New Orleans Saints

With only $15.5M in room today and a dead-cap figure of $107.6M that ranks second in the entire league, the Saints are financially handcuffed this season but are set to breathe with $57.0M in projected room next year.

24 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Six starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Six picks in the current class, all in rounds one through six, plus three first-rounders across the next three years give the Saints real ammunition to address multiple positional crises through the draft.

• Acquired: Round 6 from Chargers, this draft
• Acquired: Round 7 from Cowboys, next draft
• Acquired: Round 7 from Patriots, next draft
• Acquired: Round 6 from Texans, next draft
• Traded away: Round 6 to Patriots, this draft
• Traded away: Round 7 to Broncos, this draft
• Traded away: Round 7 to Texans, next draft
• Traded away: Round 6 to Cowboys, next draft

The roster's top strength is its skill-position firepower headlined by Olave, Etienne, and McCoy, while the defensive interior and cornerback rooms represent the clearest and most damaging weak spots on the depth chart.

• CBhigh

  Martin Emerson Jr. starts at 78 overall but the cornerback room ranks 28th at the starter level and 26th in depth, making this the most urgent positional hole on the roster.

• DThigh

  Davon Godchaux starts at 76 overall but the group ranks 30th among starters league-wide, and cutting Godchaux would leave Bryan Bresee and Christen Miller as the top options.

• MIKEhigh

  Pete Werner holds the starting spot at 75 overall while the unit ranks 29th at the starter level, though the depth rank of 11th suggests adequate backups in Stutsman and Ford.

• LTmedium

  Kelvin Banks Jr. starts at 78 overall and the position ranks 25th at the starter level, so developing Banks quickly is the most realistic path to fixing this unit.

• SSmedium

  Jonas Sanker starts at 76 overall and the position ranks 25th at the starter level, though the depth rank of 8th provides reasonable insurance behind him.

• RGlow
• RTlow

• 74Nathan ShepherdDTNathan Shepherd is 32 years old, buried on the depth chart behind Godchaux, Miller, and Bresee at DT, and releasing him frees $4.8M against only $2.4M in dead money.Frees $4.8M · $2.4M dead
• 74Jordan HowdenFSJordan Howden is the backup free safety behind Justin Reid at 74 overall, and his release carries almost no cost, freeing $3.7M with just $80K in dead money.Frees $3.7M · $80.0K dead
• 57William ShermanCWilliam Sherman is a 57 overall backup center who does not crack the active lineup, and releasing him is a completely clean move that frees $1.0M with zero dead money.Frees $1.0M · $0 dead
• 76Davon GodchauxDTDavon Godchaux starts at DT but grades out at only 76 overall on a unit ranked 30th in starter quality, and cutting him frees $6.5M with a manageable $680K in dead money, making it the highest-value release on the board.Frees $6.5M · $680.0K dead
• 61Treyton WelchTETreyton Welch sits third on the tight end depth chart at just 61 overall, and releasing him is a costless roster cleanup that frees $1.0M with zero dead money.Frees $1.0M · $0 dead

The Saints carry real talent at the top of the roster in Chris Olave, Chase Young, Erik McCoy, and Travis Etienne Jr., but the franchise is constrained by a historically heavy dead-cap burden that leaves only $15.5M in room this season. Tyler Shough inherits the starting quarterback role with Star development potential, which is encouraging, but he is unproven and the surrounding cast at cornerback, defensive tackle, and middle linebacker is among the weakest in the league. Kaden Elliss is entering the late stage of his career and will need a successor at WILL linebacker sooner rather than later, and Cameron Jordan is well into the twilight of a Hall of Fame career, meaning the REDGE room must be rebuilt around younger options like Carl Granderson. The good news is that the cap picture improves dramatically in future seasons, with next year's projected room jumping to $57.0M, giving the front office a meaningful window to retool through free agency once the dead money clears. Six picks in the current draft class, including a first-rounder, offer additional runway. This is a team with a strong enough skill-position foundation to compete once the defensive holes are addressed, but it will require disciplined roster management and patience through at least one transitional season.

The Saints were awarded to New Orleans on November 1, 1966, All Saints' Day, and began play in 1967 as the NFL's 16th franchise, founded by John W. Mecom Jr., David Dixon, and the city. Rookie John Gilliam returned the opening kickoff of the first regular-season game (Sept. 17, 1967) 94 yards for a touchdown, but the team lost and spent two decades in futility, going 20 consecutive seasons without a winning record. The nadir was the 1-15 campaign of 1980, when disgusted fans began wearing paper bags over their heads and calling the team the 'Aints.' One early bright spot: on November 8, 1970, Tom Dempsey booted a then-record 63-yard field goal to beat Detroit 19-17 on the game's final play. The franchise's first winning season and playoff berth came in 1987 under coach Jim Mora, powered by the 'Dome Patrol' linebacker corps (Rickey Jackson, Sam Mills, Pat Swilling, Vaughan Johnson). The first playoff win did not arrive until January 2001, the team's 34th season. The defining era began in 2006, when the Saints hired coach Sean Payton and signed free-agent QB Drew Brees months after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Superdome in 2005. The era peaked in the 2009 season: a 13-0 start and a 31-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV (Feb. 7, 2010), with Brees named MVP. The title was later shadowed by 'Bountygate,' the 2012 revelation of a pay-for-injury bounty program that drew unprecedented NFL sanctions. Two gut-punch playoff moments bookend the late-Brees years: the 'Minneapolis Miracle' that ended the 2017 divisional playoff, and the 'NOLA No-Call' in the January 2019 NFC Championship Game, when uncalled pass interference helped the Rams win in overtime. Brees retired after the 2020 season, and the franchise has not returned to the playoffs since.