The New Orleans Saints only have four wide receivers on the active roster at the moment after letting Kevin Austin Jr. go a day after roster cuts. This move and Kellen Moore's response to it is a good reminder that the initial 53 man roster teams had to reach by Sunday evening is not the final 53 man roster they'll enter Week 1 with.
Players are picked up on the waiver wire the next day and basic math will tell you that for every player acquired, the Saints have to let a player go. That's exactly what happened to Austin and Treyton Welch. The Saints signed two players on the waiver wire, defensive tackle Colby Wooden and offensive tackle Mason Murphy.
In the case of Austin, his departure creates a huge hole in the depth chart. Instead of keeping the standard minimum five receivers, they have just four. However, Moore is already teasing that's going to change.
Kellen Moore hinted at bringing Kevin Austin back to the Saints
The Saints aren't going into Week 1 with just four active receivers. Chris Olave, Devaughn Vele, Bryce Lance and Barion Brown make a very talented first four receivers, but the idea of having only four is ridiculous. And this isn't like cornerback, where the Saints have less than ideal numbers at the position but some versatile players who could fill in.
The Saints are going to add another receiver, and there's a pretty good chance that receiver is Austin. Letting him go to make room for a waiver wire addition isn't the nail in the coffin for him. It easily could be a situation where each side already understands this is temporary.
If that's the case, the Saints don't have to worry about Austin signing with another team. They just have to find a way to make room for his return. This isn't rare either. Players towards the bottom of the roster often go on and off the roster in the name of roster gymnastics.
After the move, Moore told media that he'd like to see both Austin and Welch back on the team. Seeing that adding another receiver to this team is mandatory, that should serve as a pretty good indication that Austin is going to find his way back to this team at some point before the opener.
The Saints surprisingly didn't put Lorenzo Styles on injured reserve. He was thought to have an injury that would keep him out for a while. If the Saints ultimately decide to put him on IR, that would open up the spot necessary for Austin to return.
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