Kellen Moore said he believes is the ultimate resume in the NFL.
Not to speak for the New Orleans Saints coach, but a beatdown like Saturday’s 34-0 to the Los Angeles Rams may cause quite a few to seek a new line of work here soon.
Roster cuts are looming as the league’s Sunday deadline fast approaches. Entering the final week of the preseason, the Saints are coming off an ugly game that didn’t help those on the bubble.
“When I was with the Giants under (Bill) Parcells, he said preseason games make cuts easy,” former Giants executive Greg Gabriel tweeted. “He said players cut themselves with their performance. That was almost 40 years ago but it still stands true.”
Luckily for the Saints, there’s still a week of practice and one more game — Friday at the Dallas Cowboys — to leave a better impression before New Orleans has to set a 53-man roster and 16-man practice squad.
Let's take a stab at predicting what the Saints might do when cuts are due.
Quarterback (3): Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler, Zach Wilson
There was a time when keeping three quarterbacks might have been a luxury given other needs on the roster. But injuries at other positions, namely wide receiver, could create enough flexibility to open spots elsewhere, such as quarterback.
Wilson may not have snatched the backup job from Rattler after a disappointing outing against the Rams, but his body of work this summer has made the case he deserves to stick around. Plus, Rattler hasn’t been lights out. Keeping both players in the event Shough goes down with an injury seems reasonable.
The backup battle isn’t over. Friday’s finale should go a long way toward settling it.
Running back (5): Travis Etienne, Alvin Kamara, Audric Estime, Kendre Miller, Devin Neal
Injuries make this position tricky to evaluate. Kamara (knee), Estime (foot) and Neal all hurt. On cutdown day, teams can designate up to two players to land on injured reserve without having to carry them on the initial 53. But if a team wants to place more players on the list and still have them be eligible to return after a minimum of four games, then that player will have to be carried on the initial roster.
For the Saints, one of those spots will likely be used on wide receiver Jordyn Tyson (hamstring). There are a number of candidates for the other designation. For these purposes, let's predict that this doesn't apply to running back. But after the initial 53 is set, Neal — who has had hamstring issues — lands on injured reserve.
Elsewhere, Miller gets the nod over Ty Chandler and C.J. Donaldson. This may be the result of recency bias, but the 2023 third-rounder still runs hard despite his lengthy injury history, which includes missing nearly two weeks in camp because of a bad back. Chandler had a very costly fumble in the red zone on Saturday.
Relying on Miller comes with a risk. But it could be easier to stash Chandler on the practice squad, whereas cutting Miller may lead the running back to seek a fresh start elsewhere given all the obstacles he’s faced in New Orleans.
As for Neal, the second-year back suffered another hamstring injury Saturday. While Moore did not have an update on the severity, an injured reserve stint would make sense given the frequency. The running back had just returned to practice last week because of the ailment, which also cut his rookie season short when he got injured in Week 15. If the Saints place him on the list before cutdown day, his season would be over.
Wide receiver (5): Chris Olave, Devaughn Vele, Bryce Lance, Barion Brown, Kevin Austin
Tyson is expected to miss two months, which would put him on track to be back in mid-October. That makes injured reserve the logical move.
Otherwise, this group seems pretty clear-cut. Bub Means was the Saints’ leading receiver in New Orleans’ preseason opener, but he didn’t carry the momentum into the next game and hurt his hamstring against the Rams. That makes room for Austin, who might have been a lock anyway.
Tight ends (3): Juwan Johnson, Noah Fant, Oscar Delp
Here’s another position in flux because of injuries. Moliki Matavao hurt his knee in Saturday’s game and the severity is unknown. But if he has to miss extended time, that could cost him his chance of making the roster — which is unfortunate for the second-year tight end, given he had noticeably improved from his rookie season. If healthy, he looked worthy of a spot.
Offensive line (9): Kelvin Banks, David Edwards, Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz, Taliese Fuaga, Asim Richards, Jeremiah Wright, Will Sherman, Xavier Truss
It felt telling that Sherman started Saturday’s contest over Toricelli Simpkins, who hasn’t had the same kind of feel-good camp as last year when the offensive lineman made the roster as an undrafted free agent. The Saints value versatility upfront, and Sherman’s ability to play all three interior spots helps solidify his case.
Likewise, Truss has been used at tackle and guard. He makes it over Easton Kilty and undrafted rookie Alan Herron, each of whom should fit nicely on the practice squad.
This could also be a position the Saints seek to improve after cuts. Remember last year when the Saints made two trades — one for center Luke Fortner and another for Richards — and claimed Truss off waivers from the Broncos.
Edge (5): Chase Young, Carl Granderson, Cam Jordan, Tyree Wilson, Anfernee Jennings
The Saints have been coy about how much time Jordan might miss for his hamstring injury. But knowing the pass rusher’s relentless history of doing everything he can to play, he could avoid injured reserve to start the season — even if he has to miss a few weeks.
But it sure seems like Wilson and Jennings are going to make the roster regardless of Jordan’s status. It was a good sign for Jennings that the Saints felt no need to play the veteran this past weekend.
Defensive tackle (5): Davon Godchaux, Vernon Broughton, Nathan Shepherd, Christen Miller, Khristian Boyd
The logjam that the Saints entered training camp with has sorted itself out. Bryan Bresee was lost for the season due to a torn ACL. Broughton has seized the starting job in his absence. Shepherd and Godchaux no longer look like they could be surprise cap casualties.
The biggest remaining mystery has to do with reserve John Ridgeway, who was spotted with a medical boot around his foot after getting hurt in Thursday’s joint practice against the Rams. If Ridgeway has to miss extended time, Boyd stands to benefit. If Ridgeway is healthy, swap the two.
Linebacker (5): Kaden Elliss, Pete Werner, Danny Stutsman, Jaylan Ford, Isaiah Stalbird
This five appears pretty set. There was a question about whether Chris Rumph, converted from edge rusher, could earn a spot over Ford or Stalbird, but the veteran hasn’t practiced in nearly three weeks because of an ankle injury. That’s too much ground to make up, even if Rumph returns to practice soon.
Cornerbacks (5): Kool-Aid McKinstry, Quincy Riley, Martin Emerson, Isaac Yiadom, Jayden Price
ESPN recently ranked the Saints as having the 11th best cornerback room in the NFL. Has it seen the depth? The Rams’ relentless targeting of Emerson in Saturday’s exhibition raises fresh concerns about how New Orleans will get by without Riley, whose groin injury could linger into the regular season.
Price is rewarded with a spot after a standout camp. Styles is a wild card. What’s the status of the calf injury he suffered Saturday? The fifth-round rookie could very well stand to benefit from a redshirt year, but it’s unclear if he’ll land on injured reserve. If he does, either Styles, Ridgeway, or Matavao makes sense for the second IR designation. In a blind guess, let's predict it's Ridgeway.
Safety (5): Justin Reid, Jonas Sanker, Julian Blackmon, Jordan Howden, Terrell Burgess
Sanker, after moving to inside at nickel, hasn’t played much safety in training camp. With him acting as a corner, that could open the door for someone like Burgess — a special teams contributor and a reliable backup who is well liked in the locker room. Blackmon’s injury history could also warrant keeping five safeties.
Specialists (3): Kicker not on roster, Ryan Wright, Zach Wood
Yes, not picking between Tanner Brown and Charlie Smyth is a bit of a cop out. But how can the Saints feel good about heading into the season with either one of these kickers? Brown missed a 39-yard field goal against the Rams, coughing up whatever lead he had built on Smyth over the last few weeks. And Smyth, as intriguing as his leg strength is and as charming as his story is, hasn’t been consistent enough to win this competition. The Saints might be better off monitoring the market, as bleak as it is.
And here’s one for the true sickos, a 16-man practice squad projection: QB Hunter Dekkers, G Easton Kilty, T Alan Herron, C Torricelli Simpkins, RB Ty Chandler, RB C.J. Donaldson, TE Treyton Welch, S Elliott Davison, CB T.J. Hall, DT Myles Cole, DE Fadil Diggs, DE Michael Heldman, LB Deion Jones, WR Bub Means, WR Ronnie Bell, WR Jalen Cropper