New Orleans Saints Cut Ties With Preseason Star, 14 Others

The Saints are getting down to 53 players...

Aug 14, 2025; Carson, CA, USA; A New Orleans Saints helmet on the field during a joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams at the Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Saints have been cutting down to 53 players on their roster for a few days now and it's finally ramping up as they look to form their official 53-man roster.

While the Saints have a lot of easy decisions to make to get to 53 players, there were some interesting players waived this week, including quarterback Jake Haener.

In total, the Saints waived wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr., cornerback Dalys Beanum, safety Elliott Davison, defensive end Fadil Diggs, defensive end Isaiah Foskey, quarterback (Jake) Haener, linebacker D'Marco Jackson, offensive lineman Easton Kilty, cornerback Rico Payton, defensive tackle Jayden Peevy, cornerback Jayden Price, linebacker Nephi Sewell, kicker Charlie Smyth, tight end Treyton Welch, and running back Marcus Yarns.

Bob Rose of Saints Wire recently reacted to the Saints' decision to cut Haener.

"Quarterback Jake Haener has been released by the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday morning. Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network was the first to report the news nationally," Rose wrote. "The Saints now have only Spencer Rattler and rookie second-round choice Tyler Shough at quarterback as the 53-man roster deadline approaches at 3 p.m. CT."

Saints waive 15 players to cut down to 53-man roster

Jul 30, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive end Fadil Diggs (40) during training camp at Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

"Haener, 26, played college ball for the Fresno State Bulldogs and won 2022 First Team All-Mountain West Conference honors. He was a fourth-round choice in the 2023 NFL draft by the Saints but did not see any game action as a rookie. In 2024, Haener saw action in four games while starting one before being benched for Rattler at halftime. In those four contests, he completed 18 of 39 throws (46.9%) for 226 yards, a touchdown, and an interception."

While Haener might be the most notable cut on this list, it's Diggs that is the most surprising.

The defensive end has been a very impressive piece of the Saints' defense during training camp and the preseason. It seems like he's lived in the backfield all offseason long. But the Saints, who are already shallow at edge rusher, opted to cut ties with Diggs, even after he stood out in the preseason.

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