Saints Officially Set 53-Man Roster
The Saints welcomed back some old faces and said goodbye to others on their way towards setting their initial 53-man roster. Here are the moves the team made in their efforts to select the team they will open the season with:
Released:
- LB Ryan Connelly
- TE J.P. Holtz
- TE Jesse James
- T Storm Norton
- CB Bradley Roby
- LB Jaylon Smith
- LB Ty Summers
- RB Darrel Williams
Waived:
- S Johnathan Abram
- LB Nick Anderson
- WR Kawaan Baker
- FB Jake Bargas
- WR Lynn Bowden
- DL Jerron Cage
- WR Shaq Davis
- DT Prince Emili
- OL Mark Evans II
- G Chuck Filiaga
- DB Adrian Frye
- P Blake Gillikin
- DT Jack Heflin
- DB Anthony Johnson
- OL Lewis Kidd
- WR Jontrae Kirklin
- G Tommy Kraemer
- TE Lucas Krull
- DE Niko Lalos
- RB Ellis Merriweather
- S Smoke Monday
- LB Anfernee Orji
- DE Kyle Phillips
- OL Alex Pihlstrom
- DB Troy Pride
- OL Calvin Throckmorton
The veteran tight end James will have to continue his recent tour of the NFL. He, Holtz, and Krull fell victim to the reunion of New Orleans and former All-Pro Jimmy Graham.
On defense, Smith failed to make the roster after starting 11 games for the Giants last year. Roby is another player who was initially expected to contribute, but will have to pack up his locker.
With the emergence of rookie third-round pick Kendre Miller and the eventual return of Alvin Kamara, keeping Williams in the running backs room just wasn’t worth the roster spot.
On special teams, the third-year punter Gillikin lost the punting battle with undrafted rookie signee out of Miami (FL) Lou Hedley. The viral, jacked, tatted-up, Australian, 30-year-old rookie punter makes his first NFL roster as part of the Saints’ new-look special teams group.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/5/22
Here’s today’s minor transactions from around the league:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DL Trevon Coley
- Waived: DT Auzoyah Alufohai, S Jon Alexander
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: CB Lavert Hill
- Waived: CB Reggie Robinson (with injury designation)
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on active/PUP list: LB Anthony Barr
Detroit Lions
- Activated from active/PUP list: S C.J. Moore
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: DL Cortez Broughton (with injury settlement)
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: P Sterling Hofrichter
- Waived: P Tommy Heatherly
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on IR: S Smoke Monday
New York Giants
- Signed: OT Will Holden
- Waived: DE Niko Lalos, CB Jarren Williams
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on IR: TE Jaeden Graham
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: WR Taysir Mack
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Joel Dublanko
- Released: TE Jake Hausmann
Washington Commanders
- Placed on reserve/retired list: LB Tre Walker
Saints Announce 17 Undrafted Free Agent Signings
The Saints are one of the first teams after the 2022 NFL Draft to officially announce their undrafted free agent class. Here’s New Orleans’ full list:
- Dai’Jean Dixon, WR (Nicholls State)
- Sage Doxtater, OL (New Mexico State)
- Joel Dublanko, LB (Cincinnati)
- DaMarcus Fields, CB (Texas Tech)
- Vincent Gray, CB (Michigan)
- Lewis Kidd, OL (Montana State)
- Jack Koerner, DB (Iowa)
- Lucas Krull, TE (Pittsburgh)
- Smoke Monday, S (Auburn) ($120,000 guaranteed, according to PFF’s Doug Kyed)
- Isaiah Pryor, LB (Ohio State)
- John Parker Romo, K (Virginia Tech)
- Derek Schweiger, OL (Iowa State)
- Nephi Sewell, LB (Utah)
- Rashid Shaheed, WR (Weber State) ($222,000 guaranteed, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network)
- Abram Smith, RB (Baylor) ($222,000 guaranteed, according to Wilson)
- Daniel Whelan, P (UC-Davis)
- Eric Wilson, OL (Penn State)
New Orleans only had five draft picks after having to forfeit a sixth-round pick due to COVID-19 violations, so their UDFA class was going to be important for adding depth.
After seeing Marcus Williams depart for Baltimore in free agency, the Saints were seeking some depth at safety. After failing to address the position in the Draft, the team has reportedly picked up its pursuit of free agent Tyrann Mathieu. They also signed some UDFAs with safety potential for some cheaper depth options.
They were able to nab some quality names like Monday and Pryor and managed to bring in some camp competition for kicker Wil Lutz and punter Blake Gillikin.