Takeaways from New Orleans Saints' 53-man roster, practice squad

With several days of roster cuts, waiver claims, and practice squad signings behind us, the dust is finally settling down for the New Orleans Saints. So what's to make of their team? How does the depth chart shake out now, and where do they still have room to improve? To find out, we're going through every position group on each side of the ball and looking at where everyone could be lining up when the season starts on Sept. 13

Of course it isn't over yet. There are still some players managing injuries who could go on a reserve list, waiver claims to sort through, and a few vacancies to fill on the practice squad. Here are our takeaways on every position group. We'll update each segment as more information is reported.

Quarterbacks (3)

1. No. 6, Tyler Shough
2. No. 2, Spencer Rattler
3. No. 4, Zach Wilson

Saints coach Kellen Moore

has been adamant that both Rattler and Wilson are QB2's in the NFL, and that he hasn't made a formal decision on who will back up Shough on Sundays. But Wilson has had few pass attempts with the second-string offense when reporters have been at practice, if any. The only way Rattler isn't the next man up is if another team is willing to trade the Saints a better pick for him than the fifth rounder invested in him in the first place. Wilson is the emergency QB3 if he does stay on the team.

Running backs (4 plus 2)

1. No. 3, Travis Etienne Jr.
2. No. 41, Alvin Kamara
3. No. 5, Kendre Miller
4. No. 30, Audric Estime

Practice squad: No. 26, Zamir White; No. 43, CJ Donaldson (rookie)

Kamara's status for the first few weeks is up in the air after he was reportedly diagnosed with an MCL strain in mid-August, so we're assuming it'll be Etienne, Miller, and Estime dressing out in the season opener. Maybe White or Donaldson gets called up from the practice squad in a pinch. This group is faster and more dynamic than it was this time last year.

Tight ends (3 plus 1)

1. No. 83, Juwan Johnson
2. No. 87, Noah Fant
3. No. 88, Oscar Delp (rookie)

Practice squad: No. TBD, Stone Smartt

Delp has been dealing with a minor hamstring injury, but we expected Johnson and Fant to have larger roles offensively anyway. Johnson was one of the team leaders in targets during team drills at training camp and should function as Shough's second option in the passing game while Jordyn Tyson is on the mend. He averaged 4.6 catches and 57.9 yards per game last season once Shough was named the starter, catching 82% of his targets.

Wide receivers (4 plus 3)

1. No. 12, Chris Olave
2. No. 14, Devaughn Vele
3. No. 18, Bryce Lance (rookie)
4. No. 19, Barion Brown (rookie)

Practice squad: No. 16, Trey Palmer; No. 85, Jalen Moreno-Cropper

Injured reserve: No. 0, Jordyn Tyson (designated to return)

Physically unable to perform: No. 15, Mason Tipton (designated to return)

We're waiting to see if Kevin Austin Jr. cleared waivers and will revert to the practice squad. If he does, rostering four and stashing three more isn't the worst approach. The Saints typically only activate four receivers on game days as it is so they have some time to nail down the rotation before Tyson and Tipton return from their injuries later this season.

Offensive line (9 plus 3)

• Left tackle: No. 71, Kelvin Banks Jr.; No. 72, Asim Richards
• Left guard: No. 76, David Edwards
• Center: No. 78, Erik McCoy; No. 66, William Sherman
• Right guard: No. 51, Cesar Ruiz; No. 65, Jeremiah Wright (rookie)
• Right tackle: No. 75, Taliese Fuaga; No. 74, Mason Murphy (rookie)

Practice squad: No. 70, Alan Herron (rookie left tackle); No. 73, Easton Kilty (left/right guard); No. 79, Alex Wollschlaeger (rookie right tackle)

That's a solid -- potentially even stout -- front five, with Richards offering depth at both tackle spots and Sherman bringing some flexibility at guard and center. Wright has gotten a lot of practice reps on the first-team offensive line with Ruiz sidelined by an injury, and his arrow is trending up. The question is whether he's ready to start against a dangerous Detroit Lions pass rush in a few weeks.

Special teams (3 plus 1)

• Punter: No. 17, Ryan Wright
• Kicker: No. 10, Daniel Carlson
• Long snapper: No. 49, Zach Wood

Practice squad: No. 39, Charlie Smyth (kicker)

Carlson won the kicking competition, but can he hold onto the job? He must remain consistent with Smyth watching him closely from the practice squad. Wright's debut wasn't as clean as expected, with a couple of short punts inside his own territory and spotty placement downfield. Let's hope he starts fast in the regular season.

Edge rushers (5 plus 1)

1. No. 99, Chase Young
2. No. 96, Carl Granderson
3. No. 94, Cameron Jordan
4. No. 54, Anfernee Jennings
5. No. 98, Tyree Wilson

Practice squad: No. 40, Fadil Diggs

No surprises here, but we'll have to wait and see if Jordan is ready to play in Week 1. On the one hand, you could argue he's the type of pro who doesn't need training camp to get ready. On the other hand, he missed most of training camp with a hamstring injury. It's a big opportunity for Jennings and Wilson if he can't go.

Defensive line (7 plus 1)

• End: No. 91, Vernon Broughton; No. 50, Colby Wooden; No. 95, John Ridgeway III
• Nose: No. 92, Davon Godchaux; No. 52, Christen Miller (rookie)
• End: No. 93, Nathan Shepherd; No. 97, Khristian Boyd

Practice squad: No. 62, Jay'Viar Suggs (rookie end)

Wooden arriving off of waivers is really interesting. He's done well in the role as a 3-4 defensive end before, though he had to play out of position and man the nose last season with the Green Bay Packers. He does have starting experience and could help take some pressure off of Broughton with Bryan Bresee out for the season with an injury. Miller hasn't taken the starting job from Godchaux yet, but he's closing in.

Linebackers (5 plus 1)

1. No. 55, Kaden Elliss
2. No. 20, Pete Werner
3. No. 28, Danny Stutsman
4. No. 44, Isaiah Stalbird
5. No. 58, Chris Rumph II

Practice squad: No. 47, Jackson Sirmon

Injured reserve: No. 53, Jaylan Ford (designated to return)

This is arguably the deepest position group on the roster, which is funny when you think about all of the skepticism that's followed since Demario Davis left in free agency back in March. Stutsman is taking snaps from Werner and it feels like only a matter of time before the Saints make a change there, but it hasn't happened just yet.

Safeties (6)

1. No. 21, Justin Reid
2. No. 23, Julian Blackmon
3. No. 7, Jonas Sanker
4. No. 31, Jordan Howden
5. No. 36, Lorenzo Styles Jr. (rookie)
6. No. 42, Mike Reid

Sanker will man the slot when the Saints work out of nickel personnel, which has been their most-common defensive grouping even after Brandon Staley replaced Dennis Allen on the headset. And that means Sanker will be an every-down defender along with Reid and Blackmon, except for when the Saints work out of heavier personnel. Howden is a solid backup while Styles and Reid are both valued for their work on special teams.

Cornerbacks (4 plus 1)

1. No. 1, Kool-Aid McKinstry
2. No. 29, Quincy Riley
3. No. 22, Martin Emerson Jr.
4. No. 38 Jayden Price

Practice squad: No. 34, TJ Hall Jr. (rookie)

This might be the thinnest spot on the roster. Riley did return from a calf injury, which is a good sign; he has plenty of time to ramp up before the season opener. But depth is suspect behind him. Emerson had a mix of good days and bad throughout the summer. Price doesn't have much experience covering receivers out on the boundary, and you'll probably see him first as a backup for Sanker in the slot (at least that's how the Saints would like it to be). They need another corner but they might have to trade for one.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Takeaways from New Orleans Saints' 53-man roster, practice squad