The Saints made some difficult decisions, but they have their 53-man roster set — for now

When he was standing at the post-game podium after the preseason finale Sunday night, New Orleans Saints coach Dennis Allen referenced the tough decisions that loomed for the team prior to Tuesday’s 3 p.m. deadline to trim the roster down to 53 players.
The head coach was not kidding: Among the several notable moves made Tuesday, the Saints traded kicker Wil Lutz, waived punter Blake Gillikin, and released veteran defenders Bradley Roby and Jaylon Smith.
Those were part of the 35 transactions the Saints officially made Tuesday in order to be compliant with the NFL’s roster size mandate. Running back Alvin Kamara also began to serve his three-game suspension Tuesday, and therefore does not count against the limit.
New Orleans kept all seven members of its 2023 draft class, as well as a pair of undrafted rookies. Tight end Jimmy Graham also made the roster after sitting out all of last season.
But the Saints’ decisions at the specialist positions drew a lot of attention, as the team handed its punting and kicking duties to unproven rookies Lou Hedley and Blake Grupe, respectively, for the 2023 season. Trading Lutz, who’d spent seven seasons in New Orleans, to the Denver Broncos was especially difficult.
“Tough, real tough,” Allen said. “Wil Lutz has been a good kicker for us for a while now. But, look, we thought we had a chance to get value for a player, and we felt like we had another guy in the building we had confidence in. Those are always challenging situations.”
In Denver, Lutz will reunite with former Saints coach Sean Payton, who has spent his first offseason in Denver stocking his roster with former Saints. This is the second trade the Saints have made with the Broncos since Payton's hire, as the team also shipped tight end Adam Trautman to Denver during the draft.
Lutz ranks second in Saints history in points scored, trailing only NFL Hall of Famer Morten Andersen. His 84.6% career field goal percentage is the best in franchise history, with a minimum of 25 field goals attempted.
But Lutz's greatest contribution to the franchise came with his performance in clutch situations. He connected on eight of his nine opportunities to give the Saints a lead either in the final minute of the fourth quarter or in overtime during his time in New Orleans, with his only miss coming from 61 yards out as a rookie.
The Saints' decision to move on from Lutz was based on performance, according to a source familiar with the decision. The veteran kicker missed all of the 2021 season with an injury, then struggled in his return last season, posting a career-worst 74.2% field goal percentage.
While Lutz appeared to rebound in training camp this year, Grupe also impressed with both his consistency and leg strength. His slight 156-pound frame does not prevent him from generating power, and he regularly made field goals beyond 50 yards in practice.
The rookie kicker said he entered training camp with no expectations, and simply aimed to perform well every day. After Tuesday, though, he felt he could exhale.
“Obviously, it’s a relief. It’s been a long camp, it’s been a highly competitive camp,” Grupe said. “Going against a guy like (Lutz) who has done it for a while and done it at a high level, it was a relief (to make the team), but that doesn’t mean anything. The job is still the same.”
If Lutz’s release wasn’t a surprise, Roby’s certainly was. The Saints acquired him for a third-round pick prior to the 2021 season, and he was expected to play a significant role as a slot defender this season.
But New Orleans is ready to allow Alontae Taylor to take over the starting nickel role this season, and Roby’s price tag combined with the play of reserve defensive backs Ugo Amadi and Isaac Yiadom made Roby expendable.
The Saints kept five linebackers, and it was a surprise to see Smith not among them. Though he was a late addition to the team in training camp, Smith showed off his playmaking ability in two preseason contests.
Smith’s absence may not last long. Allen said Tuesday afternoon that there’s a possibility New Orleans brings him back. Since Smith is a vested veteran, he did not have to pass through the waiver process and is now free to sign wherever he chooses.
For that matter, the Saints are not done crafting the 53-man roster they’ll take with them against the Tennessee Titans in the season opener Sept. 10. Allen said the coaching and personnel staffs had a late night in front of them poring through all the other moves made across the NFL to try and identify players who could help in New Orleans.
“We’ve got roster issues to deal with,” Allen said. “We’ll look and see what moves other teams have made across the league.”