We're less than a week removed from the 2024 NFL Draft, and yes, it's way too early to know who might make the cut for the final 53-man roster in September.
That still won't stop us from trying, particularly now that we know the positions bolstered by a seven-member rookie class. The Saints have also signed two veterans on the offensive line and another in the secondary.
We broke down the entire roster projection on the latest episode of the Audacy original Inside Black & Gold podcast (posts Thursday morning). Can't see the player above? Click here.
How many quarterbacks will the Saints carry into the season? How will the new kickoff rule impact the makeup on special teams? Which position battles are for real?
Scroll below for breakdowns on each position.
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QUARTERBACK (3)
- Derek Carr
- Jake Haener
- Spencer Rattler
CUT
- Nathan Peterman
- Kellen Mond
Notes: This is a bit of a copout from me, because I expect you won't carry a third quarterback when all is said and done. At this point, though, I'm going to do just that. I'm going to buck the trend here and say I'm far from convinced when it comes to Spencer Rattler as the future, and I'm gonna need him to show that before I climb on the train. No, Jake Haener wasn't a pick with the current offensive staff in house, but he's going to get his chance to compete. He looked good as a rookie up to his final preseason performance and a few rough decisions, but that's what rookies do. I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility that he ends up being the better option, and if he is -- it'd be disappointing to think that you'd go with Rattler anyway, just because he's draft pick. If you feel more comfortable without a rookie backup, that's the scenario you carry three guys. At this point I'm not handing anything to anyone, and Saints coaches shouldn't be doing that, either.
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RUNNING BACK/FULLBACK (3)
- Alvin Kamara
- Kendre Miller
- Zander Horvath
CUT
- Adam Prentice
- Jamaal Williams
- James Robinson
- Jordan Mims
- Jacob Kibodi
The problem with keeping that extra quarterback is you've got to dump the numbers down somewhere. At this point I'm projecting all seven rookies to make the roster, which honestly might be a bit unrealistic. Regardless, this is where the numbers game wins and Jamaal Williams is the odd man out. This would be a disappointing result considering the type of locker room presence that we know Jamaal to be, but his first season in New Orleans simply didn't go the way it needed to. If he comes out and impresses in camp, this could change.
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WIDE RECEIVER (6)
- Chris Olave
- Rashid Shaheed
- A.T. Perry
- Cedrick Wilson
- Stanley Morgan
- Bub Means
CUT
- Equanimeous St. Brown
- Kyle Sheets
- Jermaine Jackson
- Mason Tipton
This is one of those positions that feels obvious at the top but a real mystery at the bottom. I think there's going to be motivation to hang on to your 5th round pick in Means, and I expect Morgan to be a key special teams contributor. Assuming there's a sixth WR kept, which feels likely, that leaves you choosing between a pair of veterans in Wilson and St. Brown. The investment was higher in Wilson and his game seems a bit more versatile, so that's where I'll land with St. Brown an ideal practice squad candidate.
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TIGHT END (3)
- Juwan Johnson
- Foster Moreau
- Taysom Hill
CUT
- Dallin Holker
- Michael Jacobson
- Tommy Hudson
This position is one where I could see another playing sticking around if you can steal a spot from another position. Holker is an easy prospect to like, even as a UDFA. I'm also still listing Taysom Hill here, even if he's a QB on the roster. I think the Saints are sending a message by not investing more at this position, and that message is: All right, Juwan, let's give it one more shot. I like his odds.
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OFFENSIVE LINE (10)
- Trevor Penning
- Erik McCoy
- Cesar Ruiz
- Taliese Fuaga
- Ryan Ramczyk
- Nick Saldiveri
- Landon Young
- Oli Udoh
- Shane Lemieux
- Josiah Ezirim
CUT
- Tommy Kraemer
- Kyle Hergel
- Nouri Nouili
- Sincere Haynesworth
- Justin Herron
There are a few ways I could've gone at OL beyond the obvious guys. For now I'm keeping Ramczyk on the list, because if he's healthy enough to play he's still probably your best option. It's not going to save you much to move on from him, so you'll see what you can get. The real questions are backup LT (I went with Udoh) and the mix at left guard (I went with Saldiveri and Lemieux). I also kept the 7th round pick because I want to develop the young player, but there are a few other options you could go with.
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DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE END (6)
- Cam Jordan
- Carl Granderson
- Chase Young
- Isaiah Foskey
- Payton Turner
- Tanoh Kpassagnon
CUT
- Trajan Jeffcoat
- Niko Lalos
- Nate Latu
This is a pretty easy list to put together, with the only real question being Kpassagnon. Considering he can be so flexible and was very effective rushing inside last season, I'd err toward him making it again. I actually like this group on paper, the issue has been the health of Young, Foskey and Turner, which is hard to bet on.
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DEFENSIVE TACKLE (4)
- Khalen Saunders
- Bryan Bresee
- Nathan Shepherd
- Khristian Boyd
CUT
- Kyler Baugh
- Jack Heflin
- John Penisini
I'm keeping all the rookies, so Boyd is safe for now, but I could see a scenario where you only roll three deep at DT and try to get the Northern Iowa kid to the practice squad. When this group is healthy I feel good about it, but I do worry about the depth.
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LINEBACKER (6)
- Demario Davis
- Pete Werner
- D'Marco Jackson
- Willie Gay
- Jaylan Ford
- Khaleke Hudson
CUT
- Isaiah Stalbird
- Monty Rice
- Anfernee Orji
With the new kickoff rule, I expect teams will start carrying an extra linebacker for that purpose. I'm always going to err toward veteran free agent additions and rookie draft picks at this stage, so Gay, Hudson and Ford are safe, and all three should be quality special teamers.
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CORNERBACK (4)
- Marshon Lattimore
- Paulson Adebo
- Alontae Taylor
- Kool-Aid McKinstry
CUT
- Rezjohn Wright
- Lawrence Johnson
- Shemar Jean-Charles
- Rico Payton
This year I decided to split up cornerback and safety, and the result is a pretty impressive list. Assuming there's no trade, Marshon and Adebo on the edges, Taylor in the slot and McKinstry as a potential fill in across the board seems like a pretty positive situation. No need to complicate it further.
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SAFETY (5)
- Tyrann Mathieu
- Johnathan Abram
- Jordan Howden
- Ugo Amadi
- J.T. Gray
CUT
- Millard Bradford
- Faion Hicks
- Will Harris
I still think you're going to see at least one more addition at this spot, so the list could change, but otherwise I feel good about it. I think Abram and Howden are going to compete to start, while Amadi has been quality depth and Gray will continue being the dude on special teams. I'm also interested to see the plan for Harris, who was added to the roster on Wednesday. He's technically a cornerback (more specifically a slot corner), but I'm listing him with the safeties bc I think that's closer to what his role will be. It's possible he cracks the roster based on his performance in camp, not unlike a Lonnie Johnson Jr. last year.
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SPECIALISTS (3)
- Zach Wood
- Blake Grupe
- Lou Hedley
CUT
- Charlie Smyth
- Matt Hayball
I'm sure I'll have a lot of folks clamoring to change either of these lines for the flavor of the week option, but I'd have to see something special from Smyth or Hayball before I even considered it. You already took your medicine with a season of rookie specialists and I'm not keen on doing it again unless the alternative is clearly a better option. What will be interesting to watch is the directional kicking, because distance on kickoffs doesn't mean anything anymore. If Grupe struggles in that area while Smyth excels, that could make it a lot closer, but again, I'll need to see that first.
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PUP
- Nephi Sewell, LB