Skip to main content

New Oxford's Harris, Dover's Kuhn make Saints roster


Two YAIAA alumni will suit up for the New Orleans Saints this fall.

Erik Harris, a 2008 New Oxford High School graduate who signed with the Saints in April, received a call letting him know he made the Saints opening day roster on Saturday afternoon. And John Kuhn, a 2000 graduate of Dover Area High School, also survived Saturday's final round of cuts.

All NFL teams had to cut their rosters down to 53 players by 4 p.m. Saturday. Most teams had 90 players on their roster at the start of training camp in July.

“My wife and I were jumping up and down celebrating," Harris said. "My father-in-law was here as well, and we went out and had some lunch and celebrated a little bit.”

The Saints open their season at home against the Oakland Raiders at 1 p.m. Sept. 11.

That will be Harris' first NFL game. He spent the last three seasons playing for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League, following his college career at California University of Pennsylvania.

“It was my first time at NFL camp and you can never really be comfortable in this league," Harris said. "I knew I had a lot to offer as far as being a locker room guy and the skills that I brought. I always felt like I could play at this level and I’m just glad the Saints gave me an opportunity to showcase what I had.”

Harris played safety in all four of the Saints' preseason games. He amassed 13 tackles in those games.

He said his position on the Saints' depth chart hasn't been decided yet.

“That’ll kind of take care of itself," Harris said. "Right now I’m one of 53, so I have to just do what I’ve been doing. No matter what my role is now, it can change and I’ve got to go to work every day and do my best.”

Kuhn was released by the Green Bay Packers earlier this summer. The veteran fullback was not included in the Saints' official transactions list as they trimmed the roster to 53 men. He's listed on the unofficial depth chart on the team's website as the first-string fullback.

play
VIDEO: Erik Harris speaks in Hanover
The New Oxford graduate, now in the NFL, shares his story with the Hanover community.
Zach Miller - GameTimePA.com