The New Orleans Saints have until Sunday at 6:00 p.m. ET to trim their roster from 88 players to 53. The moves are already underway. Below is a tracker of the Saints’ cuts ahead of the roster deadline.

Note: We will continue to update this story, so if you don’t see any chances make sure to hit the refresh button on your browser. Move announced by team unless otherwise noted. There’s also a cheat sheet of terms at the bottom of the article should you need it.

LAST UPDATED:

Saints roster cuts heading into Week 1

Waived:

• WR Ronnie Bell
• S Elliott Davison
• QB Hunter Dekkers
• WR Bub Means
• TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden
• Edge Garrett Nelson
• DL Kahlil Saunders
• DL Brien Taylor
• OL Xavier Truss
• Edge Malakai Williams

Players Saints placed on Injured Reserve, PUP:

• None yet

2026 NFL roster cuts cheat sheet: What does every term mean?

Rosters must be reduced to 53 players virtually all at once. The team has several different transactions they can use to make that happen. Here are the terms you need to familiarize yourself with:

Reserve/Retired list: Players who are placed on this list have retired from the NFL.

Released: When a vested veteran (those who have accrued four seasons in the NFL) is cut from a team. These players are not required to pass through waivers and can immediately become unrestricted free agents. 

Waived: Players who have not accrued four seasons in the NFL are waived instead of being released. 31 NFL teams will have a chance to claim waived players on their 53-man roster by 1:00 p.m. ET on August 31. If players are not claimed on waivers, they become unrestricted free agents. Waiver priority this time of year is determined by team records from the previous season. 

Waived/Injured: If these players clear waivers they will revert to the Bengals’ injured reserve list. They can opt to spend the season in Cincinnati on Injured Reserve, or reach an injury settlement with the team.

Injured Reserve: Thanks to a recent NFL rule amendment, two players can be placed on IR on the day of final cuts (Tuesday) and be designated to return. Teams still have the option to carry injured players on the 53-man roster to place them on IR later. 

Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list: Players on the Active/PUP list can be placed on the Reserve/PUP list in a move to get the roster down to 53 players. Players who are moved to the Reserve/PUP list do not count against the 53-man roster. They can attend team meetings, and use team facilities for rehab, but are not allowed to practice for four weeks. After four weeks, another 21-day window opens up, where the player can practice and be activated. If they’re not activated in those 21 days, they must be placed on injured reserve for the rest of the season.

Reserve/Non-football Injury/iIllness (NFI) lists: Players placed on either Reserve/NFI lists have to go through the same process as players on the Reserve/PUP list. They do not count toward the 53-man roster. They can go to team meetings and use facilities for rehab, but they’re not allowed to participate in practice for four weeks. After that, a four-week period opens where they can return to practice and the team can choose to activate the player. If the player isn’t activated at the end of the second four-week period, they’ll remain on injured reserve for the rest of the season. The big difference between the NFI and PUP lists is that teams can withhold a portion of a player’s salary if they’re placed on the NFI lists.

Reserve/Suspended list: Players who are placed on the Reserve/Suspended list have to serve out an NFL suspension. Players on this list do not count toward 53-man roster limits and are not paid their base salary. 

Reserve/Did Not Report list: Players who are placed on the Reserve/Did Not Report list have left their team.