11 takeaways from the Saints' 53-man roster
The New Orleans have officially cut their roster down to 53 players and it came with a few unexpected surprises this time around. The team elected to keep four undrafted rookies while letting go of a few seasoned veterans as the team looks to get younger on both sides of the ball.
With the roster now completely finalized, here are some takeaways that we've gathered from taking our first glance at the 53:
Quarterback (3)
On the roster: Derek Carr, Jake Haener, Spencer Rattler
On the outs: N/A
No change here at all but Rattler's preseason performances against Tennessee have really raised the bar for Jake Haener. The two should continue to battle this thing out into the season, as they fight for the No.2 quarterback job.
Running back (3)
On the roster: Alvin Kamara, Jamaal Williams, Jordan Mims
On the outs: James Robinson, Jacob Kibodi
On injured reserve: Kendre Miller
The team elected to go with Jordan Mims as their third running back who seemed to have the lead in this race for much of the camp. However, the performances from Robinson and Kibodi this preseason were promising which is why it wouldn't be a surprise if either is brought back on the practice squad.
Fullback (2)
On the roster: Taysom Hill, Adam Prentice
On the outs: N/A
The Saints are rostering two fullbacks for now, but it's easy to see Prentice getting bumped down to the practice squad if Hill is able to handle his set of responsibilities.
Wide receiver (6)
On the roster: Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Cedric Wilson Jr., A.T. Perry, Bub Means, Mason Tipton
On the outs: Equanimeous St. Brown, Stanley Morgan Jr., Samson Nacua, Kevin Austin Jr., Shaq Davis,
The Saints made the most surprising move by deciding to keep undrafted rookie Mason Tipton on the roster. By keeping Tipton, it is clear that he did enough in the early portions of training camp to solidify his spot on the team, despite being unavailable this preseason. With Tipton on the roster, the team is currently slated to keep six players (Olave, Shaheed, Wilson Jr, Perry, Means, Tipton) at the receiver position. The addition of Tipton to this roster potentially gives the Saints some more speed and deep threat ability along with Olave and Shaheed.
Tight ends (3)
On the roster: Juwan Johnson, Foster Moreau, Dallin Holker
On the outs: Michael Jacobson, Kevin Rader, Mason Fairchild
On injured reserve: Kevin Rader
The status of Holker's ankle is worth watching after he sprained it warming up for the second preseason game, and it's possible the Saints could look to make a move at tight end if he needs to miss time. But the top of the depth chart is set.
Offensive line (8)
On the roster: Taliese Fuaga (tackle), Lucas Patrick (guard/center), Erik McCoy (center), Cesar Ruiz (guard), Trevor Penning (tackle), Olisaemeka Udoh (guard/tackle), Landon Young (tackle), Nick Saldiveri (guard)
On the outs: Kyle Hergel (guard), Shane Lemieux (guard/center), Josiah Ezirim (tackle), Mark Evans II (guard), Tremayne Anchrum Jr. (guard/tackle), Jesse Davis (tackle)
This is the thinnest group on the depth chart, even if it's a surprise to see Hergel waived. There should be a couple moves this week to bring in different backups and maybe some players who can push to start at right tackle or left guard. It's a problem.
Defensive line (10)
On the roster: Cameron Jordan (end), Carl Granderson (end), Chase Young (end), Isaiah Foskey (end), Payton Turner (end), Nathan Shepherd (tackle), Bryan Bresee (tackle), Khalen Saunders (tackle), Khristian Boyd (tackle), Kendal Vickers (tackle)
On the outs: Jack Heflin (tackle), Niko Lalos (end)
On PUP: Tanoh Kpassagnon (end)
It's a little surprising to see Vickers make the cut, the Saints usually run light at defensive tackle and we've seen both Jordan and Turner get work inside on passing downs. He might be someone who gets pushed down to the practice squad in a few days.
Linebackers (6)
On the roster: Demario Davis, Pete Werner, Willie Gay, Anfernee Orji, D’Marco Jackson, Jaylan Ford
On the outs: Khaleke Hudson, Isaiah Stalbird, Mike Rose, Andrew Dowell, Monty Rice
On PUP: Nephi Sewell
Six linebackers feels like a lot when the Saints only play two at a time defensively, but they ask a lot of the backups on special teams. We could see someone bumped down to the practice in a day or two, or when Sewell is activated later this season.
Cornerback (5)
On the roster: Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo, Alontae Taylor, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Rico Payton
On the outs: Shemar Jean-Charles, Mac McCain, Joejuan Williams
On injured reserve: Rejzohn Wright
Payton played his way on to the roster with excellent preseason performances over the last couple weeks. Many of us thought the team would keep just four at the cornerback spot as they usually do but the play of Payton likely made him an exception to this. Payton feels like a great depth piece to have in the case of an injury while also being an immediate special teams contributor.
Safety (4)
On the roster: Tyrann Mathieu, Will Harris, Jordan Howden, J.T. Gray
On the outs: Johnathan Abram, Ugo Amadi, Roderic Teamer, Lawrence Johnson, Millard Bradford
The releasing of Johnathan Abram came as a bit of a surprise at first glimpse being that he looked to be in line for a potential starting role in this defense opposite Tyrann Mathieu. Abram also had himself a decent preseason as he looked much improved in terms of his coverage skills. It was reported that the team will likely bring Abram back as a practice squad member shortly but it seems as though he's been surpassed as a potential starting option for this team.
Special Teams (3)
On the roster: Matthew Hayball, Blake Grupe, Zach Wood
On the outs: Lou Hedley, Charlie Smyth
The punting situation in New Orleans is experiencing change once again with the release of last year's starter Lou Hedley. Hedley struggled during the preseason and showed some inconsistency during much of training camp to ultimately lead to this. Undrafted rookie Matthew Hayball looks to be taking over for Hedley after just one year with the team. Once again, the Saints go with the younger/less experienced player in the end.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 11 takeaways from the Saints' 53-man roster
