training camp.
"We know the high-quality player that he is, the impact that he's had on this organization," Moore said. "Just with the ... roster management part of this thing over the course of the season and throughout next few weeks, there's a lot of challenges associated with that. It was a really tough one for this to do."
Moore said they have not discussed offering a practice squad spot to Gray, but said he imagines he will quickly be offered an active roster spot on another team.
