The Saints got to Tuesday’s roster deadline with a full house of decisions, trimming from 81 players down to the NFL’s required 53 and leaving a few names that stood out more than the rest.
New Orleans ended up making 28 moves by 5 p.m., a mix of waivers, veteran releases, injured reserve designations and other roster housekeeping. The initial 53 includes three quarterbacks and all but one player from the Saints’ eight-man 2026 draft class, with seventh-round cornerback T.J.
Hall the lone rookie from that group who did not survive the first cut. As always, that first 53 is only a snapshot, not a final verdict.
Among the more notable moves were the decisions to release safety Terrell Burgess and corner Isaac Yiadom, both of whom started games for the Saints last season. Yiadom began last year as one of the team’s outside corner starters, though that role already looked temporary as New Orleans worked Quincy Riley into position.
This summer, Yiadom was almost entirely with the second unit. Then Riley got hurt in training camp, the Saints shifted Martin Emerson into that spot, and Yiadom slid even farther down the depth chart.
Burgess had a similar kind of roller-coaster with the roster. He didn’t make the team out of training camp last year either, but he returned quickly and wound up playing in 16 games.
Because both Burgess and Yiadom are vested veterans, they do not go through waivers. That means New Orleans doesn’t have to worry about another team claiming them, and if there’s interest on both sides, the Saints could bring them back on the practice squad.
The Saints also found room for a couple of players who benefited from injuries elsewhere. Tight end Treyton Welch made the roster for the first time after the team’s depth got thinned by injuries to rookie Oscar Delp and Moliki Matavao. Defensive back Mike Reid also stuck, helped by his work on special teams and his ability to play safety.
Kicker Charlie Smyth was among the cuts again, continuing a tough run in roster battles. The native Irishman, who took over with six games left last season, was cut for the third straight year.
New Orleans pressed him hard this offseason after he went 8-for-12 in a small sample last year. The team brought in former Pro Bowler Younghoe Koo for a workout, then had Smyth compete with undrafted free agent Mason Shipley and former UFL standout Tanner Brown.
Smyth and Brown spent much of camp trading blows, but when neither separated himself, the Saints added former All-Pro kicker Daniel Carlson with less than a week left in camp.
For now, New Orleans kept both Carlson and Brown on the initial 53, though that arrangement is likely to change in the coming days.
The Saints’ Sunday transactions were:
Released
S Terrell Burgess
CB Michael Davis
RB Zamir White
CB Isaac Yiadom
Waived
K Tanner Brown
DL Myles Cole
WR Jalen Cropper
EDGE Fadil Diggs
RB CJ Donaldson
CB T.J. Hall
TE Cody Hardy
OT Alan Herron
OL Easton Kilty
WR Trey Palmer
OL Torricelli Simpkins
LB Jackson Sirmon
K Charlie Smyth
DL Jay'Viar Suggs
OT Alex Wollschlager
In Other News...
Saints Make A Surprising Secondary Cut Fans Didn't See Coming
The Saints trimmed their roster to 53 by waiving safety Terrell Burgess, a move that stood out because he had been part of the defense throughout the season and appeared in all 16 games last year. Burgess brought veteran depth to the secondary, and his release fit a larger picture in New Orleans as the team continues reshaping the back end of the defense.
Burgess is reportedly a candidate to return on the practice squad, which would keep him in the building if the Saints want his experience available. Even so, the decision points to a clear youth movement in the defensive backfield, with younger players expected to handle bigger roles as the team settles its roster. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Roster Cuts Begin As Familiar Depth Faces Uncertain Future
The roster trimming has begun in New Orleans, and the Saints have started making the hard calls that come with getting down to the NFLs 53-man limit. On Monday, the team waived 10 players as part of the cutdown process, with most of the moves affecting familiar names who had either spent time on the practice squad or had only limited exposure with the club.
For a team trying to sort out the bottom of the roster, these decisions are rarely final in the way they first appear. The players now enter the waiver process and still have a path back to the Saints practice squad if they go unclaimed, which keeps a small window open as the deadline approaches and the last pieces of the roster picture come into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Fans Can Now See What That Deion Jones Trade Really Was
What looked like a small late-summer move between the Saints and 49ers has already turned into one of those preseason transactions that says more about roster juggling than long-term plans. New Orleans sent linebacker Deion Jones to San Francisco for running back Zamir White, a swap made to help each team cover a need for the final exhibition games rather than a deal built around a permanent fit.
Neither side ended up carrying the move beyond the preseason finale, with both players released by their new teams afterward. For Saints fans, the more interesting part may be what comes next for Jones, who could still circle back to the 49ers through the practice squad if San Francisco wants to keep him in the building a little longer. [Read more 🡒]