The last two days have been more exciting than many anticipated, with the New Orleans Saints trading for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and bulldozing the Los Angeles Rams 28-0 in their preseason finale.
With roster cuts on the horizon, here’s who I’m projecting to make the opening-day roster.
Offense (25)
Quarterback (3): Drew Brees, Teddy Bridgewater, and Taysom Hill
The Bridgewater trade signals the end of the Tom Savage era. Hopefully Savage will get traded to another team rather than outright cut. Undrafted rookie J.T. Barrett looks like a shoo-in for the practice squad. Bridgewater can handle No. 2 for the year while Hill keeps killing it on special teams. It’s the best possible quarterback situation given what they had to work with this year.
Running back (5): Alvin Kamara, Jonathan Williams, Boston Scott, Trey Edmunds, and Zach Line (fullback).
This is Alvin Kamara’s show while Mark Ingram serves out his suspension, with Boston Scott and Jonathan Williams splitting reps in a rotation. Expect all of them to get ample opportunities to hurt defenses. Shane Vereen may get through cuts rather than Trey Edmunds, but I don’t think the Saints want to guarantee Vereen’s salary for 2018 by carrying him to start the season.
Wide receivers (5): Michael Thomas, Tre’Quan Smith, Cameron Meredith, Ted Ginn Jr, and Brandon Tate.
11 of Tre’Quan Smith’s 15 receptions converted a new first down or scored. He hasn’t taken the field with Drew Brees, but he will next Sunday. His emergence has shaken up the receivers’ depth chart more than any other factor and New Orleans should get him involved as soon as possible. Brandon Tate has resisted all of Tommylee Lewis’ best efforts to make the squad.
Tight ends (3): Benjamin Watson, Josh Hill, and Dan Arnold.
The only surprise I anticipate here is Michael Hoomanawanui getting healthy enough to keep around. He just hasn’t been able to stay on the field this summer. Benjamin Watson could catch 40 passes from Brees in his sleep, while Hill is a solid second tight end and Dan Arnold continues to develop into a big-play threat.
Offensive tackles (3): Terron Armsead, Ryan Ramczyk, and Rick Leonard.
It feels sketchy to go with just three offensive tackles given Armstead’s injury history and Leonard’s inexperience, but the Saints have so many solid swing tackles-guard combos that they can get by without a more-qualified backup.
Offensive interior (6): Max Unger, Larry Warford, Andrus Peat, Josh LeRibeus, Cameron Tom, and Will Clapp.
Andrus Peat and Josh LeRibeus can both play tackle in a pinch while standing out best at guard. Tom has put up good reps as the initial backup at center, and Clapp can play all three interior spots well. This unit is the engine keeping the offense moving.
Special Teams (3)
Long snapper (1): Zach Wood. He had a strong summer.
Kicker (1): Wil Lutz. He’s one of the game’s ascending talents.
Punter (1): Thomas Morstead. He’s still highly effective.
Edge defenders (5): Cameron Jordan, Alex Okafor, Marcus Davenport, Trey Hendrickson, and Mitchell Loewen.
Mitchell Loewen won me over off of his standout special teams play and versatility, lining up and disrupting the offense from all over the line. The Saints almost look loaded along the defensive line this year.
Defensive tackles (4): Sheldon Rankins, David Onyemata, Tyeler Davison, and Devaroe Lawrence.
As I’ve said before, this is a great set of interior linemen. Sheldon Rankins and David Onyemata are both great athletes for their size and can get into the backfield in a hurry. Tyeler Davison holds his ground well, and Devaroe Lawrence is a violent rusher inside who needs to better discipline his play. He’s caused too many penalties and been caught out of position to often, but has played well enough to stick on the active roster.
Linebackers (6): Manti Te’o, Demario Davis, A.J. Klein, Alex Anzalone, Craig Robertson, and Nathan Stupar.
The best thing that could happen here is A.J. Klein getting traded, opening the door for Alex Anzalone to start. Klein just hasn’t been effective in any phase while the guys behind him played out of their minds to get on the field.
Safeties (5): Marcus Williams, Kurt Coleman, Vonn Bell, Chris Banjo, and Kamrin Moore.
If any player has rebounded from anonymity to putting a great highlight reel in just a calendar week better than Kamrin Moore, I’d love to hear about it. Moore was on the roster bubble before the third preseason game but now looks like an asset on special teams and the back end of the defense.
Cornerbacks (5): Marshon Lattimore, Ken Crawley, Patrick Robinson, Natrell Jamerson, and Marcus Williams.
There’s so many aggressive, lengthy playmakers up and down this unit. Every one of these players specializes in frustrating opposing receivers in man-press coverage and can deploy some impressive ball skills on contested catches. They’re also relatively young and could stick around a while.