Roster cuts are difficult for every team, and the New Orleans Saints have some tough decisions in front of them. A small crowd of talented, experienced players are currently on the roster bubble ahead of Tuesday’s cuts deadline — who will make the team? Who will get left out? Who will get a second chance on the practice squad, or possibly return after some procedural moves are completed?
Here are 11 names we’re watching closely over the next 24 hours:
1
LB Nephi Sewell
Sewell has played well this summer on both defense and special teams, and he looks like an ideal fourth or fifth linebacker to round out the depth chart. Whether the Saints will have room for him after signing Jaylon Smith while hanging onto a couple of unproven draft picks in Zack Baun and D’Marco Jackson remains to be seen.
2
WR Tre'Quan Smith
A groin muscle injury kept Smith out of all three preseason games and most of training camp, but he still has a strong reputation with the coaching staff and he might make the cut anyway. The most likely outcome (barring a trade to the Denver Broncos) may be for him to initially make the squad and then be placed on injured reserve, giving him the option to return later in the season.
3
WR Keith Kirkwood
Kirkwood has been available and productive, and he’s a veteran player who knows the offense well. He honestly might be a more enticing trade target for the Broncos than Smith. But if Smith is placed on injured reserve to start the season Kirkwood makes sense as his temporary replacement.
4
RB Ellis Merriweather
Merriweather has run hard all summer and he would be the best choice if the Saints want to roster three running backs during Alvin Kamara’s three-game suspension. But he could very likely clear waivers, land on the practice squad, and be activated on game days without taking a roster spot. We’ll have to wait and see how the Saints want to approach this situation.
5
OL Calvin Throckmorton
The Saints have a lot of bodies along the interior offensive line and Throckmorton, a third-year backup with plenty of game experience, might be pushed out. It’s tough to see him clearing waivers if that’s the case. Fitting him into the depth chart with other backups like Andrus Peat (assuming James Hurst has in fact won the starting job at left guard), Nick Saldiveri, and possibly Max Garcia isn’t easy.
6
OL Max Garcia
It feels more likely that Garcia would clear waivers and land on the practice squad than Throckmorton; he’ll be 32 in November and teams know who he is and what he has to offer at this point in his career, as opposed to the younger player. But he’s had a strong summer and is clearly the second-best center in New Orleans after Erik McCoy. McCoy’s injuries in recent years have forced the Saints to stack up depth behind him and that might be enough to keep Garcia on the roster.
7
CB Isaac Yiadom
It kind of seemed like the Texans were just throwing at No. 27 as often as they could during Sunday’s final preseason game. Johnson has had an up-and-down offseason in pass coverage, but that’s not why the Saints signed him in the first place: he’s an ace covering punts and kickoffs on special teams. But other players can help in the kicking game too, and his struggles against the pass might send New Orleans in a different direction.
8
WR Lynn Bowden Jr.
The Saints like to keep a dedicated returns specialist on the roster or practice squad, and Bowden has looked like their best option — until a groin injury slowed him down at training camp, opening the door for Jontre Kirklin. They still might prefer Bowden’s greater experience in that role.
9
DB Johnathan Abram
Abram feels like the perfect hard-hitting veteran with a ton of NFL snaps behind him to round out the depth chart, but the Saints already have six safeties they’ll struggle to part with ahead of him. He would be a great addition to the practice squad (where he could be called up once Marcus Maye’s expected suspension is handed down) but he may want to go somewhere he could have more opportunities to play.
10
RT Storm Norton
Like Tre’Quan Smith, backup tackle Landon Young might have to start the season on injured reserve while he continues to recover from a knee injury — leaving the Saints thin at offensive tackle. If James Hurst is starting at left guard, they would have Trevor Penning and Ryan Ramczyk bookending the line, and not much behind them. Andrus Peat could viably back up Penning but his forays into the right tackle spot have been disastrous. Norton would be a better choice to keep on the roster than Lewis Kidd, who has struggled to match more-athletic opponents turning the corner on passing downs.
11
WR Shaquan Davis
Will Davis clear waivers? That’s the concern of the week for Saints fans, but it’s more likely than you’d think. Almost every team has a young player like Davis they’re hoping will pass through waivers unclaimed, and the sheer volume of roster cuts (with teams going from 90 players to just 53 in a single day) could help return to the Saints practice squad. Still, it’s a gamble.
