Some decisions were harder than others. These were the 12 toughest cuts from our New Orleans Saints 53-man roster projection, assembled in light of the team’s first preseason game. A couple of young players impressed in that win over the Kansas City Chiefs, but they still have a lot of ground to cover in training camp competitions with their veteran teammates — and a few veterans returning from past seasons have their work cut out for them in holding onto a roster spot. Let’s break down each of the toughest roster cuts:
1
RB Kirk Merritt
Merritt’s hamstring injury couldn’t have happened at a worse time. He’s done everything possible to help his case — converting from wide receiver to running back, volunteering to run with multiple special teams units — but you can’t make the club from the ice tub, and he’s being surpassed by guys like Ellis Merriweather. There’s still time for him to catch up, but only if he gets healthy.
2
TE Lucas Krull
Krull made some plays as a receiver early in training camp, but the addition of Jimmy Graham and an untimely tailbone injury after an awkward fall are hurting him. Another year on the practice squad could be good for Krull’s development as Graham plays out one last year with New Orleans, but other teams might come sniffing around to offer a better opportunity.
3
OL Lewis Kidd
Kidd surprised everyone by making the cut last season, and he appeared in a couple of games as a reserve guard. He’s spending more snaps at left tackle this season, his college position, though there aren’t many snaps to go around behind Trevor Penning. The Saints added players to the depth chart like Nick Saldiveri and Storm Norton who could push Kidd aside.
4
OL Calvin Throckmorton
Throckmorton was a victim of the numbers game, and it wouldn’t shock us at all if the Saints decided to run lighter elsewhere to keep him on the roster. They just don’t have many spots left with James Hurst, Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz, Andrus Peat, and the rookie draft pick Saldiveri all locks to make the roster. Only three of those guys can play at a time and the Saints usually carry just five or six interior linemen on the active roster.
5
WR Tre'Quan Smith
Okay, this wasn’t a tough decision for us, but it might haunt the Saints. Smith’s shortcomings are abundantly clear. He doesn’t have reliable hands, he doesn’t get open easily, and he’s been injured too often trying to catch passes thrown into dangerously tight windows (he’s currently recovering from a groin injury). But the Saints value him as a blocker and a physical presence on offense, and when he’s been healthy no options have emerged in training camp to unseat him. So Keith Kirkwood and A.T. Perry both catching touchdown passes in the first preseason game is notable.
6
WR Bryan Edwards
Edwards had some nice moments against the Chiefs, but it may have been too little too late. We’ll need to see more from him against the Chargers this week. He hasn’t caught passes as consistently in camp as some of his competition but he does have a nice connection Derek Carr and he understands how to run routes that are friendly to his quarterbacks, positioning himself to fight at the catch point with ease.
7
WR Lynn Bowden Jr.
Bowden had a nice 22-yard punt return in last week’s preseason game; with Rashid Shaheed on ice, he’s the go-to returns specialist in New Orleans. Will that be enough to earn a roster spot with one-dimensional players like Smith in the lineup? Bowden needs to do more offensively to further stand out from the pack.
8
K Blake Grupe
Grupe was the hero of Week 1, and he’s an easy young guy to root for (stadium security stopped him twice on game day confusing him for a wayward fan). But he hasn’t done enough to convincingly win the job from Wil Lutz, and it’s a safe bet that the Saints will continue to give Lutz opportunities to bounce back to his Pro Bowl form. Grupe could be a hot name on the waiver wire if he keeps performing when the coaches call his number.
9
LB D'Marco Jackson
It’s a tough competition at linebacker after the top two spots, and even someone who has played well this summer like Jackson could get left on the outside looking in. Nephi Sewell played ahead of him as the middle linebacker in relief of Demario Davis, and Ryan Connelly had several bright moments in the Chiefs preseason game. Jaylon Smith is putting pressure on him too. Jackson needs to rally and prove he can help this team win football games over the next two weeks.
10
LB Anfernee Orji
The Saints are trying to find a way to get Orji on the roster — he led the entire team in snaps played on punts, kickoffs, and field goal tries. It’s clear that he moves well in space on defense, and his athleticism would be a welcome boost to the bottom of the depth chart. He just hasn’t quite shown enough just yet to take that last spot from a veteran like Smith or Connelly.
11
S Johnathan Abram
Abram can play; he can certainly plug his gaps in run defense and make clean tackles in the open field. There’s a role for him on this team just like there was for P.J. Williams and Daniel Sorensen in recent years. But the Saints invested so many resources in the secondary that it’s tough to make room for everyone, and he could be left on the practice squad if guys like Ugo Amadi are making more plays than he is.
12
CB Isaac Yiadom
It’s a very competitive battle between Yiadom, Troy Pride Jr., and undrafted rookie Anthony Johnson for that fifth and final spot on the roster at cornerback (behind Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo, Alontae Taylor, and Bradley Roby). All three of them gave as good as good as they got against Kansas City, and it’s too soon to say for certain who might come out on top. For now, we’re guessing the Saints would try and stash Yiadom on their practice squad despite some impressive reps on special teams.
