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Saints Release Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Isaiah Foskey, Move Down To 53

August 26th, 2025 at 3:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints have moved down to 53 players ahead of the 3pm CT deadline. Moving multiple players to the IR-return list, New Orleans also cut 19 players in addition to today’s Jake Haener move. Here is how the Saints trimmed their roster to 53:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Placed on IR (designated for return):

Placed on IR:

Moved to reserve/PUP list:

Ridgeway and Wesley will count toward the Saints’ in-season injury-activation total, leaving six regular-season activations for the team to use. Kellen Moore confirmed those two received return designations while Young will head to season-ending IR due to ankle surgery, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. Ridgeway, acquired via trade last year, will miss time due to a pectoral injury. It is not viewed as serious, Garafolo adds, noting the D-lineman should be back early in the season. Ridgeway and Wesley, a 2023 UDFA who has not seen any game action yet, must miss at least four games.

The same holds true for Hill and Moreau, who will be shifted from the active/PUP list to the reserve/PUP list. Hill suffered an ACL tear in Week 13 last season, while Moreau went down with a knee malady in Week 18.

Foskey could not hold onto a regular role under Moore, who will drop the 2023 second-round pick after his third NFL training camp. The Saints have used Foskey in 27 games, giving him no starts. In that time, the edge rusher has not recorded a sack. If Foskey goes unclaimed, the Saints will be hit with $3.16MM in dead money — spread over two years.

Edwards-Helaire follows Cam Akers off New Orleans’ roster. Both are vested veterans and do not need to clear waivers before joining another team’s active roster or practice squad. Teams cannot begin setting P-squads until waivers process at 11am CT Wednesday, but clubs are informing players they want to retain on their taxi squads already. Beanum is among the players the Saints want to retain on their P-squad, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets.

Saints Sign Round 1 T Kelvin Banks Jr., Five Other Draftees

May 9th, 2025 at 5:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

With rookie minicamp season upon us, a flood of draft signings has naturally followed. In its 15th year, the rookie-scale contract system has removed most of the drama — save for maybe some offset language buffs — associated with signing first-round picks. Many have put pen to paper over the past two days, and the Saints now have their top draftee under contract.

Kelvin Banks Jr. signed his rookie deal Friday, the team announced. Chosen ninth overall, Banks will be tied to a fully guaranteed deal worth $27.7MM. Banks will be expected to start immediately in New Orleans, which has used first-round picks on tackles in each of the past two years, having added Taliese Fuaga in 2024.

Making that could be interpreted as a late rise during the pre-draft process, Banks appeared to command a bit more respect from within the league compared to outside draft experts. The Saints made the Texas product the third tackle taken. The Raiders and Jets had been linked to Banks, with Las Vegas appearing ready to pull the trigger in the event Ashton Jeanty had gone in the top five. Instead, Banks will make his way to Louisiana to block for a team that features a muddled quarterback situation.

The Saints have made premium investments to update their tackle situation, having also used a first-round pick (in 2022) on Trevor Penning. The contract-year blocker, thanks to the Saints declining his fifth-year option, appears set for a demotion from his right tackle spot.

As most high-end tackle prospects do, Banks operated as a left tackle in college. The Longhorns used the first-team All-American as a three-year LT starter. This could make for an interesting New Orleans O-line configuration, as the team had moved Fuaga — a college RT — to the left side before his rookie season.

Banks will step as the team’s highest-drafted lineman since Kyle Turley (No. 7 overall, 1998). New Orleans, however, has regularly gone to this well in Round 1 under Mickey Loomis. Dating back to their Andrus Peat pick in 2015, the Saints have used six first-round picks on O-linemen. Their 2025 roster will house four of them, with Cesar Ruiz still manning the team’s right guard post. While Derek Carr‘s 2025 status remains murky, he or Tyler Shough (or Spencer Rattler, perhaps) will take snaps behind a reloaded O-line.

The Saints also signed linebacker Danny Stutsman (Round 4, No. 112), cornerback Quincy Riley (Round 4, No. 131), running back Devin Neal (Round 6, No. 184), tight end Moliki Matavao (Round 7, No. 248) and defensive end Fadil Diggs (Round 7, No. 254) to rookie deals. Only the team’s three Day 2 draftees — Shough, Vernon Broughton, Jonas Sanker — remain unsigned from this draft class.