The New Orleans Saints trimmed down their roster to 53 men on Tuesday afternoon, but the moves were far from over. The most prominent move the Saints have made since then was bringing in Trey Palmer. The resulting move was cutting Cedric Wilson Jr.
This is how roster management goes. The Saints once involved J.T. Barrett in 23 different transactions in one year. It's doubtful anyone else will have to go back and forth as often, but it does go to show how common roster moves happen.
Don't be surprised if the Saints continue to deal. Other teams are going to be doing the same thing, so a player could be waived and pique the Saints interest. If there was one position to watch, it would be tight end. The Saints are extremely thin at the position.
Saints 53-man roster ahead of the 2025 NFL Season
Offense
Quarterbacks
Spencer Rattler
Tyler Shough
Running Backs
Alvin Kamara
Kendre Miller
Devin Neal
Velus Jones Jr.
Wide Receiver
Chris Olave
Rashid Shaheed
Brandin Cooks
Devaughn Vele
Mason Tipton
Trey Palmer
Offensive Line
Kelvin Banks Jr.
Trevor Penning
Erik McCoy
Cesar Ruiz
Taliese Fuaga
Xavier Truss
Torricelli Simpkins III
Dillon Radunz
Asim Richards
Luke Fortner
Analysis: Who needs tight ends? Apparently not the Saints. Taysom Hill and Foster Moreau are starting the season on the PUP list, so they’ll be out for the first six weeks. The Saints still only kept two tight ends on the roster. They surprisingly kept the rookie Matavao over Treyton Welch, then cut Jackson Stoll, who was viewed as a lock for blocking purposes.
It’s the Spencer Rattler era for now. He was named the starter, and the next job is to keep Tyler Shough at bay by playing well. The decision to keep two quarterbacks was a little surprising. At the same time, Jake Haener wouldn't have seen the field unless Rattler and Shough went down with injuries.
Speaking of surprises, Velus Jones Jr. has been a pleasant surprise this offseason. The converted wide receiver has shown return ability and some nifty running. The top three are as expected, with Kendre Miller looking better than ever. It’s hard to not hold your breath health-wise though. Maybe switching numbers really was the key.
Defense
Defensive linemen
Bryan Bresee
Davon Godchaux
Nathan Shepherd
Vernon Broughton
Khristian Boyd
Jonathan Bullard
Edge defenders
Chase Young
Carl Granderson
Cameron Jordan
Chris Rumph
Inside linebackers
Demario Davis
Pete Werner
Danny Stutsman
Isaiah Stalbird
Jaylan Ford
Cornerback
Kool-Aid McKinstry
Alontae Taylor
Isaac Yiadom
Quincy Riley
Rejzohn Wright
Ugo Amadi
Safeties
Justin Reid
Julian Blackmon
Jonas Sanker
Jordan Howden
J.T. Gray
Analysis: Linebacker was easily the hardest position to predict on the roster. Like wide receiver, the top three was locked. After that, it was anyone’s guess. The Saints opted for Stalbird and Ford who stood out the most on defense. It was hard to miss Stalbird on the field. Additionally, both men give you special team’s ability.
The Saints enter 2025 with a completely renovated safety room. Reid and Blackmon bolster the unit, because now the Saints have two trusted safeties with positional versatility. Jonas Sanker is another player who may be hard to keep off the field.
At cornerback, McKinstry and Taylor may be two of the three to five most impactful defenders. The secondary has the potential to once again be the heartbeat of the defense.
Special Teams
Blake Grupe- Kicker
Zach Wood- Long Snapper
Kai Kroeger- Punter
Analysis: Not much to see here. Grupe has had a fantastic offseason and may be one of the smartest fantasy pickups on the team. Kroeger doesn't feel solidified yet, so keep an eye open on if the Saints workout any punters.