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The New Orleans Saints boast a very deep roster heading into the 2022 NFL season. While their quarterback, Jameis Winston, does have some question marks surrounding him, the hope is that the strong supporting cast around him will help the team prosper after an injury-riddled 2021 campaign.
The Saints wrapped up their preseason campaign with a solid victory over the Los Angeles Chargers the other night. The starting offense took the field for the first time in preseason, and looked pretty good overall. The depth of the team had struggled to open the preseason, but a lot of players at the bottom of the roster chose a good time to have their best performance of the preseason.
As a result, the Saints roster cuts are going to be filled with some tough decisions over the upcoming days. New Orleans has a lot of talent on their roster, and there are going to be some players along the way who the team unexpectedly moves on from. Let's look at three such players who could be among the most surprising roster cuts for the Saints this season.
3. Nick Vannett
Nick Vannett hasn't really lived up to his billing as a third-round draft pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. He's primarily been used as a blocking specialist at tight end throughout his career, which isn't a bad thing, but Vannett's inability to get involved as a receiver has hampered his career to this point.
Heading into the 2022 season, the Saints are well stocked at tight end. Adam Trautman leads the way, with gadget player Taysom Hill sitting behind him. Vannett is battling with Juwan Johnson for the final spot on the depth chart, and he may ultimately lose that battle. Johnson showed a lot of promise as a red zone target last season, when he turned his 13 receptions into four touchdowns. That's something Vannett just cannot offer.
Vannett probably won't get much play time with the Saints even if he sticks, making him a likely cut candidate despite his blocking contributions to the team. New Orleans could save $1.1 million if they release Vannett, and those cap savings could come in handy down the line. Vannett has value, but he isn't worth dedicating a roster spot to at this point in the season.
2. Tanoh Kpassagnon
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Tanoh Kpassagnon has shown flashes of potential throughout the early stages of his career as a solid pass rusher. He had a couple of strong seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs before he ultimately found his way to the New Orleans Saints last season. While he only played in eight games, he racked up four sacks along the way, showing his potential again, but not providing enough to cement a roster spot.
As a result, Kpassagnon has been battling for a roster spot all throughout training camp. He's shown flashes again, but his consistency remains a work in progress. He isn't going to get much playing time behind Cameron Jordan, Marcus Davenport, and Payton Turner, meaning the Saints could opt to address other areas of their roster by releasing Kpassagnon to create a spot.
Kpassagnon has talent, but he simply may not be able to find playing time with the Saints, making his release a real possibility. Similar to Vannett, the Saints could save $1.035 million in cap space by cutting Kpassagnon, which would result in more savings than most roster cuts. Ultimately, Kpassagnon may not have shown enough to earn himself a roster spot, and could be without a team come Week 1.
1. Tre'Quan Smith
Tre'Quan Smith got pressed into action unexpectedly over the past two seasons, and for the most part, he's held his own. But now that the Saints have a revamped wide receiver room, Smith may end up being the odd man out, making him a very surprising cut candidate as Saints roster cuts roll around.
Smith now sits behind Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry, and Chris Olave as the Saints top receivers. He's also competing with Marquez Callaway and Deonte Harty for backup spots after they were all starters last season. Given how productive Callaway was last season, and Harty's special teams contributions, Smith is fighting long odds to hang onto a roster spot.
Releasing Smith would once again save the Saints $1.1 million in cap space, so this could be a beneficial move for the Saints in a couple of different ways. They create an extra roster spot, while also freeing up some more money in the process. Smith has upside, but the Saints simply don't need him, making him expendable as the Saints roster cuts near.
