Whittling Down the Saints Roster to 53: Updates from On SI Saints

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The official 53-man roster has been released. Grant Chachere will have the story for you momentarily

Meanwhile, check this out.

The #Colts are releasing K Blake Grupe. Spencer Shrader wins the job after hitting his second 60+ field goal of the preseason. Grupe had a 90% make rate in camp. A close battle, with Shrader just barely edging Grupe out. pic.twitter.com/HzaKbgKb30
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 30, 2026

Would you want the former Saint back in the fold?

All NFL teams must have their rosters cut back to 53 by 5:00 p.m. CT Sunday evening. As the name on the Saints roster are announced, we'll give you their background and our thoughts about what could happen next.

Paring Down to the 53-Man Roster

Here are the moves we have heard from various sources, including our own. This list will grow, so tune in as we continue toward that Sunday, 5:00 p.m. CT cut down deadline.

If you're on a mobile device, turn it landscape (sideways) and you'll see the entire four column table.

Position	Name	Info	Where to Next?
Wide receiver	Bub Means	Waived	Another team
Cornerback	Dalys Beanum	Injury Waiver	~ injury settlement
Quarterback	Hunter Dekkers	Waived	~ practice squad
Defensive Tackle	Kahlil Saunders	Waived	~ practice squad
Wide receiver	Mason Tipton	Reserve/PUP	TBD
Tight end	Zaire Mitchell-Paden	Waived	TBD
Wide receiver	Ronnie Bell	Waived	~ practice squad
Safety	Elliott Davison	Waived	TBD
EDGE	Garrett Nelson	Waived	TBD
Defensive lineman	Brien Taylor	Waived	TBD
Offensive lineman	Xavier Truss	Waived	~ practice squad
EDGE	Malakai Williams	Waived	TBD
Running back	Zamir White	Waived	Another team
Tight end	Cody Hardy	Waived	TBD
Wide receiver	Jalen Cropper	Waived	~ practice squad
Wide receiver	Brock Rechsteiner	Waived	On the street
Offensive lineman	Alex Wollschlaeger	Waived	~ practice squad
Defensive lineman	Jay’Viar Suggs	Waived	~ practice squad
Safety	Terrell Burgess	Waived	~ practice squad
Kicker	Charlie Smyth	Waived	~ practice squad
Offensive lineman	Easton Kilty	Waived	~ practice squad
Offensive lineman	Alan Herron	Waived	TBD
Cornerback	Isaac Yiadom	Waived	Another team
Cornerback	Michael Davis	Waived	Another team
Cornerback	TJ Hall Jr	Waived	~ practice squad
Running back	CJ Donaldson	Waived	~ practice squad

The Where to Next? column is where we at On SI Saints think that particular player will end up.

On SI Saints Analysis

Grupe Available

In case you missed it above, former Saints place kicker Blake Grupe has been released by the Indianapolis Colts. This might put a crimp in any plans the Saints had of keeping Daniel Carlson.

Yiadom Gone

The Isaac Yiadom experiment has come to an end. In the second year of his 3-year, $9-million deal, the former 3rd round pick of the Broncos is on the streets looking for a job. The Saints were Yiadom's sixth team to play for. He was also with the Saints in 2022 and 2023.

Kilty to Practice Squad?

We have to admit: we sorta had a man-crush on Easton Kilty. The rookie just seemed to jump off the page and scored well on Pro Football Focus (PFF) each week. His pass blocking was not stellar, but his run blocking was amongst the best. We're thinking practice squad so he can work on the former until an offensive lineman goes down.

Smyth Gone: Method to their Madness?

With the release of Irish kicker Charlie Smyth via the waiver wire, it sets up an interesting scenario for the Saints.
- Releasing Smyth keeps the younger, stronger-legged Tanner Brown available for a late day release and a move to the practice squad.
- Daniel Carlson will be the kicker when the season starts with Brown available on if needed, keeping a kicker in the so-called back pocket in case Carlson crashes.

White Waived

Veteran running back Zamir White didn't get a chance to show off what he can really do, coming into camp with only three days under his belt. He did get a nice jaunt of 9-yards for a touchdown right up the middle on Friday, but it wasn't enough.

This also answers the question of how soon Alvin Kamara is coming back. With the release of White, we think sooner than expected.

Burgess on the Waiver Wire

After his stellar play in the preseason, waiving Terrell Burgess was a surprise for us. That can only spell the earlier than we thought return of Lorenzo Styles Jr instead of being placed on IR.

Crossed Fingers for Suggs

Jay’Viar Suggs was just starting to show off a bit against the Cowboys on Friday night. We're thinking practice squad for UDFA from Wisconsin (and before that, LSU).

Rattler Trade Rumor

According to a number of sources, the Saints were approached to see if they were interested in trading quarterback Spencer Rattler. Those same sources say the Saints showed no engagement at all. Whether it was because the compensation was too small (sources say a 6th round pick) or because the team wants to keep the former South Carolina QB is not known.

We talked last week about the possibility of a trade by teams interested in Rattler. According to our sources, there were two factors in the veto of the trade:
- The team wanting him was only willing to give up a low-round draft pick. We hear it was a 6th rounder.
- Head coach Kellen Moore really does like this quarterback room and doesn't want to break it up. Usually the head coach can veto most trades. This is probably what happened here.

Wide receiver Bub Means

Though we didn't have him picked on our 53-man roster, Means was popular among fans. The three-year player will probably not see the practice squad for the Saints, as we expect someone to pick up on him quickly.

Offensive lineman Xavier Truss

We didn't have Truss on our final roster, either, but he received quite a bit of playing time in the three preseason games, he scored low in game one and three according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), which set him on the outs.

Sources include On SI Saints own sources, in addition to Internet citations that include the New Orleans Saints, New Orleans Football, ESPN, and KPRC 2 in Houston

Injured Reserve/Designated Return IR/PUP

While there is no limit to the amount of players a team can place on their Injured Reserve list, there are rules defining that list and others like it:
- Designated to Return: Teams can designate a maximum of 8 players to return from IR during the regular season (plus up to 2 additional slots if the team makes the postseason).
- Player Returns: An individual player can be designated to return a maximum of 2 times in a season, but both designations count toward the team's overall limit of 8.
- Minimum Absence: Any player placed on IR must miss a minimum of 4 games before they are eligible to return to the active roster.

For the Reserve/PUP list:
- Does not count against the 53-man active roster
- Must miss a minimum of four (4) regular season games
- Can open their 21-day practice window and begin practicing after Week 2, though they still cannot play in a game until those four regular season games have gone by.
- Once the 21-day practice window is triggered, the player must be activated to the 53-man roster or placed on season-ending Injured Reserve by the end of that 21-days.

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