We're officially halfway through the preseason schedule and injuries have already changed a lot at receiver, running back and in the trenches. But has that made for significant changes on our projected 53-man roster?
The short answer: Yes, but not for the top end of the roster. I managed to keep all of the Saints draft picks and there's some clear opportunity for depth wide receivers, with others needing strong preseason showings to secure their slots.
The Saints are scheduled to participate in a joint practice with the Rams on Thursday ahead of their preseason matchup. Scroll below for an updated roster projection.
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QUARTERBACK (2)
- ON THE 53
- Tyler Shough
- Spencer Rattler
ON THE CUT LINE
Zach Wilson
Hunter Dekkers
Notes: There are two positions on this projection where I was very tempted to make changes, but it felt a bit too reactionary. This is the first one. Rattler had a tough showing in his preseason debut, while Zach Wilson opened eyes and turned the heat way up on the backup quarterback question. What I try to avoid is flipping back and forth in these projections because I overreacted to one day. The joint practice setup is more focused on the 1s, so it's difficult to get a read on whether anything has changed with the 2s and 3s. That’s something I’ll need to see before I feel like this team is legitimately considering a depth chart change. That said, I don’t see any way this team benefits from simply handing Rattler that job without competition, and Wilson has showed there's a reason to let these guys. Saturday's matchup with the Rams feels huge for both these guys.
RUNNING BACK (4)
ON THE 53
- Travis Etienne
- Alvin Kamara
- Devin Neal
- Audric Estime
ON THE CUT LINE
Kendre Miller
Ty Chandler
**CJ Donaldson
Notes: Still no changes here. This position was already difficult due to project due to injuries, and we’ll have to wait to see just how long Estime misses with his ankle issue. He didn't make the trip to California For now I’m sticking with the same four I had heading into camp. We did see Miller (back) and Neal (hamstring) back to practice this week, and I'd hope to see both in action against the Rams. Chandler is also a guy who has to start getting a legitimate look. He’s got good return flex (as we saw to open the game on Saturday) and, more importantly, he’s available to play. I really don't think it'll take much for Kendre to flip me back over to his side, but I will need him to be consistently available before I'm comfortable doing it.
TIGHT END (4)
ON THE 53
- Juwan Johnson
- Noah Fant
- *Oscar Delp
- Moliki Matavao
ON THE CUT LINE
Treyton Welch
Zaire Mitchell-Paden
**Cody Hardy
Notes: One of the things that’s important to remember about early projections is it’s wholly based on the roster at that point. But as we know, things change. The Saints have lost two players to season-ending injuries and that’s created a little flexibility to do what I always wanted to do: Keep a fourth tight end. This could change again if the Saints were to swing some trades late in camp like last year, but for now the beneficiary is Moliki Matavao, a player who has progressed significantly from Year 1 to 2 and a guy who coaches are very high on.
WIDE RECEIVER (6)
ON THE 53
- Chris Olave
- Devaughn Vele
- *Bryce Lance
- *Barion Brown
- Bub Means
- Kevin Austin Jr.
TO IT-return: Jordyn Tyson
TO PUT: Mason Tipton
ON THE CUT LINE
Trey Palmer
Ronnie Bell
Brock Rechsteiner
Jalen Moreno-Cropper
RETIRED: Ja’Lynn Polk
Notes: After Polk opted to retire I batted around the idea that perhaps the Saints would simply trim this position down to five, because that’s the number you’d probably have active in a game week, anyway. Tyson’s injury throws a wrench into that plan, though, because you have to at least consider the possibility that he’s not ready to go in Week 1. The first five seem fairly locked in, particularly if Brown is entrenched as a returner. So who is the sixth? To me it was a choice between Means and Austin, and I see it as very, very close. Austin has gotten more work with the 1s at this stage, but Means has more upside, has been consistently productive throughout camp and was easily the most impressive WR in the preseason opener. Whenever things are close, I tend to lean toward the draft pick.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9)
ON THE 53
- LT: Kelvin Banks
- LG: David Edwards
- C: Erik McCoy
- RG: Cesar Ruiz
- RT: Taliese Fuaga
- Asim Richards
- Barry Wesley
- *Jeremiah Wright
- Torricelli Simpkins III
ON THE CUT LINE
**Alex Wollschlaeger
**Alan Herron
Easton Kilty
Xavier Truss
William Sherman
Notes: It’s hard to imagine the Saints don’t try to add more proven depth options at some point, but for now we’ll stick with the direct backups. To me, the closest guy on the cut line Will Sherman, and that’s largely because of his versatility. He can play all five positions on the OL and there’s value in that. I think there’s ultimately another shoe to drop here with a trade late in camp, but for now I’ll take advantage of the extra slot elsewhere.
DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE LINE (9)
ON THE 53
- DT Nathan Shepherd
- DT Davon Godchaux
- DT *Christen Miller
- DT Vernon Broughton
- DT John Ridgeway
- DE Chase Young
- DE Carl Granderson
- DE Cam Jordan
- DE Tyree Wilson
ON THE CUT LINE
Anfernee Jennings
Khristian Boyd
Fadil Diggs
Myles Cole
Garrett Nelson
**Michael Heldman
**Jay’Viar Suggs
**Kahlil Saunders
**Brien Taylor
**Malakai Williams
Notes: This is a weird position to gauge because of health. Davon Godchaux is dealing with an ankle injury and I’m starting to wonder about his roster spot. Rookie Christen Miller looked excellent in his preseason debut, but he’s been managing multiple injuries. I really wouldn’t mind the Saints leaning into a youth movement at the nose tackle spot, but I’ll need to feel confident that the rookie can stay on the field. If Miller is the starter, a younger guy like Khristian Boyd might make sense as the backup. As far as the DE position, for now I’m trusting Cam Jordan to get back for the start of the season. I’ve gotten the sense that his hamstring injury is on the more minor side, but he’s an older guy and the team needs to err on the side of caution. Anfernee Jennings’ skillset always felt more valuable before the team decided to bring Cam back. I’m not sure if it makes sense to keep both. Tyree Wilson has more pass rush upside and he makes the cut for me right now, though I really do need to see more from him. Michael Heldman is a fun story and I’m hopeful he can keep it going, but a practice squad slot feels a lot more likely than the roster.
LINEBACKER (5)
ON THE 53
- Pete Werner
- Kaden Elliss
- Danny Stutsman
- Isaiah Stalbird
- Jaylan Ford
ON THE CUT LINE
Jackson Sirmon
Deion Jones
Chris Rumph
Notes: I had an extra roster spot to play with (more on that below) and I strongly considered using it to keep Chris Rumph, a Brandon Staley favorite who switched positions early in camp. The problem is he’s dealing with an ankle injury and is going to miss a lot of important reps. I also wonder if it makes more sense to hold him out to start the season on IR. Either way, the five-man group on the keep line stays the same, and I feel like it’s very strong from top to bottom.
DEFENSIVE BACK (11)
ON THE 53
- CB Kool-Aid McKinstry
- CB Quincy Riley
- CB Isaac Yiadom
- CB Martin Emerson Jr.
- CB Jayden Price
- CB *TJ Hall Jr.
- S Jonas Sanker
- S Justin Reid
- S Julian Blackmon
- S *Lorenzo Styles Jr.
- S Jordan Howden
ON THE CUT LINE
Terrell Burgess
Mike Reid
Elliott Davison
Rejzohn Wright
Dalys Beanum
Notes: I’m not sure I’ve ever had double-digit DBs on one of these projections before, but with all the IR guys (and potential IR guys), I ended up with a bonus spot. And if I get a free space, I’m using it to keep the final member of the draft class in TJ Hall. Defensive backs and linebackers are always the positions I err toward more bodies because of their use on special teams. Price is a guy who's played his way onto the roster and Styles is a draft pick, so he's not going anywhere.
SPECIALISTS (3)
ON THE 53
- K Tanner Brown
- P Ryan Wright
- LS Zach Wood
ON THE CUT LINE
Charlie Smyth
Notes: Charlie Smyth is a fun story. He’s easy to root for. That said, a fun story can’t be what wins a kicking competition, and as of today, I have him second to Tanner Brown and losing ground. Brown was a little sketchy from short range early on, but he’s settled in well and looks to be building confidence. On the other side, Smyth didn’t look like a confident player as his 52-yard attempt sailed well right. We’ve also seen multiple days with three misses during camp. There’s still time to course-correct and Charlie has responded in these types of situations before. All that said, I’ve seen enough to make the switch on my projection. We’ll see if either guy changes my mind over the final few weeks of camp.
