The New Orleans Saints are at capacity with their 90-man roster, set to carry a talented group of players through the summer and into training camp. But just 53 of them will be retained for the season’s opening kickoff, with a dozen players hoping to clear waivers and return on the practice squad (per new CBA rules, two practice squad players each week may be promoted to the active roster on game days. It’s more confusing than it needs to be).
But which Saints players are in best position to make the team? Which of them are out on the fringe, on the roster bubble? And who faces the longest odds of making the cut? Here’s a position-by-position preview, starting with the quarterbacks:
Quarterbacks
Locks:
- Drew Brees
- Taysom Hill
- Jameis Winston
On the bubble:
- Tommy Stevens
The top three passers are locked in, with Hill and Winston setting themselves up to compete for the starting job once Brees has spun his last football in New Orleans. It’s as impressive a depth chart you’ll find around the NFL, regardless of position. How many teams can say their third-stringer is a Heisman Trophy winner?
Stevens is a curiosity. If he can do an admirable job filling in for Hill as a runner and receiver (and maybe on special teams), he might stick around on the 53-man roster. He might pass through waivers and land on the practice squad, but it doesn’t feel like the Saints traded back into the draft just to give up on him after a few weeks in training camp.