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More changes are on the way, but here are our 8 takeaways from the New Orleans Saints’ initial 53-man roster:
Here it is: the New Orleans Saints released their initial 53-man roster after cuts were reported to the league office on Tuesday, as per NFL rules. And we’ve had time to scour the depth chart up and down to see what’s been settled, what’s still unsaid, and what may be in the works.
Here are our eight takeaways from the Saints’ first 53-man roster of the 2023 season:
The Packers kept 11 of their 13 draft picks and 3 undrafted free agents on the initial 53-man roster of 2023.
The Green Bay Packers kept 11 of their 13 draft picks and three undrafted free agents on the initial 53-man roster of 2023.
The two draft picks released: running back Lew Nichols (who was waived/injured due to a shoulder injury) and receiver Grant DuBose, who missed all of the offseason workout program and part of training camp because of a back injury. Both Nichols (No. 235) and DuBose (No. 256) were seventh-round picks.
Both were squeezed off the roster by undrafted free agents signed this year.
Receiver Malik Heath (Ole Miss), edge rusher Brenton Cox Jr. (Florida) and running back Emanuel Wilson (Fort Valley State) made the team. All three were preseason standouts.
Heath led the team with 12 catches for 146 yards during the preseason. Cox led the team with seven pressures and two batted passes. Wilson led the entire NFL with 223 rushing yards.
The Packers extended their streak of 19 straight seasons keeping at least one undrafted free agent, and also kept three undrafted free agents for the first time since 2018.
The Packers also kept first-year punter Daniel Whelan, who replaces veteran Pat O’Donnell and gives Green Bay two specialists without NFL experience.
The following draft picks made the team: Lukas Van Ness, Luke Musgrave, Jayden Reed, Tucker Kraft, Colby Wooden, Sean Clifford, Dontayvion Wicks, Karl Brooks, Anders Carlson, Carrington Valentine and Anthony Johnson.
Although Nichols will need an injury settlement, DuBose could quickly return if the Packers place a player or two on injured reserve on Wednesday.
After trading a seventh-round pick to the Saints for kicker Wil Lutz, the Broncos have six picks remaining for the 2024 NFL draft.
The Denver Broncos finally have their Brandon McManus replacement.
The Broncos traded a seventh-round pick to the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday in exchange for kicker Wil Lutz. That leaves the team with six picks to use in the 2024 NFL draft.
Here’s an updated look at the team’s current order of picks for next April.
(The team’s second-round pick was sent to the Saints earlier this year as part of the Sean Payton trade.)
Round 1: own pick
Round 3: own or via Saints* (Sean Payton trade)
Round 4: own or via Dolphins** (Bradley Chubb trade)
Round 5: own pick
Round 5: via Jets (Jacob Martin trade)
Round 7: own or via Rams*** (Kenny Young trade)
*The Broncos traded a 2024 third-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks to trade up for cornerback Riley Moss during the 2023 draft. It’s not yet known if Denver sent its original third-round pick or a third-round selection previously acquired from the Saints.
**The Broncos traded a 2024 fourth-round pick to the New York Jets in 2022 in exchange for pass rusher Jacob Martin and a 2024 fifth-round pick. It’s unclear if Denver traded its own pick or the Miami Dolphins’ pick for Martin.
***Denver acquired a seventh-round pick and Young from the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 in exchange for next year’s sixth-round pick. It’s unclear if the Broncos are sending their original seventh-round pick or L.A.’s seventh-round pick to New Orleans in exchange for Lutz.
Clear as mud, right?
Regardless of if they end up being their original picks or the picks acquired from other teams, Denver is currently expected to have six picks in 2024 with selections in the first, third, fourth, fifth and seventh rounds.
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Report: Saints release veteran cornerback Troy Pride Jr., former Panthers draft pick
Source: The #Saints released former #Panthers CB Troy Pride Jr.
The former Notre Dame standout is finally healthy and looks to find a new home elsewhere. He started 8 games for Carolina as a rookie in 2020. pic.twitter.com/0OrCnRWBMw
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 29, 2023
The New Orleans Saints are continuing to thin out their secondary ahead of NFL roster cuts by releasing veteran cornerback Troy Pride Jr., per TheScore’s Jordan Schultz. Pride was a former mid-round draft pick by the Carolina Panthers whose career was derailed by an injury. He could be a smart pick to keep on the practice squad, but it sounds like Pride is looking for opportunities to play on Sundays.
Every cornerback outside the top four players faced an uphill battle this summer in competing for roster spots. Having established starters in way like Marshon Lattimore, Bradley Roby, Paulson Adebo and Alontae Taylor makes for a really tough blockade to get through. The Saints do like to stock up on defensive backs, though, so we should expect some of their roster cuts to stay in town and sign with the practice squad later this week.
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Who stood out most in the Saints preseason games — for good and bad? Breaking down the PFF player grades on each end of the spectrum:
Who stood out most in the New Orleans Saints preseason games — for good and bad? Pro Football Focus player grades aren’t useful for any serious analysis, but they are nice for a quick reference when scouring each end of the spectrum.
There’s a wide gulf in sample sizes in preseason, though, so we’re filtering the lists down to players who were on the field for at least 20% of snaps in each phase of the game. That removes guys who were only out there for seven or eight plays while reflecting those who were actively participating each week.
Here’s what PFF had to say about the Saints’ best (and worst) performers on offense and defense after three preseason games:
How New Orleans Saints media projects the 53-man roster: Surveying latest projections to see who’s in, who’s out, and who’s on the bubble
We’re hours away from kickoff in the third and final New Orleans Saints preseason game, and everyone has their take on which players are going to make it through roster cuts on Tuesday — and who might be left on the outside looking in.
So to get an idea of each player’s odds of making the team, we surveyed the latest 53-man roster projections from ten different media outlets covering the Saints. Radio shows, newspapers, and online platforms were each considered. Here’s what we found:
The Saints haven’t seen their entire rookie draft class make the 53-man roster since 2017. Their 2023 rookies are set to break that concerning trend:
NFL roster cuts are right around the corner, and the New Orleans Saints are so close to ending one of their worst trends. The Saints have waived at least one rookie draft pick in each of the last five years, but their 2023 draft class is poised to break that streak — all seven players are in good position to make the team and help out this year, including late-rounders like safety Jordan Howden and wide receiver A.T. Perry.
You can’t say that about many of the draft classes that preceded them. Between poor planning for rookie draft picks and position valuation (spending too many picks on areas that were already flush with talent), the Saints have wasted a lot of draft picks in recent years. Thankfully that trend appears to be ending.
Here are all of the rookie draft picks the Saints released during roster cuts from 2022 to 2018:
We’ve updated our New Orleans Saints 53-man roster projection after the team’s second preseason game, this time including the practice squad:
The first two New Orleans Saints preseason games are in the books, and we’ve learned a lot from their performance in exhibition matchups. So how does it change the outlook in our 53-man roster projections? What about the practice squad?
That’s what we’re working to resolve today, going through the roster by each position group and making our best guess at which players might make the cut next week. There’s still time for some guys on the bubble to strengthen their case, and others are still on the fringe.
For the practice squad, six spots are reserved for veteran players with two or more years of experience in the NFL; the other ten slots are for rookies and those with just one accrued season.
With a flurry of trades and veteran signings around the corner while dozens of players are released in the cut-down from 90 to 53, here’s where the Saints currently stand:
6 Saints rookies who could use a big game against the Chargers | @DillySanders
The New Orleans Saints are preparing for their second preseason matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. Some fans might shrug off a preseason game, but for some of these players its one of their last chances to make their case and accomplish their dreams of making an NFL roster.
The Saints walked away from the Kansas City Chiefs with a victory in last weeks matchup, in large part due to some great rookie performances. That wasn’t the case for all of the rookies, however. Here are some of the rookies on the roster that really could use a solid performance against the Chargers if they hope to stick around, some aren’t in danger of getting cut but rather just some confidence heading into their first season:
Here’s our Saints rookie report card from their preseason win against the Chiefs, highlighting every draft pick and standout UDFA’s | @DillySanders
The New Orleans Saints left the Superdome for the first time this season as champions, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 26-24 during the first week of the NFL preseason. While it was nice to see a lot of the returning players, like Chris Olave and Michael Thomas, it was also the first chance to see some of the rookies that we have spent months speculating about.
There were some great debuts, like Blake Grupe and Anfernee Orji, along with some debuts that did not go as well. While you can’t make a decision on how a player’s career will turn out based off of one preseason game, it’s also the only tangible in game play we have to go off of so far. Here’s the rookie report card for some notable debuts in the first game:
