The Saints roster was already down to 86 after they had unloaded four players in RB Tim Flanders, WR Tobais Palmer, TE Je’Ron Hamm and LB Chidera Uzo-Diribe prior to the third preseason game in Indianapolis.
That left 11 more necessary roster moves to get down to the league mandated 75 limit. The biggest surprise was OLB Victor Butler, if you can call it a surprise given his inability to stay healthy. Butler was a hugely promising prospect that tore his ACL last training camp as he was scheduled to start for the new Rob Ryan defense, and a high ankle sprain prevented him from seeing almost any action this time around. OLB/DE Rufus Johnson, a 6th round pick last year, was also a surprise in that I expected him to be waived at final cuts.
WR Andy Tanner, S Ty Zimmerman and T Ty Nsekhe were waived early yesterday and those were all expected. TE Travis Beckum, DE George Uko and T Manase Foketi are also no longer with the team.
The last three players communicated after practice were QB Logan Kilgore, LB Kevin Reddick and CB Rod Sweeting. Kilgore’s short tenure was expected and he never had a realistic shot at the team with three quarterbacks experienced with the team and offense ahead of him. Sweeting and Reddick are much bigger surprises as they both made the team last season as undrafted rookies. Sweeting has been injured a bit so that played a part in his lack of development, and unfortunately for Reddick the potential of the two drafted rookie (Powell and Fortt) along with the emergence of Kyle Knox on special teams did him in.
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