Who is on the rise? Who could be on the outside looking in? We’re going to be prisoners of the moment and project the New Orleans Saints’ 53-man roster after their first preseason game, which will probably look like an overreaction in a week or two. With so few roster spots up for grabs, players on the bubble need to make the most of every opportunity when they get onto the field for these exhibition games.
Let’s break it down by each position:
Quarterbacks (3)
- No. 4 Derek Carr
- No. 2 Jameis Winston
- No. 14 Jake Haener
- Roster cuts: N/A
Nothing new here. Winston looked sharp running the second-team offense against the Chiefs, and his touchdown pass to A.T. Perry was as impressive as anything you’ll see this year with perfect placement over the outstretched arms of an opposing defensive back. Unless another team suffers catastrophic losses and trades for him, Winston will be the No. 2 behind Derek Carr.
Running backs (4)
- No. 30 Jamaal Williams
- No. 25 Kendre Miller
- No. 35 Ellis Merriweather
- No. 34 Darrel Williams
- Roster cuts: No. 33 Kirk Merritt
- Reserve/suspended: No. 41 Alvin Kamara
The Saints usually only roster four running backs while stashing one or two on the practice squad, and Kamara’s three-game suspension means he won’t count against the 53-man roster limit. Merriweather looked like a pro running back in his first action against Kansas City. Williams only signed recently but he has enough NFL experience and passing-down versatility to make the team. Merritt’s injury couldn’t have happened at a worse time for him, but he should return on the practice squad.
Fullbacks (1)
- No. 46 Adam Prentice
- Roster cuts: No. 47 Jake Bargas
Prentice had some nice moments as a lead blocker against Kansas City, and he’s a better-established presence in the New Orleans offense than Bargas. He should win this job.
Tight ends (4)
- No. 83 Juwan Johnson
- No. 82 Foster Moreau
- No. 80 Jimmy Graham
- No. 7 Taysom Hill
- Roster cuts: No. 87 Lucas Krull, No. 81 Jesse James, No. 86 J.P. Holtz
Johnson looks like a natural fit with Carr at quarterback, and he should continue to build on his breakout 2022 campaign with more targets coming his way. Graham is making this team. The Saints have given him multiple veteran rest days through camp and they have a vision for him in obvious passing situations on third down and inside the red zone. Krull could return to the practice squad just like last season. We’ve said this before, but Hill shouldn’t be listed at tight end given all of the snaps he plays elsewhere.
Offensive tackle (3)
- No. 70 Trevor Penning (left)
- No. 71 Ryan Ramczyk (right)
- No. 67 Landon Young (swing)
- Roster cuts: No. 72 Storm Norton (right), No. 66 Lewis Kidd (left), No. 61 Chuck Filiaga (right)
Penning looked strong blocking on the run against the Chiefs, but we’ve got to see more of it and he needs to continue getting reps to prepare for Week 1. His durability issues warrant added depth here, and Young should be safe for the opening-day roster assuming he’s recovered from a training camp knee injury in time for kickoff. Kidd made the team last year but improved depth might push him down to the practice squad.
Interior offensive line (5)
- No. 74 James Hurst (left guard)
- No. 78 Erik McCoy (center)
- No. 51 Cesar Ruiz (right guard)
- No. 75 Andrus Peat (left guard)
- No. 64 Nick Saldiveri (swing guard)
- Roster cuts: No. 76 Calvin Throckmorton (swing guard), No. 73 Max Garcia (center), No. 65 Alex Pihlstrom (center), No. 62 Tommy Kraemer (left guard), No. 68 Mark Evans II (right guard)
Hurst is winning his battle with Peat to start at left guard if nothing else by process of elimination — Peat hasn’t practiced after an early-training camp quad injury. It’s possible someone unseats Throckmorton but no one made a convincing case in the first preseason game, and at this point he’s just a victim of the numbers game. The Saints like to stash two or three interior linemen on the practice squad so several of these younger guys could return in that capacity.
Wide receivers (5)
- No. 13 Michael Thomas
- No. 12 Chris Olave
- No. 22 Rashid Shaheed
- No. 18 Keith Kirkwood
- No. 17 A.T. Perry
- Roster cuts: No. 10 Tre’Quan Smith, No. 11 Bryan Edwards, No. 89 James Washington, No. 88 Shaquan Davis, No. 84 Lynn Bowden, No. 15 Kawaan Baker, No. 85 Jontre Kirklin
Perry punched his ticket to the roster with a big preseason game — teams don’t cut draft picks who play well in the summer, even if his training camp performance has been up-and-down so far. Kirkwood also saw snaps with the first-team offense and appears to be in good standing with the coaching staff. Someone like Edwards or Kirklin could still make a push (and Baker’s efforts on the punt coverage team should not go unnoticed) but this position group is beginning to crystalize. Smith could lose some ground in the competition for his roster spot while missing time with an injury.
Special teams (3)
- No. 5 Blake Gillikin (punter)
- No. 3 Wil Lutz (kicker)
- No. 49 Zach Wood (long snapper)
It was a rough day for both punters, but Gillikin got the first nod and he’s been more reliable than his rookie teammate Lou Hedley through training camp so far. Blake Grupe had a great moment to kick the game-winning field goal and he should be a hot name on the waiver wire, but he still has a ways to go in unseating Lutz after the Pro Bowler returned to form this summer.
Defensive ends (5)
- No. 94 Cameron Jordan (left)
- No. 96 Carl Granderson (right)
- No. 98 Payton Turner (right)
- No. 92 Tanoh Kpassagnon (left)
- No. 55 Isaiah Foskey (right)
- Roster cuts: No. 54 Niko Lalos, No. 92 Kyle Phillips
This group noticeably lacks pop off the edge compared to other edge rotations around the league. Some of that’s by design, with the Saints putting an emphasis on size, length, and natural run-stuffing ability rather than agility and a knack for pressuring quarterbacks quickly off the snap. But it’s frustrating seeing the Chiefs second-stringers (or the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, for example) bringing more heat than the Saints’ starters. Foskey looks slow to develop like his predecessors Turner, Marcus Davenport, and Trey Hendrickson. Phillips had the play of the day but he’s competing with Lalos for a spot on the practice squad.
Defensive tackles (4)
- No. 93 Nathan Shepherd
- No. 99 Khalen Saunders
- No. 90 Bryan Bresee
- No. 97 Malcolm Roach
- Roster cuts: No. 57 Prince Emili, No. 77 Jerron Cage, No. 95 Jack Heflin
Saunders and Shepherd both flashed early against the Chiefs’ starting offensive line, and Bresee bullied Kansas City’s backups right away to start the second half. It was really encouraging to see after the Saints invested so many resources in rebuilding this position group. Roach seems to be developing into a more disruptive player, too, after starting out his career buried in New Orleans’ interior line rotation.
Linebackers (5)
- No. 56 Demario Davis
- No. 20 Pete Werner
- No. 59 Jaylon Smith
- No. 45 Nephi Sewell
- No. 43 Ryan Connelly
- Roster cuts: No. 52 D’Marco Jackson, No. 42 Ty Summers, No. 58 Anfernee Orji, No. 40 Nick Anderson
This is a crowded group — it’s tough to not keep Orji or Summers on the roster, but the Saints have a lot of options at linebacker. New Orleans typically carries two linebackers on the practice squad so they could return after roster cuts. They didn’t sign Smith last week to cut him without getting a look at him first. Sewell and Connelly seemed like the most effective backups at linebacker against the Chiefs, and they each played a lot of snaps on special teams, too. Jackson has had a solid offseason after returning from an injury.
Slots (2)
- No. 21 Bradley Roby
- No. 0 Ugo Amadi
- Roster cuts: N/A
Roby is clearly a better option to start here than Alontae Taylor right now, but don’t sleep on Amadi. He’s a veteran backup who has started games in the NFL covering the slot and he had several highlight plays against his old Chiefs team on Sunday, including a big interception to help close out the first half. Rookie safety Jordan Howden has also been in the mix here but the Saints will likely play him at his college position — free safety — should Marcus Maye miss time with a suspension.
Safeties (5)
- No. 32 Tyrann Mathieu
- No. 6 Marcus Maye
- No. 48 J.T. Gray
- No. 28 Lonnie Johnson Jr.
- No. 31 Jordan Howden
- Roster cuts: No. 24 Johnathan Abram, No. 38 Smoke Monday
This is a very difficult group to whittle down, but it could clarify soon with Maye reporting for what may be his final court appearance in Florida stemming from a 2021 DUI charge. He’ll likely be suspended three games after that, which is a shame since he’s finally healthy and playing well, but his temporary absence could open the door for someone like Howden, Johnson, or Abram to take on more responsibilities. Monday is on the outside looking in with some rough moments in both pass coverage and run defense against Kansas City.
Cornerbacks (4)
- No. 23 Marshon Lattimore
- No. 29 Paulson Adebo
- No. 1 Alontae Taylor
- No. 37 Troy Pride Jr.
- Roster cuts: No. 27 Isaac Yiadom, No. 44 Adrian Frye, No. 36 Anthony Johnson
It remains to be seen how Taylor’s poor performance in the slot will factor into his battle with Adebo — if he can’t start inside, do the Saints feel pressured to start him outside ahead of Adebo just so he can stay on the field? The undercard bout between Pride and Yiadom is still very entertaining, and the coaches are giving Pride every opportunity to show he can compete with Yiadom who impressed down the stretch last year. The Saints carry at least two corners on the practice (and usually three) so they’ll continue to run deep in teh secondary.
