The New Orleans Saints claimed a pair of trench players off of waivers. The players were made available during Sunday’s roster cutdown and were subject to waivers with less than four accrued seasons of experience.
The Saints picked up undrafted rookie offensive lineman Mason Murphy and 2023 fourth-round selection and defensive lineman Colby Wooden.
Both players are Auburn alums and Wooden was a surprise cut by the Indianapolis Colts, who acquired the 6-foot-5, 315-pound defender via a trade with the Green Bay Packers earlier this offseason. The trade was a player-for-player swap that sent linebacker Zaire Franklin to the Packers.
Wooden has appeared in 47 career NFL games and has totaled 87 career tackles, nine for a loss and a half-sack during that time. He’s a big-bodied run defender that could be a valuable rotational piece.
Murphy is still a rookie, but the 6-foot-5, 319-pound spent time with two colleges, Auburn and USC, and has five-position versatility having played at least 249 snaps at left tackle, center, right guard and right tackle. He has a lone career snap at left guard as well.
In 2025 he surrendered 10 sacks while spending his year at both center and right tackle. The Saints are sure to value his versatility. He was a much more successful protector at USC from 2022-2024 where he surrendered only seven sacks total.
He was an undrafted free agent with the Chicago Bears before they released him in roster cuts.
Two accompanying transactions will take place to make room for both players on the 53-man roster.
