The Saints are still shuffling pieces as the calendar creeps toward Sept. 13, and the latest wave of moves keeps the roster churn going.
New Orleans had initially trimmed down to just four wide receivers on its 53-man roster: Chris Olave, Bryce Lance, Devaughn Vele and Barion Brown. That left the group lean, even with Jalen Moreno-Cropper and Trey Palmer stashed on the practice squad as possible game-day elevations.
Now the Saints have added more help behind the scenes. Kevin Austin, Jr. is back in New Orleans, tight end Treyton Welch has also been brought in, and the team claimed cornerback Decamerion Richardson off waivers from the Las Vegas Raiders. To create the opening, rookie Lorenzo Styles, Jr. was placed on injured reserve.
Richardson comes in at 6-2 and 192 pounds after being taken by Las Vegas in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 112th overall, out of Mississippi State. Across two seasons with the Raiders, he played in 27 games and made seven starts, finishing with 46 tackles, one pass breakup and 11 special teams tackles. He appeared in 15 games in 2025 and ranked second on the Raiders with ten special teams tackles.
Austin, listed at 6-2 and 200 pounds, entered the league with Jacksonville as an undrafted free agent in 2022 after playing at Notre Dame. He spent his rookie year on the Jaguars’ practice squad in 2023, then found his way to New Orleans for the past two seasons.
In that stretch, he has played in 16 games with three starts and has 24 catches for 291 yards and one touchdown. This year, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla. native added 13 receptions for 140 yards and scored the first touchdown of his NFL career.
Welch, who stands 6-4 and weighs 240 pounds, originally signed with Cleveland as an undrafted free agent in 2024 out of Wyoming. He has been around the Saints’ practice squad for the last two seasons and finally got his first NFL action in 2025, appearing in three games and starting one for New Orleans.
Tillman, 6-3 and 215 pounds, was drafted by Cleveland in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Tennessee. The Las Vegas, Nev., native appeared in 38 games with 19 starts for the Browns from 2023 through 2025, posting 71 catches for 833 yards and five touchdowns. In 2025, he played in 13 games and made ten starts, with 21 receptions for 270 yards and two scores.
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