Saints Cut Margus Hunt, Drop Roster To 53
Here is how the Saints moved their roster down to 53 players Saturday:
Waived:
- LB Joe Bachie
- WR Emmanuel Butler
- WR Austin Carr
- DE T.J. Carter
- LB Andrew Dowell
- TE Garrett Griffin
- CB Kemon Hall
- WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
- WR Juwan Johnson
- RB Tony Jones Jr.
- OL Jordan Steckler
- TE/QB Tommy Stevens
- OL Calvin Throckmorton
- C Cameron Tom
- DB Keith Washington
- TE Ethan Wolf
Released:
- LB Anthony Chickillo (story)
- DL Mario Edwards (story)
- WR Bennie Fowler
- G Patrick Omameh
- DL Margus Hunt
Waived/injured:
- RB Saquan Hamilton
Placed on reserve/PUP:
- LB Kiko Alonso
Placed on IR:
Placed on reserve/suspended list:
- OL James Hurst
Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC South
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC South teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints are noted below.
Additionally, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads today. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s NFC South transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed to practice squad:
- WR Christian Blake
- S Chris Cooper
- QB Danny Etling
- OL Sean Harlow
- DE Austin Larkin
- DT Jacob Tuioti-Mariner
- DT Justin Zimmer
Carolina Panthers
- Claimed:
- Waived:
- Signed to practice squad:
- S Quin Blanding
- G Rishard Cook
- DE Bryan Cox
- TE Temarrick Hemingway
- DT Bijhon Jackson
- DB Cole Luke
- LB Sione Teuhema
- WR DeAndrew White
New Orleans Saints
- Released from IR via injury settlement:
- Signed to practice squad:
- TE Dan Arnold
- WR Emmanuel Butler
- CB T.J. Green
- WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
- OL Derrick Kelly
- OL John Leglue
- DL Mitchell Loewen
- TE Alize Mack
- WR Taquan Mizzell
- DB Terrell Williams Jr.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed to practice squad:
- RB Bruce Anderson
- S John Battle
- DL Terry Beckner
- QB Nick Fitzgerald
- WR Emanuel Hall
- C Nate Trewyn
- CB Mazzi Wilkins
Saints Reach 53-Man Max
Good news for Saints fans, and fans of lists in general. The Saints have reached the 53-man max – here’s the full rundown.
Released:
- Chris Banjo, S
- Michael Burton, FB
- Michael Ola, OT
Waived:
- Dan Arnold, TE
- Emmanuel Butler, WR
- T.J. Green, DB
- Porter Gustin, LB
- Marcus Henry, C
- Lil’Jordan Humphrey, WR
- Derrick Kelly, OL
- Alize Mack, TE
- Devine Ozigbo, DL
- Terrell Williams Jr., DB
Placed on IR:
- Marshall Newhouse, OL
- Marcus Sherels, CB
- Cameron Tom, C/G
Saints Place Carl Granderson On Did Not Report List
The Saints placed defensive end Carl Granderson on the did not report list, per a team announcement. In a related move, they also placed receiver Emmanuel Butler on the non-football injury list. 
Granderson agreed to plea no contest to one count of sexual battery and one count of unlawful contact and was set to serve out a year of probation after striking a plea deal. The judge did not agree with that compromise, however, and ordered him to immediately begin serving a six-month jail sentence in Wyoming.
Granderson, naturally, is not expected to play this season. The Wyoming product is a talented player who almost certainly would’ve been drafted if not for his legal situation. Many analysts gave Granderson a mid-round grade and the Saints gave him a hefty $85K to sign as an undrafted free agent this offseason.
Saints Sign 14 UDFAs
The Saints became the latest team to announce their undrafted free agent class, inking 14 players. A couple received notable signing bonuses:
- Carl Granderson, DE (Wyoming) ($15,000 signing bonus, $70,000 base salary guaranteed, per Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com. )
- Ethan Greenidge, OT (Villanova) ($7,500 signing bonus, $30,000 base salary guaranteed, per Katzenstein)
- Nick Moore, LS (Georgia)
- Porter Gustin, LB/DE (USC
- Lil’Jordan Humphrey, WR (Texas)
- Derrick Kelly, OT (Florida State)
- Darnell Holland, RB (Kennesaw State)
- Jake Powell, TE (Monmouth)
- Darrell Williams, LB (Auburn)
- Emmanuel Butler, WR (Northern Arizona)
- Chase Hansen, LB (Utah)
- Mike Herndon, OG (Pittsburgh)
- Corbin Kaufusi, DE (BYU)
- Darius Williams, DB (Colorado State-Pueblo)
New Orleans gave Granderson, the Wyoming pass-rusher, a hefty sum of $85K guaranteed. Granderson is a talented player who almost certainly would’ve been drafted if not for his ongoing legal situation. Many analysts gave Granderson a mid-round grade, but he’s facing a July trial on sexual assault charges. Granderson has denied the charges, and it will be a situation worth monitoring this summer.
Greenidge also got significant guarantees, and the Saints could view him as a good longterm developmental option on the offensive line. Gustin was another player many thought had a chance to be drafted, and he was productive in college. In just six games at USC last season, he had 7.5 sacks. He’s struggled with injuries each of the past two seasons, but if he can stay healthy he should have a good shot at making the team.
The Saints sometimes struggled for consistent receiving options behind Michael Thomas last year, and Humphrey had 1,176 yards and nine touchdowns for Texas last season, so he could be worth a look.
