We're heading into the third week of 2023 New Orleans Saints training camp, and the preseason opener is less than a week away. Time to make some guesses who will still be here this time next month.
A few spots seem to be set in stone, and despite the competition, I put special teams in that category. But there are multiple spots, too, that feel wide open. Depth spots at linebacker and defensive back (and of course special teams) are wide open. The starter at CB2 and DE opposite Cam Jordan? Still up in the air.
The big change here is less about bumping guys from the roster, though there are a few, as it is ordering the cut lists to indicate near misses and the guys with A LOT of work to do. In previous versions of this projection, the order listed was irrelevant. This time around, it's in what I'd project to be the depth chart oder.
Scroll below for each roster spot, breakdowns for each cut and a projection of who might be first in line for the practice squad if they clear waivers.
━━
QUARTERBACK (3)
- Derek Carr
- Jameis Winston
- Jake Haener*
CUT (0)
- NONE
NOTES: Still no change here. As long as Jameis Winston is on the roster, he’s the backup. He’s healthy and not getting cut, and he’s not getting bypassed by a rookie. That said, you saw what could happen last year when the Saints tried to stash Ian Book on the practice squad. The plan was always to draft and develop, so you’re carrying three QBs this year. The more interesting question is who is the QB3. If the Saints got down to the third option at QB (unlikely, but we’ve all seen it), would you start Haener or Taysom Hill?
━━
RUNNING BACK/FULLBACK (4)
- RB Alvin Kamara
- RB Jamaal Williams
- RB Kendre Miller*
- FB Adam Prentice
CUT (3)
- RB Kirk Merritt
- RB Ellis Merriweather
- FB Jake Bargas
NOTES: Still no change here. You’re keeping all three RBs, the only question is who you’d keep around to be available for the three games when Alvin Kamara is suspended. You feel comfortable with Jamaal Williams and Kendre Miller, but there’s got to be some backup plan. Right now I’d lean toward Eno Benjamin (he’s a fast dude), but Kirk Merritt is fully a RB now and he’ll be tough to beat. Having to keep a third QB and Taysom will make it harder to justify carrying the FB. It’d probably make sense to stash a FB on the practice squad that can be called off, but It’s off the chopping block for now.
Related
━━
WIDE RECEIVER (6)
- Michael Thomas
- Chris Olave
- Rashid Shaheed
- Tre’Quan Smith
- A.T. Perry*
- Lynn Bowden Jr.
CUT (6)
- Shaquan Davis**
- Keith Kirkwood
- James Washington
- Keke Coutee
- Jontre Kirklin
- Bryan Edwards
- Kawaan Baker
NOTES: I fully expected to change this up, but I stared at it so long that it started to make sense again. A.T. Perry hasn’t been perfect, but I still want to keep him on the roster if I can. He’s a player who I’d like to see develop, but there’s no question that he’s struggled. He’ll have three preseason games to turn it around, and I’m betting he does enough. The margin between he and Shaq Davis isn’t that large, though. I think you keep six WRs and one of them will be a tall dude. Keith Kirkwood also isn’t that far off, but I know I can get him to the practice squad. The top three (Thomas, Olave, Shaheed) are a lock. Lynn Bowden Jr. has looked solid and would be a good backup option at kick returner. The big debate always seems to be about Tre’Quan Smith. I hear that he’s been hurt a lot (he has). I hear that he’s struggled at points as a reliable pass-catcher (he has). I hear that being a valuable special teamer and excelling as a blocker doesn’t matter for a WR (it absolutely does). I don’t see anyone on the cut list who offers more upside. I have three WRs on the list above that are 24 or younger. The balance makes way more sense with another vet you’re comfortable with.
━━
TIGHT END (4)
- Juwan Johnson
- Foster Moreau
- Jimmy Graham
- Taysom Hill
CUT (3)
- Jesse James
- Lucas Krull
- Miller Forristall
NOTES: This is the position that starts to make the numbers tough. Devoting seven roster spots to QB and TE feels crazy. Even last year with Taysom Hill, that number was five. That said, I don’t think there’s any way around it. The Juwan Johnson, Foster Moreau tandem still makes a ton of sense. Taysom is going to have his very specific role that is for some reason called “tight end.” Realistically it’s more like you’re keeping 4 QBs. I think Jimmy Graham makes it. He looks good, and unless he just breaks down physically, you didn’t bring him in just to rob him of a chance to play another season in the Superdome to make the numbers work.
Related
━━
OFFENSIVE LINE (8)
- OT Ryan Ramzcyk
- C/G Erik McCoy
- C/G Cesar Ruiz
- G/T James Hurst
- OT Trevor Penning
- G/T Nick Saldiveri*
- OL Andrus Peat
- OT Storm Norton
CUT (6)
- OT Landon Young
- OL Max Garcia
- OL Lewis Kidd
- OL Alex Pihlstrom**
- OT Mark Evans**
- OL Calvin Throckmorton
- G Chuck Filiaga
- OL Tommy Kraemer
- OL Koda Martin
NOTES: This position is where I was able to steal a roster spot back. In my last projection I left a backup center on the roster (Billy Price, whoops). But with Cesar Ruiz available to serve as an in-game center anyway, that feels like a luxury. You’ll keep Max Garcia on the practice squad and elevate him if needed, just like they did with Josh Andrews last year. Storm Norton feels like he was brought in for a reason, and I’ve seen Landon Young getting cross-trained at LT. To me that feels like an indicator he’s been bypassed. We’ll get a better idea as practices commence. There will be a lot of practice squad players out of the cut list. If health continues to be an issue, the numbers game could get more difficult. Typically you'd go with eight active linemen on gamedays, but if you really wanted to stash an extra body here, the fullback could be dropped to the practice squad and called up when necessary with no real issue.
━━
DEFENSIVE LINE (9)
- DE Cam Jordan
- DE Payton Turner
- DE Carl Granderson
- DE Tanoh Kpassagnon
- DE Isaiah Foskey*
- DT Malcolm Roach
- DT Khalen Saunders
- DT Nathan Shepherd
- DT Bryan Bresee*
CUT (6)
- DT Jerron Cage**
- DE Kyle Phillips
- DE Prince Emili
- DE Niko Lalos
- DT Jack Heflin
NOTES: This continues to be the easiest to project in terms of the cuts, but I think it’s seen a good bit of depth chart shuffling. Payton Turner looks to have earned the starting gig. He’s been a constant presence and has helped allay some concerns about his impact. We’ll need to see it in games, but if he can be a legitimate starter across from Cam Jordan, the rotation of Carl Granderson and Tanoh Kpassagnon makes this is a lot scarier looking group.
Related
━━
LINEBACKERS (6)
- Demario Davis
- Pete Werner
- Zack Baun
- D’Marco Jackson
- Anfernee Orji**
- Nephi Sewell
CUT (3)
- Nick Anderson**
- Ty Summers
- Ryan Connelly
NOTES: The loss of Andrew Dowell changes things here. His biggest impact is lost on special teams, but I still think you keep a linebacker to balance that. Right now the most likely choice feels like Nephi Sewell. He’s clearly a player this team likes. He’s into the system. I could also see just five linebackers being kept with an Anfernee Orji dropping off. I like this group for now, though.
━━
DEFENSIVE BACK (10)
- CB Marshon Lattimore
- CB Paulson Adebo
- CB Alontae Taylor
- CB Bradley Roby
- DB Ugo Amadi
- DB Lonnie Johnson Jr.
- S Tyrann Mathieu
- S Marcus Maye
- S Jordan Howden
- S J.T. Gray
CUT (8)
- CB Isaac Yiadom
- CB Anthony Johnson Jr.**
- DB Troy Pride Jr.
- S Smoke Monday
- DB Adrian Frye
- S Johnathan Abram
NOTES: This question is tough for a few reasons and there are a lot of really intriguing competitions here. Isaac Yiadom, Troy Pride and Anthony Johnson have all played well enough to feasibly crack the roster. I’m at the limit, so I’d be tempted to drop the fullback to keep an extra DB, especially now that I’m down a key special teams contributor. For now I’ll leave it as is. Any injuries throughout camp could change these numbers up, but I really like this DB room top to bottom. It’s the no-doubt strength of this team and that’s going to extend well into the practice squad. One fair question is ... who's the top backup at safety? Based on the reps, it seems like Jordan Howden is in line there and you're always going to lean toward a draft pick when things are close. But there are several spots here that could hinge on preseason performances.
Related
━━
SPECIAL TEAMS (3)
- K Wil Lutz
- P Blake Gillikin
- LS Zach Wood
CUT (2)
- K Blake Grupe**
- P Lou Hedley**
NOTES: It’s still tough to see either of Wil Lutz or Blake Gillikin losing their jobs, but despite excitement over Blake Grupe I just don’t know how you sunset as clutch a dude as Lutz unless he just clearly doesn’t have it. I’ve started to question how strong the hold is on punter, though. Gillikin doesn’t necessarily have the built-in trust and he was far from perfect last year. The 29-yard shank with the game on the line in Week 6 is really hard to forget. That said, Gillikin is a pro. If he locks in and gets back to looking like the consistent weapon we all remember, he wins it easily. If not, Lou Hedley gets a foot further in the door.
━━
PRACTICE SQUAD
- S Isaac Yiadom
- S Johnathan Abram
- S Smoke Monday
- DB Anthony Johnson
- DB Troy Pride Jr.
- LB Nick Anderson**
- DT Prince Emili
- OL Calvin Throckmorton
- OL Landon Young
- OL Max Garcia
- TE Lucas Krull
- WR Keith Kirkwood
- WR Kirk Merritt
- WR Jontre Kirklin
CUT
- RB: SaRodorick Thompson Jr. **
- WR: Malik Flowers**
- OL: Yasir Durant
- OL: Scott Lashley
TO IR
- G Trai Turner
- LB Andrew Dowell
- RB Eno Benjamin
Related
