With 73 days left before the New Orleans Saints open the 2026 regular season, the spotlight falls on the player wearing No. 73: offensive lineman Easton Kilty.
The Saints will head north to face the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13, and Kilty enters camp trying to carve out a role on what’s expected to be a much-improved offensive line. He’s going into his second NFL season and is in the mix for a roster spot.
Kilty is 24 years old, stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 307 pounds. He’s from Stratford, Wisc., played his college football at Kansas State, and is carrying an estimated 2026 salary cap hit of $885,000. He was originally signed by New Orleans as an undrafted free agent in 2025.
His college path started at North Dakota after graduating from Stratford High School. Kilty quickly became a fixture for the Fighting Hawks, starting 35 games from 2021 through 2023.
He picked up honorable mention All-Missouri Valley Conference recognition in 2023 before transferring to Kansas State for his final season. There, he started every game at left tackle and earned 2nd Team All-Big 12 honors.
Kilty spent most of his rookie year on the Saints’ practice squad in 2025. He was elevated to the practice squad once in Week 16, but did not play a snap. New Orleans brought him back this offseason on a reserve/futures contract.
Now he gets another shot on a line that has struggled badly over the last two years, even after the Saints added several new pieces this offseason. In college, Kilty showed the kind of lower-body power that can move defenders in the run game. He also flashed solid pass-protection traits, including awareness against different rush looks, good hand placement, a sturdy base, and the ability to handle double-team work without much fuss.
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