This coming Sunday will be the last with no NFL football for a while. Training camp is wrapping up and the cut-down to the 53 man roster is coming on Saturday.
The Saints stacked roster did not have many holes to fill, but many difficult decisions still lie ahead as the team has had an impressive job of gathering talent. Now, it’s time to figure out who are the right guys for this year’s squad.
Quarterbacks (3)
Drew Brees
Taysom Hill
Jameis Winston
The only question from this group is…who’s the #2 guy if Brees were to get injured?
Running backs (5)
Alvin Kamara
Latavius Murray
Dwayne Washington
Ty Montgomery
Michael Burton
Washington’s contributions on special teams cannot be overlooked as the 26-year-old is entering his 3rd season in New Orleans. Montgomery is an intriguing piece who has had some success in 6 NFL seasons, but his versatility as a RB/WR could be best utilized in Sean Payton’s offense.
Tight ends (3)
Jared Cook
Adam Trautman
Josh Hill
Leaving 7th round pick Tommy Stevens off the 53 wasn’t an easy choice, but you can also consider Taysom Hill a part of this group. Stevens is a developmental talent that could find his way to the practice squad, which has been increased to 16 players for the 2020 COVID season.
Wide receivers (5)
Michael Thomas
Emmanuel Sanders
Tre’Quan Smith
Deonte Harris
Bennie Fowler
Fowler won the 5th spot for me over a number of other young WRs. He’s bounced around since coming into the league in 2014, and has only surpassed 300 yards in an NFL season once in his career. But, he’s looked comfortable at camp and more importantly, seems to have a little chemistry brewing with Brees.
Offensive line (8)
Terron Armstead
Ryan Ramczyk
Erik McCoy
Andrus Peat
Cesar Ruiz
Nick Easton
Patrick Omameh
Ethan Greenidge
Another versatile, deep group here for the Black & Gold. James Hurst could end up joining after serving a four game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Greenidge is entering year 2 out of Villanova and has received positive reviews from “the Voice of the Saints” Zach Strief, who knows a thing or two about o-linemen.
Defensive line (9)
Cam Jordan
Marcus Davenport
Trey Hendrickson
Carl Granderson
David Onyemata
Sheldon Rankins
Malcom Brown
Shy Tuttle
Mario Edwards Jr.
D-line depth is impressive and there are a few other names I am sure the Saints would like to stash on the practice squad. Granderson is a guy to keep an eye on. He was mostly a special teams guy his rookie season, but has been a consistent camp standout as he aims to become part of the DE rotation.
Linebacker (6)
Demario Davis
Alex Anzalone
Zack Baun
Craig Robertson
Kaden Elliss
Kiko Alonso
Right now Alonso remains on the physically-unable-to-perform list, but there is a chance he could be ready for week for the start of the season. If not and he begins on the PUP list, Alonso won’t be permitted to practice or play through the first six weeks.
Cornerbacks (6)
Marshon Lattimore
Janoris Jenkins
P.J. Williams
Patrick Robinson
Keith Washington
Justin Hardee
Having a full season of “Jackrabbit” Jenkins paired up with Lattimore is very exciting news for the secondary. The Cajun Cannon Bobby Hebert feels they are the best CB tandem in Saints history. Both former Florida State Seminoles, Williams and Robinson, have been breaking-up passes, creating takeaways, and being an overall nuisance to the passing game.
Safety (5)
Malcolm Jenkins
Marcus Williams
C.J. Gardner Johnson (A.K.A Ceedy Duce)
J.T. Gray
D.J. Swearinger
Another tough choice was not putting last year’s 6th round selection Saquan Hampton on the roster. But, Swearinger has certainly stood out more during the practices the media has witnessed. Plus, the versatile P.J. Williams is also able to play safety.
Special teams (3)
P Thomas Morstead
K Wil Lutz
LS: Zach Wood
The crew sticks will be entering its 4th straight year together.
