They aren’t without their faults, but the New Orleans Saints have built a strong team this year. If they can just keep their best players healthy they should run away with the NFC South title and potentially make some noise in the postseason.
But the road to get there isn’t as easy as you’d think. A lot of talented players and likeable young men are going to be left on the outside looking in. Many of them will get a second chance on the Saints practice squad, but for others Sunday’s preseason game with the Houston Texans is going to be the last time they wear a helmet with a fleur-de-lis on the side of it.
So which roster cuts were the most challenging in our latest projection? For one reason or another, these moves gave us the most pause:
1
WR Shaq Davis
The undrafted rookie out of South Carolina State came on strong against the Chargers, but it might be too little too late at a crowded position group — especially if the Saints are determined to keep Tre’Quan Smith on the 53-man lineup despite missing two preseason games with an injury. Davis has made some nice catches but he’s a far cry from a lock to make the team.
2
WR Keith Kirkwood
Kirkwood was one of many veterans put on ice for the Chargers preseason game, suggesting the Saints already know their plans for him; a week earlier he ran with the first-string offense in relief of Smith and Rashid Shaheed. What those plans are is a mystery. For us, he’s an ideal veteran who can safely traverse the waiver wire bouncing on and off the practice squad as needed, like J.T. Barrett and Andy Tanner in the past.
3
OL Lewis Kidd
Kidd has done his best playing left tackle and guard for the Saints, but he’s also attracted too man penalties relative to his snap count. He’d be an ideal fit on the practice squad to coach up over the long haul, but that’s a step down from last season when he was one of few undrafted rookies (from Montana State!) to make the cut for a roster spot.
4
RT Storm Norton
Norton would be a nice piece to keep on the roster — he’s started plenty of NFL games before, Ryan Ramczyk isn’t exactly moving past his durability concerns at right tackle, and that’s also an issue on the left side for Trevor Penning. But the Saints can’t keep everyone they like, and players like Norton may end up on the practice squad instead.
5
OL Calvin Throckmorton
Fans tend to overrate their team’s players when risking the waiver wire, but Throckmorton’s experience as a starter and immediate backup through his first few years would make him a tantalizing pickup for many teams around the league. But how can the Saints fit a seventh interior lineman on the roster? After drafting Nick Saldiveri and moving James Hurst to guard full-time, Throckmorton might get pushed out of the picture.
6
K Blake Grupe
Grupe has been a great story in the Saints’ preseason. But the only way he’s still on the roster this time next week is if another team traded for Wil Lutz. The rookie has matched the former Pro Bowler day in and day out, but no team is going to trade draft assets to the Saints for a player they could have signed themselves as an undrafted free agent a few months back — or who they know the Saints are going to cut anyway.
7
DE Niko Lalos
Lalos earned a lot of new fans with three sacks of Chargers quarterback Easton Stick, and while that should be enough to separate him from Kyle Phillips in the competition at defensive end it’s probably not enough to win him a roster spot. It’s a really tough look to waive Lalos when a rookie second-round pick in Isaiah Foskey is struggling to make plays, but that’s where we are.
8
DT Jack Heflin
Heflin has been the most consistent interior pass rusher through two weeks of preseason games, but he’s stuck behind two veteran free agent pickups (Nathan Shepherd and Khalen Saunders), a rookie first-round pick (Bryan Bresee), and a returning backup from last year who seems to have leveled up (Malcolm Roach). Other teams often keep five defensive tackles and play all of them, but the Saints sometimes dress as few as three of them, and most often just four. Numbers aren’t on Heflin’s side.
9
LB Zack Baun
Is it Baun’s fault that the Saints had a bad plan for him? They burned up the phone lines to trade up for him on draft day, envisioning a role he had never played before, and he’s struggled to pick it up through three years. He did bring nice pressure when allowed to rush the passer, but it feels like it took too long to get here. He’s a nice special teams player but other linebackers offer more defensively as scheme fits in New Orleans. It might be in both sides’ interest to move on.
10
LB Anfernee Orji
Orji has had some strong moments defensively, and he leads the team in snaps played on special teams. He’s made a good case for a spot on the 53-man roster. But the top half of the depth chart is beginning to crystalize with Demario Davis, Pete Werner, Jaylon Smith, and either Nephi Sewell or Ryan Connelly (or both) ahead of the undrafted rookie. Not to mention second-year pro D’Marco Jackson.
11
LB Nick Anderson
Anderson was so excited to sign with his hometown team, which makes it all the more disappointing that he’s a long shot to make the cut for a roster spot. Other young linebackers have surpassed him defensively, and he hasn’t had enough standout plays on special teams for that to weigh heavily in his favor. There’s still time to make up ground, but it sure looks like he’s further behind some of his teammates right now.
12
S Johnathan Abram
Abram has been a nice piece in the secondary; the Saints just have too many good safeties. It’s possible they would rather roster him than another veteran like Lonnie Johnson Jr. or Ugo Amadi, but both of those guys have had stronger performances in the preseason games. For what it’s worth, Abram does seem like an ideal fit on the practice squad who can be called up on short notice during game days.
13
CB Isaac Yiadom
One of the heroes of the Chargers game, Yiadom has been part of a spirited competition with Troy Pride Jr. (more on him in a moment) for that last spot at cornerback. You’d like to think they can both make the cut but that just isn’t likely with so many starting-quality corners on the roster itself; the Saints need to spend limited resources on the practice squad elsewhere and try to develop some long-term depth at the position. Yiadom would be our pick right now, and more preseason interceptions will help him.
14
CB Troy Pride Jr.
Pride is another guy who is easy to root for. He returned from a career-threatening injury to enjoy some of the best moments at Saints training camp this summer. But he’s faded in the preseason games and is the only defender on the roster to have drawn multiple penalty flags. He could rebound in the preseason finale but, for now, it appears Yiadom has outpaced him.
