METAIRIE, La. - The New Orleans Saints open the 2023 NFL regular season against the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 10 at Caesar's Superdome.
The Saints don't have many questions at the top of their roster except for what to do about veteran tight end Jimmy Graham, who rejoined the team in July after several years away. Do the Saints stick with the 36-year-old tight end or go with a younger player?
Veteran kicker Wil Lutz has been challenged this summer by rookie Blake Grupe, while rookie quarterback Jake Haener has put in a lot of nice work. That's probably not enough for the Saints to only keep two quarterbacks on the roster, however.
The roster will be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Here is a projection for the Saints:
QUARTERBACK (3): Derek Carr, Jameis Winston, Jake Haener
There shouldn't be any major changes here. Haener has proved consistently in practice that he's got enough potential to get a spot on the 53-man roster instead of the practice squad. However, it doesn't feel like he's ready to take the backup spot based on his performance in preseason games. It makes sense for the Saints to keep three quarterbacks unless they'd be comfortable with Haener taking the reins if Carr gets hurt.
RUNNING BACKS (3): Jamaal Williams, Kendre Miller, Ellis Merriweather
Regular starter Alvin Kamara will go on the reserve/suspended list for the first three games of the season. That leaves Kirk Merritt, recently signed Darrel Williams or a rookie in Merriweather to take the third spot. Merritt has been dealing with a hamstring injury, and Williams left practice last week with a groin injury, so right now, Merriweather sticks around. This spot certainly could go to Merritt, depending on the health status of both.
FULLBACK (1): Adam Prentice
The Saints don't make any changes here with Prentice doing a solid job at fullback for the last few years.
WIDE RECEIVER (5): Michael Thomas, Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Tre'Quan Smith, A.T. Perry
Tre'Quan Smith is the big question mark here after spending most of training camp injured. It's possible Smith still makes the roster considering he has a specific role on the team as a blocker, but he could also go on injured reserve for a few weeks. That would mean he needs to be carried onto the 53-man roster and leaves someone as the odd man out for a while. If that's the case, the Saints might initially leave off veteran Keith Kirkwood and bring him back after the dust settles, which is something they have done with many other players in Week 1.
TIGHT END (4): Juwan Johnson, Foster Moreau, Taysom Hill, Jimmy Graham
Graham is the major question here. Lucas Krull was having a good camp until his injury and is certainly worthy of a practice squad spot, but if Graham doesn't make the cut, do they still keep four tight ends? Graham doesn't play special teams and his medical episode in California complicates things going forward, although coach Dennis Allen said he doesn't think it will be an issue. Graham stays on the roster for now, but it's not a lock by any means.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Ryan Ramczyk, Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz, Andrus Peat, James Hurst, Trevor Penning, Landon Young, Nick Saldiveri, Calvin Throckmorton
It feels like Hurst took over Peat's spot while Peat was sitting out with an injury, and Penning will take over Hurst's former spot at left tackle. Young and Throckmorton are nursing injuries but should be returning backups, while the Saints likely will want to keep fourth-round pick Saldiveri on the roster. Young could end up on IR to start the season after being carried on the initial 53-man roster.
DEFENSIVE LINE (9): Cameron Jordan, Carl Granderson, Tanoh Kpassagnon, Payton Turner, Isaiah Foskey, Bryan Bresee, Khalen Saunders, Nathan Shepherd, Malcolm Roach
Foskey, the Saints second-round pick, clearly still needs a lot of work, but that doesn't change the outlook here in terms of who makes the roster. Everyone on the defensive line will rotate in at some point -- with Saunders, Shepherd, Jordan and Turner likely getting the lion's share of the work.
LINEBACKER (6): Demario Davis, Pete Werner, D'Marco Jackson, Zack Baun, Jaylon Smith, Nephi Sewell
Werner and Davis are going to be the main players here, and while Jackson hasn't stood out like he did earlier in the summer, he should still make the roster. Smith is a question here, as the recent addition looked good in his limited preseason play. He could immediately slot in as a third linebacker, but the issue is that he doesn't play much on special teams and might need to do that to contribute as a backup. Because of that, Sewell makes the team because of his special teams contributions.
CORNERBACK (5): Paulson Adebo, Marshon Lattimore, Bradley Roby, Alontae Taylor, Lonnie Johnson Jr.
There aren't any real surprises here. Adebo and Lattimore will be the main outside starters, and although Lattimore had an injury scare in California, it doesn't appear to be serious. Roby and Taylor return from last year, and Johnson can play special teams and has position flexibility, so he's a good candidate to get the final spot. Isaac Yiadom could also make a case here.
SAFETY (5): Tyrann Mathieu, Marcus Maye, J.T. Gray, Jordan Howden, Ugo Amadi
Mathieu and Maye will start here, Gray is a major player on special teams, and Amadi is making the roster because of his versatility and ability to play in the slot. But there are a few defensive backs that have made the case for themselves, and Yiadom is a name to remember as well.
SPECIALISTS (3): Wil Lutz, Zach Wood, Blake Gillikin
Grupe has been very impressive. He's shown that he can handle the pressure of a game-winning field goal, and his ability to kick a near 60-yard field goal in practice this week showed he's got the leg too. But do the Saints give up on the veteran Lutz after one down year coming off an injury? It feels like Lutz still has the edge after so many solid years in New Orleans, but Grupe has given him serious competition. On the punter side, neither Gillikin nor Lou Hedley have made a standout case, so the Saints will probably go with the veteran here, too, over the 30-year-old rookie.
RESERVE/SUSPENDED (1): Alvin Kamara
Kamara won't count against the 53-man roster for three games as he serves a suspension for violating the personal conduct policy.