Veteran Andrus Peat, several undrafted rookies among our most intriguing 53-man roster decisions

One of the most dramatic moments of the Saints’ preseason came with 4:37 remaining in Sunday’s finale, when undrafted rookie kicker Blake Grupe got the chance to attempt a 60-yard field goal and possibly shift the balance of his summer-long battle with veteran Wil Lutz.

Alas, Grupe missed the kick to the right, which won’t necessarily lose him the gig, but it also counts as a missed opportunity after he earlier nailed a 50-yarder and a 38-yarder.

"I think it’s all encompassing," coach Dennis Allen said of how all those kicks would be weighed. "He nailed the 50-yarder, went right down the middle. Then the 60-yarder, just hung it out to the right a little bit. Had plenty of leg. And look, the percentage of 60-yarders aren’t very high in our league. But yet I wanted to give the kid a chance to see what he could do.”

Nobody else really seemed to play their way on or off the Saints’ 53-man roster during Sunday’s 17-13 loss to the Texans, though veteran tight end Jimmy Graham offered an emphatic reminder of why he belongs with two big plays on a first-quarter touchdown drive.

Jimmy Graham’s first TD as a Saint since 2014 🥹📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/cURkOGG0Nm— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 28, 2023

So that left Brooke Kirchhofer, Nick Underhill and I with some tough decisions as we made our final 53-man roster projections. The most intriguing choices? Brooke kept three undrafted rookies in receiver Shaq Davis, running back Ellis Merriweather and cornerback Anthony Johnson, while Brooke and Nick both went with a mini-stunner in cutting veteran guard Andrus Peat.

Here’s our full rundown:

QUARTERBACK

Brooke: Derek Carr, Jameis Winston, Jake Haener

Nick: Derek Carr, Jameis Winston, Jake Haener

Mike: Derek Carr, Jameis Winston, Jake Haener

Easy choices here. And this remains the correct pecking order. Haener had a promising summer despite his disappointing finale (17-of-38, 172 yards, zero touchdowns, two interceptions; two carries for 32 yards). But barring anything unexpected, the rookie won’t seriously compete for the No. 2 job until 2024.

WIDE RECEIVER

Brooke: Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, Rashid Shaheed, A.T. Perry, Shaq Davis, *-Tre’Quan Smith/Keith Kirkwood

Nick: Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, Rashid Shaheed, A.T. Perry, *-Tre’Quan Smith/Keith Kirkwood

Mike: Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, Rashid Shaheed, A.T. Perry, *-Tre’Quan Smith/Keith Kirkwood

Brooke was the only one bold enough to put Davis on her 53-man roster after he burst onto the scene over the past two weeks. She said the preseason is all about taking advantage of your opportunities, and Davis has done that specifically by making those contested catches the Saints have been coveting this offseason.

Obviously, I like what I’ve seen from the 6-foot-5, 215-pounder as well, even though he was a little more ordinary in Sunday’s finale with two catches for 18 yards. But I feel like his skill set is a bit redundant if both Perry and Graham make the roster in similar roles. And Nick remains confident Davis can pass through waivers and make it to New Orleans' practice squad.

As for the Smith/Kirkwood asterisk, we’re all predicting the Saints will place Smith on short-term injured reserve as he continues to recover from his groin injury. But in order to be eligible to return from IR, you need to make the initial 53-man roster. So we think Kirkwood will be “cut” for about 24 hours before being re-signed to the roster when Smith is moved to IR.

It was a good sign that Smith is on the mend, though, when we spotted him watching Sunday’s game from the sideline.

Saints preseason finale featuring Mark IngramThe Dot presented by Matt Bowers Auto Group📺: https://t.co/dOtdNX5DVP pic.twitter.com/dVh3OJGrvg— NOF (@nofnetwork) August 27, 2023

RUNNING BACK

Brooke: Jamaal Williams, Kendre Miller, Ellis Merriweather, (Alvin Kamara suspended)

Nick: Jamaal Williams, Kendre Miller, Ellis Merriweather FB Adam Prentice, (Kamara suspended)

Mike: Jamaal Williams, Kendre Miller, FB Adam Prentice, (Kamara suspended)

Three different predictions here, as I went light at running back, and Brooke went without a fullback.

To be honest, I’m cheating a little bit since I think the Saints will have three tailbacks on the active roster in time for their Sept. 10 opener. But I think they can get away with putting Merriweather, Darrel Williams or Kirk Merritt on the practice squad, then elevating them before the game. And I needed the numbers elsewhere.

We all agree Merriweather is the guy to beat for that No. 3 job after he had such an impressive summer — especially since the veteran Williams has been battling a nagging groin injury. Brooke, who deserves credit for being the first one to highlight Merriweather back in OTAs and minicamp, pointed to the fact that the Saints like how physical and punishing he has been as a runner. That factored into her decision to keep him and not a fullback. She thinks keeping four tight ends can also make up for the absence of a FB.

THAT'S JIMMY GRAHAM.📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/GP7yCgGrXY— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 28, 2023

TIGHT END

Brooke: Juwan Johnson, Taysom Hill, Foster Moreau, Jimmy Graham

Nick: Juwan Johnson, Taysom Hill, Foster Moreau, Jimmy Graham

Mike: Juwan Johnson, Taysom Hill, Foster Moreau, Jimmy Graham

We're all in agreement here. And if there was any chance Graham might be on the bubble, he made a pretty emphatic final statement Sunday night by using his size and physicality to reel in a one-handed pass down the field and catch a TD pass.

Allen highlighted Graham’s performance in his opening statement.

“I think really, probably since the Charger practices (last week), I started to see some signs of the mental picture that I have of Jimmy Graham. And then, again, I saw it this week in practice, then I saw it carry over into the game. So that was a positive,” Allen said.

Lucas Krull is also in the running for a roster spot and gave his best effort with seven catches for 106 yards Sunday. But the practice squad seems far more likely amid this crowded field.

Haener to Krull! Gain of 31 💪📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/DtlqJCScGD— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 28, 2023

OFFENSIVE LINE

Brooke: Ryan Ramczyk, Trevor Penning, Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz, James Hurst, Calvin Throckmorton, Nick Saldiveri, Landon Young, Max Garcia

Nick: Ryan Ramczyk, Trevor Penning, Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz, James Hurst, Calvin Throckmorton, Nick Saldiveri, Max Garcia, Storm Norton

Mike: Ryan Ramczyk, Trevor Penning, Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz, James Hurst, Calvin Throckmorton, Nick Saldiveri, Andrus Peat, Landon Young

We made some of our most intriguing decisions here. Both Brooke and Nick cut longtime veteran Peat after a quad injury wiped out most of his training camp, leaving Hurst as the clear choice as starting left guard.

Peat received a $4 million signing bonus and had his $1.5 million salary guaranteed back in March when he agreed to take a pay cut to stay in New Orleans. But this wasn’t just a financial prediction. Brooke thinks the Saints should go younger and healthier for the backup spots since injuries have been such a serious problem on the OL — and Peat’s health has been a liability.

Nick added that this is probably an unfair case of “out of sight, out of mind” after Peat just played in his first preseason game Sunday. He thinks Peat could be a valuable backup with his ability to play two positions on the left side of the line. But he preferred to go with younger players who can be part of the future.

Meanwhile, Brooke and Nick both kept veteran Garcia as a true backup center, which is fair, since we haven’t seen the Saints do much work with Ruiz, Throckmorton or the rookie Saldiveri in that role this summer. And Brooke and I were the only two who kept Young despite the fact that he has been sidelined for the past two weeks with a knee injury.

If Young won’t be ready to go by Week 1, he could be placed on short-term injured reserve. And in that case, we’d both add Norton to the roster as a backup right tackle like Nick did.

DEFENSIVE END

Brooke: Cameron Jordan, Carl Granderson, Tanoh Kpassagnon, Payton Turner, Isaiah Foskey

Nick: Cameron Jordan, Carl Granderson, Tanoh Kpassagnon, Payton Turner, Isaiah Foskey

Mike: Cameron Jordan, Carl Granderson, Tanoh Kpassagnon, Payton Turner, Isaiah Foskey

Pretty easy choices here despite Niko Lalos’ fourth-quarter heroics in the second preseason game. Foskey has struggled a bit this summer, and he might be a healthy inactive to start the season. But the Saints aren’t cutting the 40th pick in the draft, and he still has plenty of time to develop into a contributor.

When your first and second-round picks in the 2023 Draft team up for the sack >>>>>📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/fQ1w6RJvwi— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 28, 2023

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

Brooke: Bryan Bresee, Khalen Saunders, Nathan Shepherd, Malcolm Roach

Nick: Bryan Bresee, Khalen Saunders, Nathan Shepherd, Malcolm Roach

Mike: Bryan Bresee, Khalen Saunders, Nathan Shepherd, Malcolm Roach

More easy choices here, though I like some of the flashes we’ve seen from undrafted rookie Jerron Cage, Jack Heflin and Prince Emili, all of whom are practice squad candidates.

The spin in question 😵‍💫📺 https://t.co/KlYFEtTVGF https://t.co/1dowGGpaCW pic.twitter.com/8uTDO9ZV8N— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 28, 2023

LINEBACKER

Brooke: Demario Davis, Pete Werner, Jaylon Smith, Zack Baun, Nephi Sewell

Nick: Demario Davis, Pete Werner, Jaylon Smith, Zack Baun, Nephi Sewell

Mike: Demario Davis, Pete Werner, Jaylon Smith, Zack Baun, Nephi Sewell, D’Marco Jackson

I was the only one who kept Jackson after he was passed up in the pecking order by both Smith and Sewell over the course of training camp and the preseason. Nick agreed that Jackson could find his way onto the roster if it’s a special teams decision.

We all thought veteran Ryan Connelly had a good chance to make the team before his recent knee injury. We also like the potential of undrafted rookie Anfernee Orji but couldn’t find the room.

CORNERBACK

Brooke: Marshon Lattimore, Alontae Taylor, Paulson Adebo, Bradley Roby, Anthony Johnson

Nick: Marshon Lattimore, Alontae Taylor, Paulson Adebo, Bradley Roby, Isaac Yiadom

Mike: Marshon Lattimore, Alontae Taylor, Paulson Adebo, Bradley Roby, Isaac Yiadom

Once again, Brooke was the only one bold enough to make room for Johnson, giving him the nod over the veteran Yiadom. We all agree Johnson has turned heads this summer, and Brooke pointed out that Allen said how much he values Johnson’s size and length at the position (6-2, 205). However, Nick and I both pointed to Yiadom’s special teams value after he became a core special teams player for them when he arrived in New Orleans midway through last season.

SAFETY

Brooke: Tyrann Mathieu, Marcus Maye, J.T. Gray, Jordan Howden, Ugo Amadi, Johnathan Abram

Nick: Tyrann Mathieu, Marcus Maye, J.T. Gray, Jordan Howden, Ugo Amadi, Johnathan Abram

Mike: Tyrann Mathieu, Marcus Maye, J.T. Gray, Jordan Howden, Ugo Amadi, Lonnie Johnson Jr.

This is one of the toughest position groups to predict on the roster, which is why we all kept six safeties. And even then, none of us had room for promising second-year pro Smoke Monday.

Ultimately, our only difference was that I kept Johnson, while Brooke and Nick kept Abram, though Nick admittedly waffled over the choice, calling it his final cut in the process. Nick said if Maye winds up being suspended this season, the Saints would probably rather have Johnson around as a potential fill-in. But Abram provides value in the box that no one else does, which is key since Nick went with only five linebackers.

SPECIALISTS

Brooke: K Wil Lutz, P Blake Gillikin, LS Zach Wood

Nick: K Wil Lutz, P Blake Gillikin, LS Zach Wood

Mike: K Wil Lutz, P Blake Gillikin, LS Zach Wood

Grupe and fellow undrafted rookie punter Lou Hedley have made things interesting this summer. But we ultimately didn’t see enough to remove the more proven incumbents from their jobs here. Lutz didn’t get a chance to kick a field goal while he handled first-half duties Sunday night (though he made an extra point).

Gillikin had a wide spectrum of punts Sunday (60, 56, 50, 41 and 38 yards). He’s probably safe unless the Saints consider an option that becomes available from another team.