The Saints’ roster crunch is here, and the hardest calls are starting to come into focus.
With the NFL’s cutdown deadline set for Sunday, Aug. 30 at 5 p.m. CT, New Orleans is still sorting through what it learned in the preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The next two tests, against the Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys, should help settle a few more battles. For now, though, there are roughly 35 or 36 spots already spoken for, which leaves a crowded group fighting for the rest.
That’s what makes this projection so tricky. These are the eight players who would sting the most to leave off the 53-man roster.
Zach Wilson is the biggest surprise on the list, especially after the muted reaction to his signing back in the spring. But he helped his case against Jacksonville and suddenly looks like a real challenger to Spencer Rattler for the backup quarterback job behind Tyler Shough. Wilson still hasn’t done enough to win it outright, but the race is very much alive.
Kendre Miller is another tough omission, and this one comes down to availability more than anything else. He came back from a season-ending knee injury, then dealt with a back issue at training camp.
Talent-wise, he may be the Saints’ best athlete at running back. The problem is simple: he hasn’t been on the field enough.
Ty Chandler also forced his way into the conversation with one explosive play. After a quiet summer, he opened the preseason by ripping off an 86-yard kickoff return.
That doesn’t lock him in by itself, but it does make the special teams angle much more interesting. And it may be too soon to crown Barion Brown as the team’s new kick returner.
At receiver, Trey Palmer is hanging around the edge of the roster picture. He could be fighting Bub Means for the sixth spot, and his appeal is obvious: he can run by corners and he tracks the ball well with his hands extended away from his body. There’s still work to do, but he’s squarely in the mix.
Torricelli Simpkins III has been the second-team center all summer, and that usage carried over into the first preseason game. The issue is consistency.
When he gets to his man cleanly and drives with his legs, he looks the part. Too often, though, the snap is messy or he has to labor through traffic.
The Saints need more control and less hesitation from him.
Charlie Smyth’s story has made him easy to root for. The former Gaelic footballer turned pro kicker won fans over last year when he replaced Blake Grupe, hit a game-winning field goal and built a following.
But the missed kicks are piling up, including a 52-yarder in a game where Tanner Brown made his 49-yard attempt. Smyth isn’t finished yet, but he has clearly slipped.
Tyree Wilson would be a disappointing cut after the Saints traded for him during the draft. New Orleans did get a pick back from the Las Vegas Raiders, which softens the blow, but the expectation was still for Wilson to show up in a new defense and make plays. Instead, he missed the first preseason game because of what Kellen Moore called "bumps and bruises."
Rezjohn Wright rounds out the group. He was on last year’s team, but injury has him in a tough spot now, even though the specific issue isn’t known.
The timing is rough for a backup at a position the Saints upgraded in free agency, and Martin Emerson Jr. has played well enough to make Wright and Isaac Yiadom expendable. If Wright can get healthy and finish the preseason strong, he still has a path to sticking around in New Orleans.
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For Saints fans, it is the kind of transaction that can stir up an old conversation about how the quarterback room has been managed over the last couple of years. Haener was a fourth-round pick in 2023 and got into eight games for New Orleans in 2024, so his latest stop is a reminder that the evaluation of young passers rarely ends where it begins. [Read more 🡒]