The New Orleans Saints are about to dive into one of the NFL’s annual traditions: managing their salary cap. Over recent seasons, the Saints have ended each year projected to be over the cap, only to perform some financial wizardry during the offseason to get cap compliant. This year, expect more of the same.
This “cap magic” typically involves restructuring contracts, utilizing void years to delay payments, and cutting a few players to save space. These cuts, known as “cap casualties,” are players released primarily to free up salary cap room, and it’s a tough but necessary part of the process every year.
As the offseason nears, Bleacher Report’s scouting department has predicted which players might be cap casualties for each team. For the Saints, they identified three likely candidates: Khalen Saunders, Cedrick Wilson Jr., and Foster Moreau.
According to Bleacher Report, New Orleans doesn’t have many options left due to numerous contract restructures in recent years. However, releasing these three veterans would provide a significant cap savings. Cutting Saunders would free up $2.6 million, Wilson $2.4 million, and Moreau $2.8 million.
The rationale for cutting these players centers on their roles being somewhat limited. With the Saints’ current roster setup, releasing Wilson and Saunders would be manageable, but Moreau’s situation is more complicated.
New Orleans could opt to keep Moreau because of the team’s tight end situation. Juwan Johnson, the other veteran tight end, will hit free agency, and Taysom Hill is recovering from a serious knee injury. Hill’s role is more of a versatile weapon than a traditional tight end, so Moreau’s spot on the roster could be more secure. However, the Saints may still part ways with the other two players.
