Saints 53-man roster projection before 2019 training camp

The New Orleans Saints are set to kick off the 2019 season with expectations as high as anyone else in the NFL. They’ve inched closer and closer to a second Super Bowl berth in each of the last two years, and return a squad flush with talent at nearly every position group.

That’s tough news for the team’s new additions. Rookies and free agent add-ons are going to have an uphill battle to make the opening-day roster. With just 53 spots available and many fewer actually up for debate, competition for the handful of job opportunities will be fierce. Recently-signed contracts and draft pick status won’t be enough to help players on the fringe make it through roster-cut day.

Training camp will shake things up in the coming weeks as some Saints rise to the occasion and others wilt under the pressure of a daily grind in the New Orleans summer. With all that in mind, here’s our latest stab at what the 53-man roster may look like.

Quarterbacks (3)

• Drew Brees, No. 9
• Teddy Bridgewater, No. 5
• Taysom Hill, No. 7

This might be the strongest position on the team, with a future Hall of Famer at the top, an experienced backup behind him, and a versatile playmaker rounding out the group. Look for J.T. Barrett to spend another year on the practice squad.

Running backs (4)

• Alvin Kamara, No. 41
• Latavius Murray, No. 28
• Devine Ozigbo, No. 32 (rookie)
• Javorius Allen, No. 37

The Saints spent a ton of resources trying to replace Mark Ingram last year, and cut every single player they brought in. Now he’s gone, and they’re going to bank on veteran free agents or a feisty rookie to fill in.

Fullbacks (1)

• Zach Line, No. 42

Michael Burton is quality competition for Line, and he could very well end up winning this battle. But Line’s experience in the offense and strong contributions on passing downs should give him an edge.

Wide receivers (5)

• Michael Thomas, No. 13
• Ted Ginn Jr., No. 19
• Tre’Quan Smith, No. 10
• Keith Kirkwood, No. 18
• Rishard Matthews, No. 82

No position could overturn expectations more than wideout. The Saints have 13 different players in for training camp, and only one of them (first-team All-Pro Michael Thomas) is a sure thing to make the cut. For now, we’re leaning towards the players with the most NFL experience in New Orleans’ system.

Tight ends (4)

• Jared Cook, No. 87
• Josh Hill, No. 89
• Garrett Griffin, No. 45
• Alize Mack, No. 86 (rookie)

Sean Payton tried so hard to make Dan Arnold happen at tight end last year, and he just wasn’t up to the challenge. Maybe he’s settled into his playing-weight better after transitioning from wide receiver last year. But Garrett Griffin outplayed him immediately after getting bumped up from the practice squad late last year.

Offensive tackles/guards (4)

• Terron Armstead, No. 72
• Ryan Ramczyk, No. 71
• Marshall Newhouse, No. 77
• Andrus Peat, No. 75 (guard/tackle)

Newhouse was signed to avoid making Peat slide over to left tackle, but there’s still a chance he ends up moving around later in the year. If Armstead is healthy and Ramczyk continues to fine-tune his game, the Saints could boast the best tackle tandem in football.

Offensive guards/centers (4)

• Larry Warford, No. 67
• Nick Easton, No. 78 (guard/center)
• Cameron Tom, No. 63 (guard/center)
• Erik McCoy, No. 78 (rookie)

If everything goes as planned, the Saints will start Peat-McCoy-Warford on the interior line, with Easton playing often as a sixth blocker and the first man up off the bench. Don’t overlook Tom, who’s in his third year in the system and earned reps with the first-team offense earlier this offseason.

Defensive ends (4)

• Cameron Jordan, No. 94
• Marcus Davenport, No. 92
• Trey Hendrickson, No. 91
• Wes Horton, No. 50

It’s a make-or-break year for Hendrickson, who was too-often inactive last season. The Saints need him to show some upside as a pressure player in obvious passing situations, supplementing the production expected out of Jordan and Davenport in the starting lineup.

Defensive tackles (5)

• Sheldon Rankins, No. 98
• Malcom Brown, No. 90
• David Onyemata, No. 93
• Taylor Stallworth, No. 95
• Mario Edwards Jr., No. 97

It’ll take some time for this unit to gel, with Rankins likely missing the first few weeks and Onyemata sitting out the season-opener. Stallworth is the only returning member of last year’s interior line expected to suit up for Week 1.

Linebackers (5)

• Demario Davis, No. 56
• A.J. Klein, No. 53
• Alex Anzalone, No. 47
• Craig Robertson, No. 52
• Vince Biegel, No. 59

It may feel odd to carry just five linebackers, but the Saints often played only two of them at a time last year. With Klein or Anzalone rotating in and out, and Robertson and Biegel busy on special teams, there isn’t a need to add many more. Rookie draft pick Kaden Elliss can likely be stashed on the practice squad.

Safeties (5)

• Vonn Bell, No. 24
• Marcus Williams, No. 43
• Chris Banjo, No. 31
• Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, No. 22 (rookie)
• Saquan Hampton, No. 33 (rookie)

Hampton is a fringe candidate to make the squad, but he’s also a dark horse to play often on special teams. He started on the punt and kickoff units as a freshman at Rutgers, when Phil Galiano was special teams coordinator. Now, Galiano is the lead assistant for Saints special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi. They have a good idea of how Hampton can contribute.

Cornerbacks (6)

• Marshon Lattimore, No. 23
• Eli Apple, No. 25
• Patrick Robinson, No. 21
• P.J. Williams, No. 26
• Justin Hardee, No. 34
• Marcus Sherels, No. 35 (punt returner)

Sherels will likely be limited to fielding punts, having played only 74 defensive snaps for the Minnesota Vikings since 2014. So with this unit you have two starters on the outside (Lattimore and Apple), two matchup-specific slot specialists (Robinson and Williams) and Hardee, who is a force on special teams and has been working with defensive backs coach Aaron Glenn to develop into a quality backup.

Special teams (3)

• Zach Wood, No. 49 (long snapper)
• Thomas Morstead, No. 6 (punter)
• Wil Lutz, No. 5 (kicker)

The Saints may not have a stronger group than their kicking specialists, besides quarterback. Lutz and Morstead have two of the longest-running contracts on the team and are among the NFL’s best at what they do. We’ll be sure to track the long snapper battle between Wood and rookie Nick Moore in great detail.