The New Orleans Saints brought their preseason to a close in Sunday night’s 17-13 loss to the visiting Houston Texans, but the real work begins ahead of Tuesday’s roster cuts deadline (3 p.m. CT). The Saints must reduce their roster down from 89 players to just 53.
It’s a tough process. For many guys this is the end of the road for them in the NFL. Some will have offers to return to the Saints practice squad, and a few will have opportunities on other teams, but a lot of young men have already worn a helmet with a fleur-de-lis on the side of it for the last time.
We’ve already made our best guess at who makes the cut in our final 53-man roster projection, also highlighting some of the toughest cuts along the way. Here are our predictions for 24 players that will either be released or traded before Tuesday’s deadline:
1
DT Jack Heflin
2
DE Kyle Phillips
3
TE Lucas Krull
4
TE J.P. Holtz
5
WR Jontre Kirklin
6
TE Jesse James
7
DT Jerron Cage
8
OL Mark Evans II
9
OL Lewis Kidd
10
OL Alex Pihlstrom
11
OL Tommy Kraemer
12
OL Chuck Filiaga
13
DT Prince Emili
14
DE Niko Lalos
15
FB Jake Bargas
16
CB Adrian Frye
17
LB Nick Anderson
18
P Lou Hedley
19
S Smoke Monday
20
CB Troy Pride Jr.
21
CB Anthony Johnson
22
RB Kirk Merritt
23
P Blake Grupe
24
WR Kawaan Baker
