Eleven free agents worked out for the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday, according to the daily NFL transactions wire, with a near-even split between offensive linemen and defensive backs. That paints an obvious picture of where the Saints are looking for depth after their first three games. They lost starting left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. to ankle surgery and chose to move on from veteran cornerback Isaac Yiadom, among others, leaving the roster a little thin at two important positions. Rookie safety Lorenzo Styles Jr. is a key special teams player sidelined by injury, and backup corner Martin Emerson Jr. has been unavailable, too.
So let's take a quick look at each free agent who tried out in New Orleans. Two of them were already reported, which
we discussed here. These were the four offensive linemen in for a workout on Tuesday:
- Cody Ford, Oklahoma. Ford, 29, was a second-round pick by the Buffalo Bills back in 2019 (out of Oklahoma) and has experience at four different offensive line spots. He was most recently a backup right tackle with the Cincinnati Bengals, though he did log 400-plus snaps at left tackle in 2024. He has also started games at both left and right guard. He also served as grand marshal of the Alexandria Mardi Gras parade earlier this year.
- Cornelius Lucas, Kansas State. Lucas, 35, spent about a week with the Saints back in 2018 but found his footing as a regular starter with the Washington Commanders from 2020 to 2024. He's a 12-year pro with experience at both tackle spots, though he predominately lines up on the right side (2,878 career snaps) according to Pro Football Focus charting. He played college football at Kansas State and was briefly teammates with Kellen Moore on the Detroit Lions back in the day.
- Nicholas Petit-Frere, Ohio State. Petit-Frere, 27, was a third-round pick by the Tennessee Titans back in 2022 and started most of two seasons at right tackle. But he didn't get into a game last season and most recently joined the Washington Commanders for their 2026 training camp. He does have experience at left tackle (starting there in his 2021 senior year at Ohio State) but he's mostly lined up on the right side.
- Aamil Wagner, Notre Dame. Wagner, 23 in October, signed with the Titans as a rookie free agent earlier this year and worked at his natural position -- right tackle, where he was a two-year starter for the Fighting Irish. The Saints contacted him a couple of times during the pre-draft process but Tennessee recruited him with $267,500 in contract guarantees (just beneath what the Saints gave Alex Wollschlaegeer and Alan Herron, their highest-paid undrafted free agents).
And here's a look at the six defensive backs:
- Tre Hawkins III, Old Dominion. Hawkins, 26, is a tall cornerback at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds (which helped the New York Giants choose to draft him in 2023's sixth round). He doesn't have much experience covering the slot, and he hasn't seen many snaps on special teams since his rookie year. He spent the final week of the preseason with the Minnesota Vikings.
- Jack Henderson, Minnesota. Henderson, 24, played safety and a lot of snaps on special teams since turning pro two years ago (with stops on the Carolina Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers). He came up at Southeastern Louisiana before transferring to Minnesota, lining up in the slot on nearly 1,700 snaps in his college career.
- Sanoussi Kane, Purdue. Kane, 24, lined up all over the field at Purdue before the Baltimore Ravens picked him in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft. But he mainly played special teams in the NFL before and after the Ravens let him leave their practice squad, at which point he joined the Titans. Tennessee waived him at the start of training camp this summer.
- Trevian Thomas, Arkansas State. Thomas earned snaps at Arkansas State (the same alma mater as Demario Davis) for his work on special teams, and he kept climbing the ladder to win All-Sun Belt recognition in 2024. He has experience covering receivers in the slot and manning the box at the college level, but he hasn't gotten many opportunities in the NFL. He initially signed with the Panthers as a rookie free agent in 2025 before joining the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2026. He may have caught the Saints' eye in a joint practice and preseason game this summer.
- Delarrin Turner-Yell, Oklahoma. Turner-Yell, 26, has had some brutal injury luck after the Denver Broncos drafted him with a fifth rounder in 2022. His 2023 season ended with a torn ACL that sidelined him for most of 2025 until he suffered another knee injury in his return to the field. He mostly played free safety in limited action with the Broncos but saw a wider variety of assignments in college.
- Marco Wilson, Florida. Wilson, 27, was a three-year starter at Florida before turning pro as a fourth-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals back in 2021. He has spent time with several different teams (most recently the Miami Dolphins during the 2026 preseason), occasionally lining up in the box but primarily covering receivers out on the boundary. He hasn't logged many snaps on special teams.
The Saints have not signed anyone just yet, but stay tuned. They're clearly looking for help at the tackle spots and in the secondary.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints work out 11 free agent offensive linemen, defensive backs
