Saints 53-Man Roster: Winners, Losers, Key Takeaways

It was a pretty big day for the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday.

Like every other team across the NFL, the Saints had to finalize its initial 53-man roster. But, that's not all the Saints did. New Orleans also announced the Spencer Rattler will be the team's starting quarterback.

Over the next few days, we're going to see a lot more transactions across the league. Starting on Wednesday, teams will be able to put together practice squads and also claim players who were cut ahead of Tuesday's deadline.

It wouldn't be shocking to see the Saints make a move or two which would then trigger players currently on the 53-man roster to get the axe. New Orleans announced the initial 53-man roster and it would be somewhat surprising if there wasn't at least one or two changes before the regular season gets here in under two weeks.

With all of that being said, here is the Saints' initial 53-man roster in Kellen Moore's first season leading New Orleans as head coach, provided by the team.

Here are the winners, losers, and key takeaways from the Saints' initial 53-man roster:

Did the Saints get it right?

Aug 23, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Jake Haener (3) calls for the ball against Denver Broncos during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Winners:

Velus Jones Jr., RB
Jones entered camp as an underdog in the crowded running back room competition. But, he made the 53-man outright over guys like Cam Akers and Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Jones is versatile and has seen usage in both the running and passing games so far in his young career. He impressed with the Saints and now gets a crack on the roster.

Mason Tipton, WR
Another guy who has turned heads throughout preseason. He had 54 yards and a touchdown in the first presesaon game, six catches for 100 yards in the second game, and one reception for four yards in the finale.

Losers:

Jake Haener, QB
Haener quickly went from competing for the starting quarterback job to missing the cut on the 53-man roster in general. There's a chance that Haener is back on the practice squad, but a surprise nonetheless.

Isaiah Foskey, EDGE
Foskey was a second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft but didn't get his footing in New Orleans. Now, he's arguably the biggest surprise cut of the summer of the Saints.

Key Takeaways:
The biggest surprises of the week certainly were Haener and Foskey. Treyton Welch was also a surprise cut, especially with how thin the tight end room already is. There weren't too many shocks of the day. The running back competition arguably was the stiffest, but New Orleans didn't shock by moving on from the veterans. The biggest takeaway of the day was the Rattler announcement, the roster didn't bring too many big reactions.

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