Over the past few weeks, we’ve been building a position-by-position series of projections for the New Orleans Saints’ offensive depth chart. It’s not a final prediction of what the initial 53-man roster will look like, but instead a starting point and foundation upon which the initial 53 will be decided throughout training camp and the preseason.
Here, we’ll compile each of the positions projected thus far and take a look at the entire offense together before beginning with the defensive side.
As of now, 26 players are projected to lead the position battles. Here’s the position breakdown:
Quarterbacks – 3
Running Backs – 4 (7)
Tight Ends – 3 (10)
Wide Receivers – 6 (16)
Offensive Line – 10 (26)
- Kelvin Banks Jr. (LT)
- David Edwards (LG)
- Erik McCoy (C)
- Cesar Ruiz (RG)
- Taliese Fuaga (RT)
- Dillon Radunz
- Asim Richards
- Torricelli Simpkins III
- Jeremiah Wright
- Alan Herron
As of now, these are the players best positioned to make the 53-man roster, but a lot will shift and change throughout training camp. This projected construction of the offense is a strong one. It’s packed with speed and versatility along the skill positions as well as position flex and depth in the trenches.
There are some areas where a roster spot could be saved, however. For instance, the Saints could keep only two quarterbacks and work to get the third on the practice squad. If things don’t pan out between the Saints and Wilson, which has been a rocky start so far throughout offseason practices, the team’s recent reunion with quarterback Hunter Dekkers could open the door to Shough and Rattler being the only two passers on the active roster.
Similarly, a running back or offensive line spot could be saved with an attempt to get a depth option on the practice squad either from the options above or one of the players cut.
Keeping 26 players on offense is a fine standard, and with three spots going to the special teams unit, that leaves 24 for the defense. A near-even split between the two possession units.
One of the most notable elements of this starting point is how much position turnover there is from just a couple of years ago. Kamara, Johnson, McCoy and Ruiz are the only players that are bridging back to the era of former head coach Sean Payton. On top of that, Rattler, Olave and Fuaga round out the just six players that remain from the first starting lineup of the 2024 season.
The Saints have seen a lot of change on this side of the ball over the last few years, particularly this offseason. The team is now hoping it will be for the best with many promising signs currently in agreement.
You can see the individual position breakdowns here:
Previous Projections
- Quarterbacks (3)
- Running backs (4)
- Tight Ends (3)
- Wide Receivers (6)
- Interior Offensive Line (6)
- Offensive Tackles (4)
