It's never too early to start the debate, right?
The New Orleans Saints are set to kick off their first round of OTAs this week, and with it we'll have our first real dose of the 2025 season. A majority of the roster -- these are NOT mandatory -- will be in attendance, and this will be the start of several position battles.
The most interesting battle will come for the starting QB job, but there are conversations to be had down the line as well. Who's the primary backup to Alvin Kamara? Will we have a third consecutive season with a rookie punter? Will you go with upside or experience to fill out the roster?
The Saints will start to figure that out this week, and so will we, so it only makes sense to set a baseline as we head in for our first look. It's far, far too early to make any concrete decisions on one player vs another and I expect these projections will change a lot throughout the course of camp, but we have to start somewhere. It's important to note that this isn't me trying to predict the future, but moreso if I had to finalize an official 53-man roster today, this is what it'd be.
As always in my baseline rankings I'm going to do two things:
- Not cut any of this year's picks
- Lean toward incumbent players (though not as much in recent years)
That's always going to make it unlikely for a UDFA to land above the cut line, but that's also true in reality. UDFAs will always have to win a roster spot.
Related
With all that in mind, here's my way-too-early 53-man roster projection. This version should not be viewed as a projected depth chart.
━━
QUARTERBACK (3)
- Tyler Shough
- Spencer Rattler
- Jake Haener
CUT
Hunter Dekkers
WHY: I want to get something out front: I expect to get more projections wrong this year than previous seasons. That's because at this point I simply don't know what Kellen Moore's philosophies are when it comes to roster construction. For example, does he want to carry two or three QBs? Things like rostering a fullback, how many on the OL and DL does it take to make things work? I had years of Sean Payton precedent to pull from, and that mostly held true through the Dennis Allen era. Not anymore. We'll have to wait and see and adjust accordingly. For now I'm operating under the assumption that with such a young QB room you'll prioritize stability, and that'll mean the two closest things you have to veterans staying in the room to work alongside Tyler Shough. At this point the head coach is still listing Jake Haener in the QB competition, so I'm not going to oust him for an intriguing rookie just yet. That could definitely change based on how things go in camp.
━━
RUNNING BACK/FULLBACK (3)
- Alvin Kamara
- Kendre Miller
- Devin Neal
CUT
Marcus Yarns
Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Velus Jones Jr.
Xazavian Valladay
WHY: Two things worth noting here, the first is that the Saints appear set to join the ranks of teams that don't carry a fullback. More on that below, but it pulls this number down by one. The next is that we don't know Kellen Moore's ideal number for RB depth. The Eagles operated with three RBs last season, but they also had a supernova that you never wanted to take off the field in Saquon Barkley and a QB as their second-leading rusher in Jalen Hurts. The Chargers probably serve as a better guide, and they, too, only carried 2-3 active RBs. Using that as a guide, it's fair to operate under the assumption that we have to whittle this list down to three names. The one at the top is chiseled into stone, obviously, but the other two? For now I'm going with the draft pick because he wouldn't have been drafted if the team wasn't already a fan, but there are some interesting veteran names as well. I wouldn't be surprised if Marcus Yarns pushes Devin Neal or Kendre Miller for a spot. And yes, at this point I'm keeping Miller around because of one simple fact: He's the most talented running back on the team not named Alvin Kamara. He's shown glimpses of that when he's been on the field, but glimpses is the proper word. He'll get an opportunity to prove he's going to do the work and that he can be available. If it doesn't pan out, someone else has a prime opportunity to contribute meaningfully this season.
━━
TIGHT END (5)
- Juwan Johnson
- Foster Moreau
- Taysom Hill
- Jack Stoll
- Moliki Matavao
CUT
Dallin Holker
Michael Jacobson
Treyton Welch
WHY: One of the reasons I'm only keeping three running backs is because I'm making up the numbers at tight end. We'll have to wait and see with Taysom Hill in terms of when he'll actually be available. I think it's possible he starts the year on PUP as he works back from the knee injury. He operates in such a unique position that it's either you have him or you don't, there's no replacement. That said, without a fullback it'll fall on the TE position to pick up some extended backfield blocking duties, and that's where I feel like Jack Stoll is going to carve out a spot on the roster. I also like Moliki Matavao's size profile to develop in that role. He strikes me as a guy you'll want to protect on the actual roster, but he'll be inactive for most games until such time as seemingly inevitable injuries force him onto the field. You could sell me on a guy like 2024 camp darling Dallin Holker being shoehorned into this list, but he'll have to win that opportunity in camp. For now I want TEs with a better blocking profile to complement the guy I paid big money this offseason and plan to feature in Juwan Johson. Foster Moreau's health will also be a question, but I see him as necessary depth and a locker room winner.
Related
━━
WIDE RECEIVER (6)
- Chris Olave
- Rashid Shaheed
- Brandin Cooks
- Cedrick Wilson
- Bub Means
- Dante Pettis
CUT
Moochie Dixon
Mason Tipton
Donovan Peoples-Jones
Chris Tyree
Kevin Austin Jr.
WHY: This position has potential to see siginifcant change throughout camp, though the top three names are pretty set in stone. I'm just not sure where Kellen Moore lands on a lot of these players down the line. Take Bub Means, an intriguing player entering his second season, but one picked by the former coaching regime. At this point I see Bub sticking around, but how much does this staff like the tryout player it signed in Donovan Peoples-Jones? He seems like the player I'd want Bub to develop into, maybe I just skip a step? Mason Tipton was last year's camp darling but he simply didn't deliver despite several major opportunities last season. At this point I'm sticking with the players the Saints decided to bring back in Cedrick Wilson Jr. -- who played in Kellen's offense on the Cowboys -- and Dante Pettis who offers a veteran presence and can take some of the load off of Shaheed in the return game. The Saints didn't draft a WR and ultimately the success or failure of this group will come down to Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and Brandin Cooks. I'm not going to overthink the rest unless someone forces me to.
━━
OFFENSIVE LINE (9)
- LT Taliese Fuaga
- LG Kelvin Banks Jr.
- C Erik McCoy
- RG Cesar Ruiz
- RT Trevor Penning
- Landon Young
- Dillon Radunz
- Will Clapp
- Nick Saldiveri
CUT
Josh Ball
Josiah Ezirim
Kyle Hergel
Easton Kilty
Torricelli Simpkins III
WHY: The trenches are where I have the least confidence in being right on these projections, at least outside of the starters. For now I'm sticking with the projected positions of a season ago and slotting Kelvin Banks into the open spot (left guard), but that's mostly just a placeholder until we have a clear picture. Those are the assumed starters, shuffle them however you deem necessary. For now and since I have such a young starting group, my priority on the backup line is experience. Between Landon Young, Dillon Radunz, Will Clapp and Nick Saldiveri I have players with a combined 69 starts and a group that can cover any position in a pinch. It's possible you're seeking at least one developmental player but one perk of this group is that I don't really need to worry about a backup tackle, with one of Kelvin Banks or Trevor Penning playing guard. For the Saints to have success this season, the first-team OL will have to play like a group that consists of four first-rounders and a high-second rounder. The investment is there, we need to see the return.
━━
DEFENSIVE LINE (10)
- Carl Granderson
- Cam Jordan
- Chase Young
- Jonah Williams
- Fadil Diggs
- Bryan Bresee
- Khalen Saunders
- Vernon Broughton
- Davon Godchaux
- Isaiah Foskey
CUT
Chris Rumph
Khristian Boyd
John Ridgeway
Nathan Shepherd
Jasheen Davis
Omari Thomas
WHY: Woo dog, I just really don't know. There are a good number of players on this list that I believe are safe -- but so much is changing in terms of how the defensive operates at this position that you could go so many different routes. Carl Granderson, Chase Young, Cam Jordan and Bryan Bresee are the tentpoles. They aren't going anywhere. Vernon Broughton is a lock as a third round pick. From there it's anyone's guess. I'm keeping Foskey around as a core special teamer and I have some hope that he might find a better home in an OLB role, but if he doesn't show something that second-round pick protection won't go nearly as far as it did for the regime that drafted him. For now I'll give him the slight benefit of the doubt. The Saints also thought highly enough of Davon Godchaux to trade for him and he's the only tried-and-true nose tackle on this depth chart, so he also feels safe. Beyond that your guess is as good as mine. I'm keeping Diggs because he's a draft pick, but a 7th-rounder in a 9-man draft class shouldn't exactly be investing in property at this point. Khalen Saunders is probably the best run stuffer of the group remaining and Jonah Williams was an offseason acquisition who seems to fill needs, so he'll get the nod for now. Chris Rumph is familiar with Brandon Staley, so he's probably the first cut. This is going to be a very difficult roster for the UDFAs to seriously push for. I currently have three familiar names in Khristian Boyd, Nathan Shepherd and John Ridgeway on the cut line.
Related
━━
LINEBACKER (5)
- Demario Davis
- Pete Werner
- Danny Stutsman
- Jaylan Ford
- Tyreem Powell
CUT
Nephi Sewell
D’Marco Jackson
Isaiah Stalbird
Cut: This will be another one that we just have to guess at from a numbers perspective. On the one hand I think they carry fewer ILBs than in the past, but you also need those guys for special teams. At this point I have Tyreem Powell as one of two UDFAs to make the roster. This is a bit of a guess, but I think he's going to be a tweener in a way that allows him to contribute at multiple positions and stick around as a core special teamer. We'll have to wait and see. Jaylan Ford has the benefit of being a former Texas Longhorn, something that's clearly a very positive trait for this defensive staff.
━━
CORNERBACK (5)
- Alontae Taylor
- Kool-Aid McKinstry
- Isaac Yiadom
- Quincy Riley
- Rico Payton
CUT
Tre Fluellen
Rezjohn Wright
Dalys Beanum
WHY: You could convince me that five is too many, but I think Rico Payton benefits from the Saints sticking with Phil Galiano as special teams coordinator. One of his biggest tasks previously was identifying and developing gunners and jammers, and that's where Payton stood out last year. I think he'll have a strong claim as a core special teamer who could contribute at a premium position in a pinch. The four above him are close to locks, health permitting.
━━
SAFETY (4)
- Tyrann Mathieu
- Justin Reid
- Jonas Sanker
- J.T. Gray
CUT
Ugo Amadi
Jordan Howden
Terrell Burgess
Elliott Davison
WHY: I have a spot for either an extra cornerback or an extra safety, and since I'm devoting a special teams spot to Payton above, that means these four DBs are the odd men out. I'd expect to see Ugo Amadi back on the practice squad as an emergency nickel. Howden has to show significant growth this offseason to avoid the cut line because the four names at the top are locks.
━━
SPECIALISTS (3)
- K Blake Grupe
- P James Burnip
- LS Zach Wood
CUT
P Matthew Hayball
K Charlie Smyth
WHY: I'm breaking a traditional rule here in that I typically give the incumbents the strong benefit of the doubt, but I'm just that confident that James Burnip will come in and win the punter job. It helps his case that the Saints have gone with a rookie punter in each of the past two seasons, so they're primed to accept the volatility that came with it, but also that I just wasn't that impressed with Hayball last season. He was consistent and did lead the NFL in punts downed inside the 20, but the truly momentum-swinging kicks are the ones inside the 10, and those were few and far between. If you're not really flipping the field and not forcing truly backed-up drives, I can do better. It'll be a competition, but I expect Burnip to win it. On the other side will be an even more talked-about battle, and I see it going similarly to last year. Charlie Smyth might hit a 70-yarder in one of these practices, but Blake Grupe will continue to be remarkably consistent. Outside of end-of-game scenarios you're almost never going to attempt a 60-plus-yard kick, so the money is really made from 50-59. Grupe made a franchise-record six of those kicks on 8 attempts last year, with the two misses coming in windy, cold conditions up in New York. The second of those was from 60-plus and blocked. As frustrating as it might be for Charlie, a first-year head coach and first-year special teams coordinator are going to have a tough time throwing in their lot for an unproven, high-upside kicker when such a high-floor option is standing right there. If Smyth comes in and legitimately wins the offseason competition, my tune could certainly change.
━━
RETIRED
QB Derek Carr
RT Ryan Ramczyk