Saints Begin Roster Reshuffle, Release Trio of Veterans Post-Draft
Moves signal a youth movement in New Orleans as GM Mickey Loomis resets the roster following a 2026 draft class focused on surrounding QB Tyler Shough with explosive weapons.
NEW ORLEANS, La. – The celebration of the 2026 NFL Draft has barely faded from the Caesars Superdome scoreboard, but the business of building a roster has already turned cold. On Monday, the New Orleans Saints began the annual process of trimming their offseason roster, releasing three veteran players just 48 hours after the conclusion of the three-day draft .
According to league sources, the Saints waived running back Evan Hull and wide receivers Elijah Cooks and Samori Toure. The moves were a logistical necessity for a front office that added nearly 20 new faces over the weekend. With the selections of eight draft picks, the signing of 10 undrafted free agents, and the acquisition of veteran edge rusher Tyree Wilson via trade, New Orleans found itself over the 90-man offseason roster limit. Monday’s cuts bring the team back into compliance, though they currently sit at 88 players, leaving two vacancies remaining .
“We knew this was coming, but it’s still tough,” a source close to the team told Yahoo Sports. The players released on Monday were all recent signees who struggled to find a foothold on the depth chart. Toure, a former Nebraska standout, was the most experienced of the group. Over four seasons in the NFL, he recorded 13 receptions for 160 yards and a touchdown across 22 games. He was scooped up by New Orleans midseason in 2025 but was quickly buried on the depth chart after the team’s aggressive offensive overhaul .
For Hull and Cooks, the writing was on the wall. Cooks was a late-season practice squad addition who never saw game action, while Hull was a midseason pickup in 2025 to provide emergency depth. However, both were outshined by the emergence of running back Audric Estime down the stretch last year .
The Youth Movement: “Weapons for Shough”
The cuts, while minor in stature, underscore a massive philosophical shift for the Saints. After years of manipulating the salary cap to keep aging veterans in the building, General Manager Mickey Loomis and first-year head coach Kellen Moore are aggressively pivoting toward youth—specifically around quarterback Tyler Shough.
With the No. 8 overall pick in the 2026 draft, the Saints selected dynamic Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson. The pick drew mixed initial grades—ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. gave the class a “B,” while local outlets like On SI graded it an “A-”—but the consensus is clear: New Orleans is building a track team on offense .
Tyson joins a room that already features Chris Olave and Devaughn Vele. The Saints doubled down on Day 3, adding North Dakota State’s Bryce Lance (brother of Dallas Cowboys star Trey Lance) in the fourth round and LSU speedster Barion Brown in the sixth. Combine that with the third-round selection of Georgia tight end Oscar Delp, and Shough’s supporting cast looks radically different than it did just six months ago .
While the offense got the glory, the defense received the necessary reinforcements to justify moving on from previous regime’s projects. The Saints traded a fifth-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders for Tyree Wilson, the former No. 7 overall selection who has yet to live up to his draft billing (never recording more than 4.5 sacks in a season). New Orleans also agreed to terms with veteran linebacker Anfernee Jennings .
The Cam Jordan Question Lingers
While the release of Hull, Cooks, and Toure are procedural transactions, they signal that no job is safe as the Saints transition into the Moore era. The most glaring elephant in the room remains future Hall of Fame defensive end Cameron Jordan.
As of Monday afternoon, Jordan remains an unrestricted free agent. The 37-year-old franchise icon has spent his entire 15-year career in the Black and Gold, but the front office’s decision to trade for Wilson and sign Jennings—without drafting an edge rusher—has created a complicated bottleneck.
Jordan spoke to the media over the weekend at a charity event, acknowledging that “the landscape is clearing up” regarding his future. While he expressed a desire to return, he noted that the team’s moves suggest they might be preparing for life without him .
“There’s nobody (the Saints acquired) who produced the way I did last year, so. My talent speaks for itself,” Jordan said, per the Times-Picayune. Jordan remains a fan favorite, but with the Saints holding just over $13.8 million in effective cap space following the rookie signings, a reunion is far from guaranteed .
Roster Strategy: Out of the Void
The release of low-tier players is a symptom of a larger healing process occurring within the Saints’ accounting department. For the first time in nearly a decade, New Orleans is not relying on “void years” and aggressive restructures to stay afloat.
According to an analysis by The Shreveport-Bossier City Advocate, none of the nine veteran contracts signed by the Saints this offseason included void years—a tactic that previously left the team buried in dead money. The restructuring of contracts for linebacker Pete Werner and guard Cesar Ruiz is expected soon, but the front office is eyeing a massive payday in 2027, where they are projected to have more than $75 million in cap space .
For now, the focus is on the 88 men currently in the building. Training camp will feature intense competition at the receiver position, where the newly drafted rookies will look to push veterans like Bub Means and Mason Tipton off the roster entirely.
As for the three players released on Monday—Hull, Cooks, and Toure—they will likely look for opportunities elsewhere as the league-wide roster churn continues into the summer.
