Saints roster cut tracker: See latest moves as team trims to 53-man roster

The New Orleans Saints, along with the NFL's 31 other teams, have a lot of decisions to make on Tuesday.

Teams have to trim down from their 90-man rosters -- or in the Saints' case 91 -- to the initial 53-man group that they'll take into the regular season. That means a host of cuts coming in throughout the day, numbering 28 in total.

Scroll below for the list of cuts we know so far and quick breakdowns for each. This list will be updated throughout the day (last update Tuesday, 3 p.m.; all moves official and announced by team).

- P Lou Hedley ( report )
Quick take : Lou came into this season with the advantage of being an incumbent and looked to have improved on spiral kicks for some added distance. That just didn't show in the preseason and his final punt in a Saints uniform might've been his worst. For the second straight season the Saints will be going a different direction. For now that looks to be UDFA Matt Hayball, but don't rule out a waiver claim just yet.

- S Rod Teamer ( report )
Quick take : The local favorite was a tryout player and showed well throughout camp, but there were simply too many players ahead of him.

- LB Mike Rose ( report )
Quick take : This was the deepest LB room I've seen the Saints had in a while and there will be a lot of tough cuts. Rose showed to be a willing tackler and good pursuit player, but the opportunity never felt like it was there after showing up late in camp.

- RB James Robinson ( report )
Quick take : James had a low-key very impressive camp, but I honestly think being a veteran worked against him in a room that already features a pair of them in Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams. Robinson had juice and also the misfortune of his best run of the preseason getting called back for a hold. Still, I think he showed something. I'd expect him to be back on the Saints practice squad or land a job somewhere else. The Saints have some difficult decisions to make at this position.

- LB Isaiah Stalbird ( report )
Quick take : It was always going to be an uphill climb for Stalbird, an undersized player in a deep LB group. That said he had some nice moments in camp prior to an ill-timed injury. Wouldn't be surprised to see him stick around on the practice squad.

RB Jacob Kibodi ( report )
Quick take : The Louisiana kid got his moment to shine on Sunday in the Caesars Superdome, but his two-TD day wasn't enough to crack the 53. How about the practice squad? That remains to be seen. I like what I've seen out of Jacob so it'd be nice to see him stick around.

OT Jesse Davis ( report )
Quick take : The Saints have serious depth concerns along the OL, but Davis never seemed to be the answer to them after arriving midway through camp. I expect the Saints will be active on the waiver wire over the next day in that realm.

DB Ugo Amadi ( report )
Quick take : Ugo always kind of felt like the odd man out in the DB room with some of the added depth at CB. This team likes Ugo and I expect he'll stick around on the practice squad and be seen on gamedays, not unlike John Abram last year. Think it's also a positive sign that the team is optimistic for Kool-Aid McKinstry's return from a knee injury.

CB Joejuan Williams ( report )
Quick take : It was a short stay for Joejuan, who was claimed a week ago and participated in four practices and a preseason game. He's got elite size at the CB spot, but he didn't display elite cover skills against the Titans.

OL Tremayne Anchrum ( report )
Quick take : Another mic-camp signee who I didn't necessarily see stand out in a way to earn a spot. I expect the OL group will be changing quite a bit in the next few days.

OL Kyle Hergel ( report )
Quick take : This is one of the bigger surprises thus far just based on the usage we've seen from Kyle. He was the only UDFA I saw get first-team reps, though they were admittedly largely due to injury replacements. I'm fairly confident he'll land on the practice squad.

OT Josiah Ezirim ( report )
Quick take : The first member of the 2024 draft class to land among the cuts is Josiah, and he certainly didn't help his cause on Sunday with a holding penalty to wipe out a TD. In most cases when you cut draft picks you're hoping to stash them on the practice squad and I think that's true for Josiah. He's a guy this team should want to keep developing.

S Lawrence Johnson ( report )
Quick take : There are several players toward the bottom of the roster who had solid camps but just never really separated themselves from the pack. Lawrence is one of those players. Not a ton of bad moments, but not a ton of standout moments, either.

CB Shemar Jean-Charles
Quick take : DB was always going to be a numbers game, and Shemar was an interesting case study. He had a strong camp and was working with the 1s a good bit, but the Saints also spent a good bit of time without Marshon Lattimore and Paulson Adebo. The move can be viewed as optimistic regarding Kool-Aid McKinstry's health, but we'll have to wait and see. He'll be a name to watch on waivers and as a potential practice squad addition.

K Charlie Smyth ( report )
Quick take : Smyth has an incredibly fun story and an incredibly strong leg, but this always felt like the most likely outcome for the Irishman, particularly when he went the final week of practice without taking a kick due to a groin issue. The Saints will absolutely look to stash him in the international spot on the practice squad, but that can only be the case if no other teams opt to claim him based on the limited information available. We'll have to wait and see.

DT Jack Heflin
Quick take : It's hard not to like a guy like Jack. He's a hard worker and never misses a day. When he gets a chance, he typically takes advantage of it. That's what makes a quality practice squad guy and I think he'll land there for a second year.

S Millard Bradford
Quick take : I'm going to sound like a bit of a broken record on the safeties, but there's just been very little to separate a lot of these guys. It's a production position, and the turnover magnet trait from OTAs and minicamp didn't travel out to Irvine. Still, I like Millard's skillset and it's likely he lands on the practice squad.

TE Michael Jacobson ( report )
Quick take : It'd be easy to boil down Michael's entire camp to a really tough day in the preseason finale, but we saw a lot to like out in Irvine for a guy who only transitioned to football a few years ago after a short stint as a pro basketball player. I think there's an NFL player in there, just a matter of continuing to mine that talent.

OL Shane Lemieux ( report )
Quick take : This was a surprise to me only because Kyle Hergel was also cut. At a certain point the numbers don't add up. My issue with Lemieux is his upside was as a guard/center, but his preseason performance doesn't make me feel like center should be on that slash line. I think we'll see new faces in that room by the end of the week.

S Johnathan Abram ( report )
Quick take : Similar to last year, I fully expect Johnathan Abram to land on the practice squad and be seen on gamedays. At a certain point you have to weight the idea of players who have to go through waivers (younger players), and those who do not (veteran players). I had Will Harris and Jordan Howden ahead of him on the strong safety ladder, so this move makes sense.

LB Khaleke Hudson
Quick take : This was one that I was on the fence about. Khaleke has had a strong camp and profiles as a good practice squad player, but I've had him behind D'Marco Jackson who suffered an ill-timed calf injury. Hudson is a vested veteran, so he gets to choose where he goes next. There is a practice squad offer extended, according to a source, so there's a good chance he sticks around.

WR Equanimeous St. Brown ( report )
Quick take : It felt like the veteran WR gave himself a chance to stick around with an impressive showing in the preseason finale, but clearly the Saints are opting for more of a youth movement in the WR room. EQ is a vested veteran so he gets to decide what's next, but he seems like a solid option to have on the practice squad if no other teams come calling.

WR Samson Nacua ( report )
Quick take: Nacua was a fun story, and I don't think it's necessarily over, but it was always going to be difficult for him to carve out a spot on the roster. I expect he'll clear waivers and the Saints will have to decide where to dole out practice squad contracts. Think there's a decent shot he lands on there.

DE Niko Lalos ( report )
Quick take : Niko and Jack Heflin are in the same boat. Both guys are practice stalwarts. They're always working hard and that makes them easy to keep around, just not on the active roster.

LB Andrew Dowell ( report )
Quick take : This always felt like a pretty obvious decision, considering he's only been back with the team since Friday. He'll likely land on the practice squad and be a potential call-up if there's a need for a special teams ace any given week.

WR Kevin Austin Jr.
Quick take : Kevin showed well after signing just before camp and was involved a lot throughout the preseason. It became a numbers game and he was the odd man out. Still, the size/speed combo is intriguing even if his hands let him down a few too many times. I don't think we've heard the last of him at the NFL level.

OL Mark Evans
Quick take: Not a ton to say here that hasn't been said above. Saints clearly appreciate the guy because they keep bringing him back.

LB Monty Rice
Quick take : Monty had a strong finish to his preseason but clearly it wasn't enough to make the roster at a deep linebacker position.

CB Mac McCain
Quick take : This wasn't really in doubt. Mac had a solid camp, but never really stood out and was beat in coverage a bit too many times.

TE Mason Fairchild
Quick take : I think Mason showed pretty well in his opportunities. I wouldn't be surprised to see him surface elsewhere or stick around on the practice squad.

WR Shaq Davis
Quick take : Shaq's second go-around with New Orleans wasn't as productive as the first. This wasn't a surprise. We'll see where he goes from here.

WR Stanley Morgan Jr.
Quick take : Stanley was one of the harder guys to project simply because of his special teams skillset, which I thought might get him over the hump. Not so this year, but it'll be interesting to see what happens in the next few days.

INJURED RESERVE
- DT Camron Peterson ( report )
Quick take : Really don't have much on this. I don't know exactly when Camron got hurt, but he clearly made a good enough impression while he was on the field this week in limited action to justify keeping around.

- RB Kendre Miller - IR to return ( report )
Quick take : I've been saying this for weeks, so no surprise on my end. Miller hurt his hamstring on the first set of individual drills of training camp and hasn't been seen since. There's clear frustration about his inability to stay on the field, but the Saints aren't ready to cut bait on last year's third round pick.

- TE Kevin Rader
Quick take : Not sure when this injury occurred, but he's done for the season

- CB Rezjohn Wright
Quick take : Rezjohn came off the field in pretty clear distress and looked like he knew his season was over due to a foot issue. Clearly he was correct.

Check back for updates

The Saints will have an extra cut to make because they're currently taking advantage of the international player exemption for kicker Charlie Smyth, which allows for an extra roster spot. Should the Saints waive Smyth and he goes unclaimed, he could be signed into a 17th practice squad spot.

Veteran players with more than 4 accrued seasons will be eligible to sign to practice squads or other teams immediately, while all other players will have to clear waivers first. It's also likely that at least a few players get shifted to IR after initial cuts to clear more roster spots.