New Orleans Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis announced today that the club has terminated the contract of defensive back J.T. Gray and signed defensive tackle Coziah Izzard to the practice squad.

Gray, 6 feet, 202 pounds, was originally signed by New Orleans as an undrafted free agent out of Mississippi State in 2018. The Clarksdale, Miss., native is a three-time All-Pro selection, having earned first-team honors in 2021 and 2024 and second-team in 2019. A four-year special teams captain, Gray appeared in all 17 games last season and led the NFL with 26 special teams tackles, a career-high. Gray's 16 solo coverage stops also led the league. In his career, Gray has appeared in 98 career regular season games, posting 93 special teams stops, two blocked punts, and a fumble recovery. On defense, Gray has recorded 14 tackles, 2.5 sacks, one pass breakup and forced one fumble.

"On behalf of the entire organization, I want to thank J.T. for everything he has given to the Saints over the past seven seasons. His leadership, professionalism, and commitment to excellence set the standard for what it means to be a Saint," Coach Kellen Moore said. "We are grateful for his contributions both on and off the field, and we wish him and his family nothing but the best moving forward."

Izzard, 6-3, 305, joins the Saints after originally signing with Kansas City as an undrafted free agent following the 2025 NFL Draft out of Penn State. In the preseason, he played in all three games and posted four tackles (two solo). In five collegiate seasons with the Nittany Lions (2020-24), he played in 51 games with seven starts, finishing his career with 78 tackles (40 solo), 17.5 stops for a loss, nine sacks, and two forced fumbles. During his final season with Penn State, the Columbia, Md., native appeared in all 15 games and posted 31 tackles (15 solo), seven stops for a loss, and two sacks.