The New Orleans Saints have already begun the difficult process of trimming down their roster ahead of Tuesday’s NFL deadline, with teams required to downsize from 85 players to 80 by 4 p.m. ET. Per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill, the Saints released both quarterback K.J. Costello and running back Devine Ozigbo on Sunday after returning to New Orleans following a week in Green Bay. That brings the team down to 83 contracts.
So what do these roster moves mean? Costello was signed after starting quarterback Jameis Winston suffered a sprained foot late in training camp, which sidelined him for a few weeks. Only Andy Dalton and Ian Book saw any snaps in the Saints’ two preseason games, so Costello was brought in more to help keep drills running on schedule in practice. At this stage in the summer the team needs three arms to keep everything running smoothly. Now that he’s on the outs, this may signal that Winston is healthy and ready to return to practice fully with the team.
It’s more intriguing at running back, though. Ozigbo was competing with Dwayne Washington, Tony Jones Jr., and undrafted rookie Abram Smith for the opportunity to back up Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram II. We’re very much on the outside looking in, but it feels like Washington is in the lead for that third spot in the rotation, leaving just one more vacancy for either Jones or Smith to fill (though it’s likely someone ends up returning on the practice squad). They’ve got one more exhibition game in which to make their case for that last roster spot.
Before that, though, the Saints will practice in front of tens of thousands of fans at the Caesars Superdome on Sunday evening — possibly with Winston running the first-team offense again. It’s definitely something to watch out for, as are the three remaining roster cuts the Saints must make by Tuesday’s deadline.
