After Further Review: Saints pre-camp 53-man roster projection

Drew Brees

Hill will be one of the most watched players in camp and preseason. If he is who Sean Payton believes he may be then it’s not a stretch to say he can beat out Savage for the backup job. In a perfect world, Payton would prefer to keep just two quarterbacks anyway. But based on what I saw in the offseason, I’m not ready to say Hill is there yet. We’ll see in camp but for now he stays as the number three signal caller. J.T. Barrett could be a nice developmental prospect on the practice squad.

*Mark Ingram

The plot thickens in the running back room in training camp. Turns out the Saints added two veterans to the mix in West and, most recently, Vereen. On the surface, Vereen is the ideal Payton back: steady in pass pro and can catch the ball out of the backfield. With Ingram coming back after the first four games, someone on this list will likely be gone. Still, I think Payton will come to appreciate what Vereen brings to the table and makes his way on. Edmonds has special teams ability. I really liked what Boston Scott did in the offseason, but I can’t see them keeping both Vereen and Scott at the position. The numbers may be working against him at this position and could end up on practice squad.

Ryan Ramczyk

I think the top six are set for this group. The numbers behind those six could be fluid. Leonard and Clapp were both draft picks, while Tom is a guy they’ve liked for a while. On this projection, there’s room for all of those guys but that could change. Josh LeRibeus proved valuable last season and is a realistic option as well.

Cam Jordan

Okafor vs Davenport to me is the only real starting position battle in camp. Every other job seems set. It all comes down to Hau’Oli Kikaha and Muhammad for the final roster spot. I’m giving it to Muhammad for now.

Marshon Lattimore

Kurt Coleman

I put Moore at safety because he was playing there some in the offseason. His versatility gets him on the roster. Banjo is a solid special teams player that can contribute. Coleman, Bell and Williams are obviously starters depending on the package Dennis Allen runs.

Thomas Morstead