Waiver claims are filing in after the NFL roster cuts deadline, and the New Orleans Saints have added two players from other teams' roster cuts: former Chicago Bears
offensive tackle Mason Murphy and ex-Indianapolis Colts defensive lineman Colby Wooden. Because their own 53-man roster was at capacity, the Saints must open two spots for them to take by either cutting two players or designating them to injured reserve.Murphy, 24, signed with the Bears as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn -- he was college teammates with Saints fourth-round pick Jeremiah Wright and spent most of the 2025 season lining up next to him at both right tackle and center. The Bears kept Murphy at right tackle during the preseason but he also has experience at right guard
and left tackle dating back to his earlier days at USC. He only took a single snap at left guard at the college level. The 6-foot-5, 319-pound rookie was charged with allowing just one sack and three quarterback pressures in three preseason games.
Wooden, 25, was a former fourth-round pick by the Green Bay Packers back in 2023 but was traded to Indianapolis in March (in exchange for linebacker Zaire Franklin). He's listed at 6-foot-4 and 273 pounds but has talked about bulking up to 290 in past offseasons. Wooden also played college football at Auburn and was a regular face in Green Bay's interior line rotation the last few years before starting 16 games in 2025. He looks like a good fit for Brandon Staley's 3-4 defense as a backup for guys like Vernon Broughton and Nathan Shepherd but is better known for his run defense than his ability to push the pocket. Wooden was credited with just two half-sacks in three years with the Packers compared to nine tackles for loss (including the playoffs).
Stay tuned for more Saints roster moves as the team builds its practice squad and tweaks the 53-man roster ahead of Week 1. There's still work to do.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: NFL waiver claims: Saints awarded two linemen from other teams
