New Orleans Saints: 5 quick takeaways from 53-man roster

The New Orleans Saints trimmed their roster to 53 players and in doing so, had to make some tough choices as to who to keep and who to cut.

While some of the cuts made weren’t all that shocking (Kevin White for instance), there were other cuts made that did surprise. Even though players made the final roster doesn’t mean they’ll still be sitting pretty when Week 1 rolls around.

The Saints have a chance to add players who were let go by their previous teams and if they find anyone they’d like to add, more cuts will have to be made. This is unfortunate for players but for now, they’re on the team.

Here are some quick takeaways from the final roster.

1. Four quarterbacks?

Trevor Siemian getting released isn’t surprising and apparently, the NFL journeyman won’t be away from the team for long. Tom Pelissero reported earlier in the day that Siemian is likely going to be the backup quarterback for the Saints, as Taysom Hill will be put into his typical offensive weapon role.

Hill might end up technically being listed at another position but if not, the Saints are on track to carry four quarterbacks. Ian Book made the team and will probably serve as the third-stringer in this current plan.

2. Four tight ends?

Along with four quarterbacks, the Saints also made the decision to have four tight ends on their roster. Adam Trautman, Juwan Johnson, and Nick Vannett felt like sure things but Garrett Griffin found his way onto the roster for the time being as well. Griffin feels like an easy cut option for when the Saints go to add someone to the roster.

3. Murray made the cut

There had been talk all offseason long about Latavius Murray’s role with the team. He didn’t help his case by not performing well in the preseason and getting outshined by Tony Jones Jr.

As of now, however, Murray is on the team and might be demoted to third-string. He could still be an option to part ways with at some point but he’s currently on the roster.

4. Seven linebackers made the team

Linebacker was proving to be one of the most difficult positions to narrow down and make cuts at. Lower-tier names like Wynton McManis and Andrew Dowell ended up greatly impressing this summer and as a result, the Saints made the decision to include seven linebackers on their roster with McManis being the odd man out.

5. Wide receiver could still use some help

With Michael Thomas’ injury and Chris Hogan’s release (but also likely return), the Saints might be setting themselves up to grab a receiver from elsewhere. They elected to have Marquez Callaway, Tre’Quan Smith, Ty Montgomery, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, and Deonte Harris on their final roster, which left seventh-round rookie Kawaan Baker on the outside looking in.

With names like John Brown, Geronimo Allison, Breshad Perriman, Travis Fulgham, and others getting cut or released on Tuesday, the Saints might be planning on targeting another name at the position, which is why they only have five there as of now.

There will be plenty to unpack about the Saints’ final roster in the coming days but it looks like we have a good idea of how the unit looks as of now.