How did the 2023 NFL draft shake up our New Orleans Saints roster projection? Right now, the team has about 85 players under contract — but only 53 of them will make the cut for Week 1 in September.
It’s worth remembering this is very much a work-in-progress. We’re trying to reflect the value the team has committed to its draft picks and undrafted rookie signings while being mindful of further changes and additions that could come in the days and weeks ahead. Some early-summer veteran free agents could be on the way which will shake this up, and all it takes is one unfortunate injury to turn things sideways for an entire position group.
Still, here’s our best guess at what the opening-day roster could look like in four months:
Offense (25)
- QB: 3
- RB: 4
- TE: 3
- OT: 4
- G/C: 6
- WR: 6
Quarterback (3)
- Derek Carr
- Jameis Winston
- Jake Haener
No surprises here. Jake Luton was the odd man out with Haener coming in as a draft pick.
Running back (4)
- Alvin Kamara
- Jamaal Williams
- Kendre Miller
- Adam Prentice (fullback)
Eno Benjamin and SaRodorick Thompson (Texas Tech) will have a tough time making their case now that Williams and Miller have been added to the top of the depth chart. They’ll have a stronger chance if Kamara is suspended to start the season.
Tight end (3)
- Juwan Johnson
- Lucas Krull
- Taysom Hill (flex)
I don’t like listing Hill here seeing as he plays more snaps at quarterback and slot receiver than inline at tight end, but that’s his designation. The team invested in Joel Wilson (Central Michigan) as an undrafted free agent and they added Miller Forristall as a veteran, but they need a real blocking specialist.
Offensive tackle (4)
- James Hurst (left)
- Trevor Penning (left)
- Ryan Ramczyk (right)
- Landon Young (swing)
Storm Norton might make sense as a backup right tackle, but he’s no sure thing to make the roster. Otherwise this is the same group as last year. Hopefully Penning’s injuries are behind him by the time training camp starts.
Offensive guard/center (6)
- Andrus Peat (left guard)
- Erik McCoy (center)
- Cesar Ruiz (right guard)
- Calvin Throckmorton (swing guard)
- Nick Saldiveri (right guard)
- Mark Evans II (left guard)
It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Saints only roster five interior linemen, but they invested a lot in Saldiveri (as a mid-round pick out of Old Dominion) and Evans (guaranteeing more of the Arkansas-Pine Bluff standout’s contract than any of their other undrafted rookies), both of whom project to move inside in the NFL. Lewis Kidd has his work cut out for him making the roster two years in a row, and Throckmorton should be on high alert, too.
Wide receiver (6)
- Chris Olave
- Michael Thomas
- Rashid Shaheed
- Bryan Edwards
- A.T. Perry
- Malik Flowers
You may have missed the Flowers signing, but he’s a legend at Montana for tying Shaheed’s NCAA record with seven kick return touchdowns. Shaheed is probably a starter so it could make sense to defer return opportunities to Flowers. They need to prove it, but the Saints may have finally added enough receivers to push Tre’Quan Smith to the practice squad. Shaquan Davis (South Carolina State) is another undrafted rookie to monitor.
Special teams (3)
- Blake Gillikin (punter)
- Wil Lutz (kicker)
- Zach Wood (long snapper)
Lou Hedley (Miami) is an incredible character and a very good punter, but for now we’ll assume Gillikin has what it takes to hold him off. The Saints have added a few kickers like Blake Grupe (Notre Dame) and Alex Quevedo (Central Oklahoma) but neither of them seem to have enough leg to move Lutz off his spot.
Defensive end (5)
- Cameron Jordan (left end)
- Tanoh Kpassagnon (left end)
- Carl Granderson (right end)
- Payton Turner (right end)
- Isaiah Foskey (right end)
No surprises here, either. The Saints could sign one of the free agent defensive ends as a luxury or to push Turner, but it’s unlikely top options like Frank Clark (255 to 250 pounds), Leonard Floyd (240 pounds), and Yannick Ngakoue (245 pounds) fit their system. Jadeveon Clowney wasn’t happy with his role in Joe Woods’ Cleveland Browns defense last season.
Defensive tackle (4)
- Khalen Saunders
- Nathan Shepherd
- Bryan Bresee
- Malcolm Roach
It would be nice to sign a veteran like Matt Ioannidis (Carolina Panthers) or Dawuane Smoot (Jacksonville Jaguars, though he’s coming off an Achilles injury) to bump Roach down to the practice squad, but this is a solid group if everyone can stay healthy. Saunders and Bresee both have injury histories worth looking out for, and Roach was banged up last year, too.
Linebacker (5)
- Demario Davis
- Pete Werner
- Zack Baun
- D’Marco Jackson
- Anfernee Orji
The Saints typically roster six linebackers, so someone like Andrew Dowell or Ty Summers could make the cut for their work on special teams. Orji looks like a keeper as an undrafted free agent and at worst he’s a lock for the practice squad. If he can prove he can cut down on missed tackles in preseason he should make the cut. Baun and Jackson need to prove they’re healthy and ready to play. Another player would make sense here.
Safety (4)
- Tyrann Mathieu
- Marcus Maye
- J.T. Gray
- Lonnie Johnson Jr.
This is a very difficult position group to predict, given all the veteran additions and overlapping responsibilities, but the top three guys are safe between their experience as starters or special teams efforts. Johnathan Abram and Smoke Monday are in the mix too.
Nickel (2)
- Bradley Roby
- Jordan Howden
Roby is likely the starter in the slot right now and when all hands are on deck, though injuries meant he was moved around too often last year. Ugo Amadi (who got his hands on the coveted No. 0 jersey) is probably his initial backup, but Howden has a good chance at unseating him given his success in that role at the college level.
Cornerback (4)
- Marshon Lattimore
- Alontae Taylor
- Paulson Adebo
- Isaac Yiadom
The Saints are really deep at corner — when everyone is healthy, but that wasn’t the case last year. Lattimore was sidelined for months with a complicated internal organ injury. Adebo’s ankle limited him all season. Yiadom was very effective on special teams which could give him a leg up on guys like Vincent Gray, Troy Pride Jr., and Anthony Johnson (Virginia), but this is a position other teams could hope to poach from in a trade.
