New Orleans Saints: Way-too-early 53-man roster prediction

Running Back (4)

Alvin Kamara

Latavius Murray

Dwayne Washington

Michael Burton

No surprises here. Kamara and Murray will still be the top two backs on the team, while Washington should be the number three and continue to contribute on special teams. It looks like Burton will replace Zach Line, who retired this offseason, as the fullback.

Tight End (3)

Jared Cook

Josh Hill

Adam Trautman

This position group should also be set with Cook and Hill continuing to be the top options. Trautman should also make the team after the Saints invested a lot to trade up for the rookie. They’ll look to try and incorporate him in an already dynamic offense.

Offensive Line (9)

Terron Armstead

Andrus Peat

Erik McCoy

Cesar Ruiz

Ryan Ramczyk

Nick Easton

Cameron Tom

Derrick Kelly

Calvin Throckmorton

All signs point to the trade or release of Warford, who has a cap hit of $13 million. Warford is not a bad player by any means and I would definitely try to keep him if I were the Saints, mostly because of the injury history with Peat.

But unless there is some sort of pay cut worked out, there’s no way the Saints can afford to keep Warford at his current number. My guess is that Ruiz will start at center, while McCoy moves over to guard.

I really liked Tom and thought he was developing into a good player before he got injured in September and was placed on IR. It would be a big boost to the team’s depth if he can stay healthy and continue to progress this season.

I also added Kelly and Throckmorton based on their flexibility to play anywhere around the line. But UDFAs Adrian Magee, Darrin Paulo, and Jordan Steckler can all be options for the final spot as well.