The New Orleans Saints expect to have another highly-competitive training camp. They have 90 players under contract right now, but just 53 spots available on the opening-day roster. And even fewer of those roster spots are truly up for grabs, based off the strength of recent teams. So there may just be a dozen or so openings to be won, barring injuries or suspensions.
So what could the initial 53-man Saints roster look like? The team added a number of impact free agents and rookie draft picks, but those new additions will be competing right away with tenured, talented teammates.
Last year’s rookie draft class saw just three players (defensive end Marcus Davenport, wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith, and center Will Clapp) crack the roster; their peers were all waived, eventually landing with other teams. How many of the newest Saints will end up taking the same path?
Here’s our projection at this year’s 53-man roster going into training camp:
