The New Orleans Saints are making moves off the waiver wire after roster cuts, and two familiar college names are heading to New Orleans.
The team was awarded former Chicago Bears offensive tackle Mason Murphy and ex-Indianapolis Colts defensive lineman Colby Wooden, adding depth on both sides of the line. With the Saints already at their 53-man limit, they’ll need to create two openings before either player can officially settle in - either by cutting two players or moving two to injured reserve.
Murphy is 24 and came into the league as an undrafted free agent from Auburn. That connection matters: he was college teammates with Saints fourth-round pick Jeremiah Wright, and the two spent most of the 2025 season working next to each other at right tackle and center.
Chicago kept Murphy at right tackle throughout the preseason, but he has also logged time at right guard and left tackle from his earlier days at USC. He only played one snap at left guard in college.
At 6-foot-5 and 319 pounds, the rookie was charged with allowing one sack and three quarterback pressures over three preseason games.
Wooden arrives with a little more NFL mileage. The 25-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Green Bay Packers in 2023 before being traded to Indianapolis in March in exchange for linebacker Zaire Franklin.
Listed at 6-foot-4 and 273 pounds, he has previously said he was working his way up to 290 in past offseasons. Wooden, who also played at Auburn, was a steady part of Green Bay’s interior rotation and then started 16 games in 2025.
He projects as a fit for Brandon Staley’s 3-4 defense as a backup behind Vernon Broughton and Nathan Shepherd, though his reputation is built more on stopping the run than collapsing the pocket. In three years with the Packers, he was credited with two half-sacks and nine tackles for loss, including the playoffs.
More Saints roster shuffling is likely to follow as the club continues building its practice squad and adjusting the 53-man roster before Week 1. There’s still work left to do.
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