The New Orleans Saints‘ 53-man roster is more than good enough to compete for a Wild Card birth in the NFC playoff picture. Ultimately, it will come down to how much Pete Carmichael can get out of a healthy Jameis Winston and the offense. However, Winston has had injury problems throughout his career and has already been battling a foot issue in camp.
New Orleans Saints 53-man roster projection
The Saints’ roster is incredibly strong. Through seven games in 2021, they were 5-2 when Winston lost the rest of his season to injury. They still have an incredibly talented defensive depth chart, and they get Michael Thomas back after nearly two years.
Starters will be annotated with an asterisk.
New Orleans Saints offense (25)
Quarterback:
Jameis Winston*
Andy Dalton
Running back:
Alvin Kamara*
Mark Ingram II
Dwayne Washington
Tony Jones Jr.
Fullback:
Adam Prentice
Wide receiver:
Michael Thomas*
Chris Olave*
Jarvis Landry*
Tre’Quan Smith
Marquez Callaway
Deonte Harty
Tight end:
Adam Trautman*
Taysom Hill
Juwan Johnson
Offensive tackle:
Ryan Ramczyk*
James Hurst*
Trevor Penning
Landon Young
Offensive guard:
Andrus Peat*
Cesar Ruiz*
Calvin Throckmorton
Center:
Erik McCoy*
Nick Martin
New Orleans Saints defense (25)
Defensive end:
Cameron Jordan*
Marcus Davenport*
Payton Turner
Tanoh Kpassagnon
Carl Granderson
Defensive tackle:
David Onyemata*
Shy Tuttle*
Kentavius Street
Jordan Jackson
Jaleel Johnson
Inside linebacker:
Demario Davis*
Pete Werner*
Kaden Elliss
Zack Baun
Andrew Dowell
Cornerback:
Marshon Lattimore*
Paulson Adebo*
C.J. Gardner-Johnson*
Alontae Taylor
Bradley Roby
Safety:
Tyrann Mathieu*
Marcus Maye*
P.J. Williams
J.T. Gray
Bryce Thompson
New Orleans Saints specialists (3)
Will Lutz (K)
Blake Gillikin (P)
Zach Wood (LS)
Michael Thomas, Chris Olave, and Jarvis Landry are a far better trio than what Sean Payton had to work with in 2021. Payton never really let Winston cut it loose last season. The offense became very run-heavy, and it hurt Alvin Kamara’s efficiency.
If they can find some balance and explosiveness in their offense this season, they will be a contender in the NFC.