Before you say anything, let's be clear: Yes, I am absolutely, unequivocally aware of the fact that it is way. too. soon to be making any hard and fast determinations about the initial 53-man roster that we'll be handed in August. That's why I make sure to highlight that fact in the headline and first sentence of this item every time I put it out in the week following the draft.
That said, I do think it's valuable. The Saints have added more than two dozen new players since the end of last season. Things will look a lot different the next time they step on the field. This projection isn't about hot takes or wild predictions, it's about setting a baseline. If the roster had to be trimmed to 53 names today, who would be on it? That's the question we're answering today. Once we have said baseline, it's much easier to make and track changes as necessary.
Hear a full breakdown of this year's roster projection in the player above on the latest edition of Inside Black & Gold. Can't see the embed? Click here.
As has been the case in the past, I go in here with a few simple rules, the most important being that I'll do my absolute best not to cut rookie draft picks. The team liked them enough to draft those players last weekend, I'm not projecting them to be cut three days later. That doesn't necessarily mean a ton in the long run. The Saints cut both 7th round selections from last year and stashed them on the practice squad.
The same mostly holds true for mid-tier to high end free agent signings. The Saints brought these players in for a reason, so they'll get the benefit of the doubt until I see the product on the field. The exception will be holdovers from the previous season who were brought back on minimum deals but weren't necessarily proven as starters or regular contributors. That can go either way, but in some cases the lack of mystery will work to their detriment.
Each position will also be loosely based on the actual depth chart, but don't read too much into one player being listed before another. In many cases (particularly toward the bottom of bigger position groups) the order is simply random.
The eight rookie draft picks will be noted with * ... while the 10 UDFAs will be noted with **
That's it, everything else is business as usual and we'll continue to update this projection as we move throughout the offseason. So, without further ado:
OFFENSE
QUARTERBACK (2)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JANUARY 04: Tyler Shough #6 of the New Orleans Saints throws an interception during the first quarter of the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 04, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia.Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images- Tyler Shough
- Spencer Rattler
- Zach Wilson
Notes: It’ll be interesting to see if there’s a legitimate battle for the backup quarterback job. If nothing else Wilson’s presence will allow the Saints to shop Rattler to a QB-needy team (if that exists) while still feeling like there’s a viable backup plan for the backup plan. This is Tyler Shough’s team now. I don’t see the need to keep three quarterbacks on the active roster.
RUNNING BACK (4)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 09: Alvin Kamara #41 of the New Orleans Saints carries the ball during the game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on November 09, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina.Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty ImagesON THE 53
- Travis Etienne
- Alvin Kamara
- Devin Neal
- Ty Chandler
- Kendre Miller
- Audric Estime
- **CJ Donaldson
Notes: This is going to be a tough position to sort out and probably the one that will be dictated the most by performance in preseason games. At this stage I’m keeping Chandler because he was brought in for a reason and has a better special teams skillset. Still, I could see the argument for making that Estime. I still think Kendre has a chance to make the roster if he balls out in camp, but it’s just tough to trust his health at this point.
TIGHT END (3)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - DECEMBER 28: Juwan Johnson #83 of the New Orleans Saints runs after making a catch during the game against Cedric Gray #33 of the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty ImagesON THE 53
- Juwan Johnson
- Noah Fant
- *Oscar Delp
ON THE CUT LINE
- Treyton Welch
- Moliki Matavao
- Zaire Mitchell-Paden
- **Cody Hardy
Notes: I was debating whether to keep a 4th player here, but it just won’t work with an extra RB and WR. This is as strong a position group 1 through 3 as you’ll find on the team.
WIDE RECEIVER (6)
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 27: Chris Olave #12 of the New Orleans Saints makes a catch in front of Cam Hart #20 of the Los Angeles Chargers during a 26-8 Chargers win at SoFi Stadium on October 27, 2024 in Inglewood, California.Photo by Harry How/Getty ImagesON THE 53
- Chris Olave
- *Jordyn Tyson
- Devaughn Vele
- *Bryce Lance
- Ja’Lynn Polk
- *Barion Brown
ON THE CUT LINE
- Mason Tipton
- Bub Means
- Trey Palmer
- Ronnie Bell
- Kevin Austin Jr.
- Damien Alford
Notes: It’s rare to see a team keep more than six WRs but I legitimately considered it for a moment here. I always try to avoid cutting rookies at all costs in this initial projection, so in this case that means cutting a former draft pick in Means and a player who fought his way onto the roster each of the past two years in Tipton. If there was ever a year I could see the Saints keep a 7th WR it'd be this one, but that would create an awkward cut and a potential numbers issue somewhere else and that extra WR would absolutely have to be a legitimate contributor on special teams.
OFFENSIVE LINE (10)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 09: Tyler Shough #6 of the New Orleans Saints and Kelvin Banks Jr. #71 celebrate a touchdown during the second half against the Carolina Panthers in the game at Bank of America Stadium on November 09, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina.Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty ImagesON THE 53
- LT: Kelvin Banks
- LG: David Edwards
- C: Erik McCoy
- RG: Cesar Ruiz
- RT: Taliese Fuaga
- Asim Richards
- **Alan Herron
- Dillon Radunz
- *Jeremiah Wright
- Torricelli Simpkins III
ON THE CUT LINE
- Nick Saldiveri
- **Alex Wollschlaeger
- Barry Wesley
- Easton Kilty
- Xavier Truss
- William Sherman
Notes: There aren’t many routes to the 53-man roster for UDFAs this year, but one of them could potentially be as a depth tackle. There are already viable backups for both guard spots in the rookie (Wright) and Radunz. Asim Richards played well in relief last year and he’ll be penciled in for a slot for now. That makes Alan Herron the most likely option across from him. Saldiveri just has never been able to stay healthy and this is likely the year he gets cut. I’m still not sure the Saints have a legitimate backup center, but for now we can slot Simpkins into that role.
DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE LINE (10)
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 02: Bryan Bresee #90 of the New Orleans Saints during the NFL 2025 game between New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on November 02, 2025 in Inglewood, California.Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesON THE 53
- Bryan Bresee
- Nathan Shepherd
- Davon Godchaux
- *Christen Miller
- Vernon Broughton
- Chase Young
- Carl Granderson
- Anfernee Jennings
- Tyree Wilson
- Chris Rumph
ON THE CUT LINE
- John Ridgeway
- Khristian Boyd
- Fadil Diggs
- Myles Cole
- **Michael Heldman
- Coziah Izzard
- **KeeShawn Silver
- **Jay’Viar Suggs
Notes: This group could get complicated, and only moreso if Cam Jordan is eventually added. We’ll have to wait and see on Jennings, but for now he’s a keep because he’s a high-quality run defender and the Saints don’t have a ton of that. Ridgeway and Boyd are guys who could have a strong camp and push their way above the cut line, but for now I’m going with the veterans.
LINEBACKER (5)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - NOVEMBER 17: Pete Werner #20 of the New Orleans Saints during the game against the Cleveland Browns at Caesars Superdome on November 17, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana.Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty ImagesON THE 53
- Pete Werner
- Kaden Elliss
- Danny Stutsman
- Isaiah Stalbird
- Jaylan Ford
- None
Notes: It’s hard for me to believe the Saints will go into camp with just five linebackers, if for no other reason than to find someone who can eat reps. Regardless, I think these top five names are strong and feel like the keepers.
DEFENSIVE BACK (10)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - DECEMBER 28: Jonas Sanker #33 and Kool-Aid McKinstry #4 of the New Orleans Saints react after a defensive stop during the fourth quarter of the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images- Kool-Aid McKinstry
- Quincy Riley
- Isaac Yiadom
- Martin Emerson Jr.
- *TJ Hall Jr.
- Jonas Sanker
- Justin Reid
- Julian Blackmon
- *Lorenzo Styles Jr.
- Jordan Howden
ON THE CUT LINE
- Terrell Burgess
- Elliott Davison
- Rejzohn Wright
- Jayden Price
- **DaShawn Jones
- **Jeremiah McClendon
- Beanie Bishop
- Dalys Beanum
Notes: The late addition of Emerson forced me to make one difficult cut and I was between Burgess and Yiadom. I ultimately sent Burgess back to the practice squad, which is where he started from last year as well, because I think Yiadom ends up being a core special teamer and potentially a captain for that group. I’m also not convinced that Hall makes the initial roster out of camp (which was also the case for both 7th round selections last year), but for now I’m giving the draft picks the benefit of the doubt.
SPECIALISTS (3)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - DECEMBER 21: Kai Kroeger #32 and Charlie Smyth #39 of the New Orleans Saints celebrate after Smyth's field goal against the New York Jets in the first quarter of a game at Caesars Superdome on December 21, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images- K Charlie Smyth
- P Ryan Wright
- LS Zach Wood
ON THE CUT LINE
- **Mason Shipley
Notes: No mystery here, but it’ll be on Smyth to keep it that way. He got off to one of the rockiest camp starts I’ve ever seen from a kicker last year and it ended the competition before it really began. If not for the international roster spot exemption, that might’ve been the end of his career entirely. It wasn’t, and here we are. Smyth needs to be consistent this time around. If he can be that, Shipley won’t be talked about as anything more than a camp leg.
