Report: Saints release Brian Dixon, bring back Khalif Barnes

The revolving door keeps swinging for veteran offensive lineman Khalif Barnes. According to a Thursday afternoon report by The Advocate’s Nick Underhill, the team is releasing cornerback Brian Dixon for Barnes.

Barnes was originally added during the team’s last week of preseason, but didn’t make final cuts. Since then, he’s hovered closely around the team and was actually re-signed early last week. However, Dixon would be called up from the practice squad over Barnes for Sunday’s Week 4 game against the Chargers.

What do the Saints see in Barnes? Head coach Sean Payton told the media via a Thursday conference call last week, “He is someone that we had in for a few workouts and we wanted to get his weight down and to his credit each time he came to visit us he had done a good job.”

Payton added, “He’s a guy that will give you some position flexibility. I think he comes in to the league obviously, in his early years as a tackle, he’s played guard and he’s played jumbo tight end. I like his size, he was impressive in the short period of time he was with us at the end of training camp and I think it’s a good opportunity for him and us for him to come in here and give us depth and also the ability if need be to give us more of a blocking presence at tight end.”

Dixon could likely return to the Saints practice squad.