As I predicted this morning, the Saints have released 11 players (instead of 10) which currently puts the roster at 79 players. The reason for that is kicker Garrett Hartley is hurt and the Saints will bring in a kicker to spell him (hopefully temporarily). Longtime Panther and veteran kicker John Kasay is the rumored to be guy taking the 80th spot, though that is not 100% confirmed yet.
The players the Saints released are:
G Roger Allen
LB Ezra Butler
WR Jarred Fayson
C Ryan Taylor
DE Alex Brown
WR John Chiles
T Dan Gay
FB Kolby Hurt
S DeAndre McDaniel
CB Mark Parsons
RB Chris Taylor
I gave you guys my predictions on who the 11 guys cut would be and I was only right on 5 of them (Butler, Fayson, Hurt and Gay). Shows you how much I know. That said, all the guys on this list were eventual cuts I fully expected to make with the exception of last year’s starting defensive end Alex Brown. While he’s an expensive veteran that has underperformed a bit, most thought his roster spot was safe due to the lack of starting quality players on the roster at defensive end. It looks like Cameron Jordan’s path to starting is now that much easier and will require even less of a transition, but don’t sleep on Turk McBride getting a shot at starting either. A mild surprise was also safety DeAndre McDaniel, who some labelled as 3rd round talent in the draft and the best undrafted rookie free agent on the market. I guess he never lived up to the hype. While I expected him cut, I figured he’s be cut later in the process and have a shot at the practice squad. Not to be…
Brown started 16 games last year but posted career lows in tackles (39) and sacks (2). While he was decent at times against the run he was never useful in pass rushing situations. He was a good guy to have around but clearly a declining player. I wish him the best.
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