The Saints Have Two Players Worth Trading Rather than Cutting

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Last year at this time, the New Orleans Saints surprised some, trading for offensive lineman Asim Richards for "future considerations" with the Dallas Cowboys. The trade occurred right before the cutdown to the 53-man roster.

Could That Happen this Year?

Though the Saints are among the most wounded in the NFL, as seen in this post on X on Wednesday...

And we thought the Saints list was long (yes, it is... But...) https://t.co/TEyD9BscSy
— Doug Joubert (@DougJoubert) August 27, 2026

...the Saints still have "inventory" they can trade instead of cut.

Why Trade instead of Waive?

When a team cuts players to get down to the 53-man roster, there is a mad scramble for certain ones, those other teams have been salivating over, wanting to put said player on their roster or practice squad.

To cut a player means you have received nothing in return for all the work you and your staff have done to make this player desirable to your team or to another. Thus, teams will try to see who is marketable, while searching for a player they believe could be on their team, before the cutdown from 90-to-53 scramble begins.

We believe there are two players in particular who are in prime position to gather some extra draft picks or even a player who can be developed or get some time on the field this year.

Remember, this group is intended to bring the most bang for the buck for the Saints, giving the team a draft pick or another player rather than releasing them into the wild and getting nothing in return.

Quarterback Spencer Rattler

Aug 22, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (2) carries the ball against the Los Angeles Rams in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chosen in the 5th round by the Saints in 2024, the South Carolina alum beat out Jake Haener and then-rookie Tyler Shough for the top spot, starting eight games for the team last year, going 1-and-7 before being benched for Shough, this year's anointed starter.

Rattler still has some arm talent and enough of what you'd call pedigree because of his experience in managing NFL games, that another team might just give the Saints a late-round pick, maybe a 6th or 7th choice, rather than allow Rattler to hit the waiver wire and take their chances.

Running Back Audric Estimé

We were torn on this one. Some of us wanted to put Kendre Miller in this spot because of his injury history and this being his last year under his rookie contract. However, Estimé won out for the second possibility of being traded instead of cut.

True, the running back room has already been stretched thin, which was the reason for the Saints going out and getting Zamir White onto their roster. Once Alvin Kamara returns, there will be an overabundance in the running back room, giving the ability for the team to move on from the injury-prone Miller

And Just for Good Measure...

We thought we's put just one more on the list.

Wide Receiver Bub Means

He's made some great catches up the sidelines and is a valuable member of the Saints special teams. That makes Means attractive to other teams. The wide receiver corps has a plethora of talent, even without injured first round pick Jordyn Tyson. We believe Means is someone who could bring something back to the Saints in return instead of cutting the team's 2024 5th round pick.

New Orleans Saints Preseason Schedule

Sat. Aug. 15: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (L 24-20)
Sat. Aug. 22: @ Los Angeles Rams (L 24-20)
Fri. Aug. 28: @ Dallas Cowboys, 7 p.m., FOX

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