Saints projected 53-man roster

Cutting down to 53 players for the regular season roster is never an easy task for NFL teams. All head coaches will tell you that it’s probably the toughest part of the job.

We’re almost here again, at the crossroads, where the tough decisions will be made. Many teams have a pretty good idea about numbers 1-47, but the last six or so spots are the most difficult to determine.

For the Saints, it may lead to an opportunity to invest in a trade for a backup at a need position like offensive tackle. There is good depth at a couple of spots, particularly in defensive backfield, from which the front office may try to mak a swap. The Saints will also pan the waiver wire hoping to fill in a spot or two after having scouted where other teams may have a surplus in talent.

Pending any injuries that could alter this list, here’s who I think New Orleans takes into the first week of the regular season.

Projecting the 53-man roster…

QB (3) – Drew Brees, Teddy Bridgewater and Taysom Hill

No surprises here.

RB (4) – Alvin Kamara, Latavius Murray, Dwayne Washington and Zach Line (FB)

The returning veterans win out here as well. Undrafted rookie Devine Ozigbo has shown enough to warrant a spot on the practice squad, which could eventually lead to a roster spot at some point during the season.

WR (5) – Michael Thomas, Ted Ginn Jr., Tre Quan Smith, Emmanuel Butler and Austin Carr

Keith Kirkwood made eight appearances last season with 13 catches fpr 209 yards and two touchdowns, but the old saying ‘you can’t make the club in the tub’ applies here since he’s been mostly unavailable during training camp. It’s opened the door for Butler, a rookie UDFA who has impressed. Cyril Grayson and Lil’ Jordan Humphrey have flashed potential and appear to be viable candidates for practice squad.

TE (3) – Jared Cook, Josh Hill and Dan Arnold

Arnold was inconsistent in 10 games last fall with 12 grabs for 150 yards and one score but he is a work in progress who can be a tough matchup for defenses in coverage. The staff seems to like his potential. Veteran pickup A.J. Derby has demonstrated enough to make it a tough call though. History may be on the side of Arnold, a known quantity. Draftee Alize Mack may make the practice squad.

OL (8) – Terron Armstead, Ryan Ramczyk, Andrus Peat, Larry Warford, Erik McCoy, Cameron Tom, Will Clapp, Nick Easton

Lots of thought goes into this spot. Do they keep nine? They usually do. If that is the case, either Marshall Newhouse (114 NFL games, 72 starts) or Patrick Omameh (7 seasons, 56 starts) may get strongly considered but the final spot could easily be someone currently not on the preseason roster. To locate a solid potential left tackle elsewhere will be really hard. Teams just won’t give those up. The best case scenario is having the best backup tackle already on the roster, Andrus Peat. Therefore, keeping more interior linemen where there’s more quality makes sense. Has Nick Easton shown enough to warrant a spot though? We shall see.

DE (4) – Marcus Davenport, Cameron Jordan, Trey Hendrickson, Wes Horton

Undrafted rookie Porter Gustin has flashed his potential, meaning he is worth stashing on the practice squad. The Saints will go with the vets on the active roster.

DT (5) – Sheldon Rankins, David Onyemata, Mario Edwards, Malcolm Brown, Taylor Stallworth

Between the ends and tackles, it would not be a surprise to see the Saints snag someone off the waiver wire and add to the practice squad or even the active roster.

LB (7) – Alex Anzalone, Demario Davis, A.J. Klein, Craig Robertson, Kaden Elliss, Vince Biegel, Darnell Sankey

This position is so important to the special teams units. The physical nature of the spot also means injuries occur somewhat frequently. Seven is a safe number but it could end up only six. Two of the seven best options (Anzalone and Robertson) are currently addressing injuries. Colton Jumper, a second-year pro who had five tackles in 2018 on special teams, is good at covering kicks so perhaps he edges out Darnell Sankey; one or both could end up on the practice squad initially.

CB (6) – Marshon Lattimore, Eli Apple, P.J. Williams, Patrick Robinson, Justin Hardee and C.J. Gardner-Johnson

Marcus Sherels hasn’t demonstrated enough to keep his job as a return specialist and cornerback reserve. It appears to be the possible end of the line here for Ken Crawley, a four-year undrafted veteran who has 23 starts to his credit.

Safety (4) – Vonn Bell, Marcus Williams, Chris Banjo and J.T. Gray

Rookie sixth rounder Saquon Hampton looks to have a future in the league, but his absence at practice indicates possibly IR or practice squad. Terrell Williams, a big 6-foot-4 option, was on the 49ers practice squad in 2018, and the Saints may want to hold on to him in the same capacity.

Specialists (4) – P Thomas Morstead, K Will Lutz, LS Zach Wood, KR/PR Deonte Harris

Harris seems to have won the job as return man for the Saints be seizing his chance while Sherels has been sidelined.