The New Orleans Saints have finalized their 90-man roster following the 2026 NFL Draft, utilizing all eight draft picks and signing nine rookie free agents. Changes are expected as the team prepares for training camp in late July.
Key points
New Orleans Saints finalized 90-man roster after 2026 NFL Draft
Team utilized all eight draft picks and signed nine rookie free agents
General manager indicates roster changes are expected
Current roster includes 14 wide receivers
Depth chart criteria include returning starters and draft picks
New Orleans SaintsNFL
It's been an eventful couple of days for the New Orleans Saints, who spent all eight of their picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, traded for a veteran pass rusher, and signed nine rookie free agents after the draft. For now, the team is at its 90-man roster limit, but general manager Mickey Loomis has already said changes are coming. It's just one example but the math doesn't make sense with 14 wide receivers on the roster.
So don't assume this is what things will look like when training camp kicks off in late July. It's just a reference point for how the depth chart may look after the draft. Here's our criteria for stacking players at each position:
The team needs another passer to run drills at training camp. Hunter Dekkers is still in the UFL but has missed a couple of games with an undisclosed injury, so look for some quarterbacks to try out at rookie minicamp in the weeks ahead.
You could make an argument that Estime should be ahead of both Neal and Miller after his strong finish to the season while both guys were on injured reserve, but for now we'll give them an edge as they were preferred options when healthy. Loomis said to expect a resolution to Kamara's status in the weeks ahead, so that could shake up the group, but for now it looks like Etienne is the unquestioned lead back with a number of guys competing for roster spots behind him.
For now, Delp is a blocking specialist who can get open downfield when the Saints work out of play action -- but his main role will be freeing up Johnson and Fant to line up wherever Kellen Moore wants them. Matavao has spent a lot of time training with Tyler Shough in the offseason and shouldn't be overlooked just yet, but he is further down the depth chart than those other guys.
Banks is looking to build off of a rookie year that saw him improve by the week, but the Saints don't have a ton of depth to work with. Wesley missed most of the 2025 season with an injury and Richards has had to split time between both tackle spots.
Edwards was one of the Saints' big-ticket signings in free agency, and he's expected to elevate the entire offensive line. Left guard was a revolving door for the Saints in recent years. Radunz and Saldiveri should compete for the backup job, but this is a contract year for Saldiveri after several injury-shortened seasons.
The lack of depth here is scary. Simpkins did his best in a couple of spot-starts last season but his work snapping the ball was shaky at best. McCoy has missed a lot of time with injuries but the Saints are confident he can still perform at a high level after restructuring his contract this spring. You'd like to find a better insurance policy here. They really couldn't beat the $2.75 million Carolina paid Luke Fortner?
It's possible Saldiveri could compete for a backup job here, too, but the Saints spent one of their fourth-round picks on Wright for a reason. Either way, Ruiz isn't facing real competition for his starting job -- yet. He's been made aware of how far he fell short of expectations last season and the team's decision to not restructure his contract makes a 2027 release or trade likely if he doesn't bounce back.
The Saints signed two undrafted rookies who mainly played right tackle in college, but Herron got the bigger financial commitment and should be the favorite to make the team. We never did get a look at Truss after he was claimed off of waivers last September. Maybe he's a candidate to move inside to guard or compete with Wesley at left tackle.
This figures to be where most of the post-draft roster cuts come from. And the pecking order will shift a lot over the summer; if Brown is as effective returning kicks as the Saints hope, he'll be a lock to make the team. We haven't seen anything from Polk or Palmer yet, and Means hasn't shown he can stay healthy. Last season thee Saints maintained a group of eight wide receivers with five or six on the 53-man roster and two or three on the practice squad at all times.
We've got a kicking competition after the Saints brought in Shipley, a reliable college kicker who was good from 60 yards with the Texas Longhorns and Texas State Bobcats. The other two spots are locked in but New Orleans may sign a second punter to split the workload at training camp.
Godchaux played 27 or more snaps on defense in each of the Saints' first nine games last season, but he did so just twice in the final eight weeks. He was limited to 13, 21, and 3 snaps in the last three games, so Miller shouldn't take long to succeed him on top of the depth chart. Ridgeway's contract was extended for two years to help with that transition.
The expectation has to be for Bresee to lead this group in snaps played at this point in his career; if he isn't a full-time, three-down defender who can rush the quarterback and hold up against the run, it's going to be tough to justify extending his contract. Broughton should also be looking to climb the depth chart. Shepherd is entering the final year of his own contract.
Is there room for Cameron Jordan in this group? The decisions to trade for Wilson and sign Jennings after the draft feels like the Saints are ready to move on. Either way, Heldman is a guy to watch after his breakout senior year at Central Michigan. He was wildly productive against his level of competition.
The Saints haven't been this thin at linebacker in years, but that may reflect shifting priorities in Brandon Staley's defense. Only two of these guys play at a time so it'll be Elliss (replacing Demario Davis) and either Werner or Stutsman next to him. Don't be surprised if they add another veteran to the mix.
Reid may have worn the captain's patch, but Sanker played significantly more snaps than him last season. How a healthy Blackmon figures into the equation remains to be seen. Expect one of these guys to be the initial replacement for Alontae Taylor in the slot, but there will be a competition for that role.
Several of these players should compete for the nickel job Taylor left behind, and it's worth noting how much college experience guys like Styles (351 of 570 career snaps) and Jones (215 of 263 snaps last year) have guarding the slot. Special teams chops will also make a difference. Styles leads the group with 495 career reps in the kicking game, but Hall (388) isn't far behind.