New Orleans Saints

Saints final cuts include 3 2018 draft picks, QB Savage

Published Sep. 1, 2018 7:23 p.m. ET

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — The New Orleans Saints have placed tight end Michael Hoomanawanui and veteran running back Shane Vereen on injured reserve, and cut veteran reserve quarterback Tom Savage while trimming their roster down to the regular-season maximum.

The Saints, who announced the moves Saturday, also traded defensive tackle Devaroe Lawrence to Cleveland for "future considerations" and waived four draft choices from the past two years.

The 2018 draft choices waived were: offensive tackle Rick Leonard, a fourth rounder out of Florida State; defensive back Natrell Jamerson, a fifth-rounder out of Wisconsin; and defensive back Kamrin Moore, a sixth-rounder out of Boston College. Defensive end Al-Quaddin Muhammad, a 2017 sixth-rounder out of Miami, also was waived.

Younger players who remain on the 53-player roster for now include second-year tight end Dan Arnold, second-year offensive lineman Cameron Tom, and running back Boston Scott, a 2018 sixth-round pick out of Louisiana Tech.

Arnold, a 6-foot-6 converted receiver out of Wisconsin-Platteville, is entering his second pro season after spending last year on injured reserve.

The 5-foot-6, 203-pound Scott, who grew up in the New Orleans area, showed promise as a runner and return man during the preseason. He joins the team at a time when it needs running back depth due to Mark Ingram's four-game suspension to start the season because of the Pro Bowler's positive test for a banned substance. One of Scott's chief competitors for a role in the return game was veteran receiver Brandon Tate, who was among the Saints' final cuts.

Another veteran receiver let go was Michael Floyd, who was brought in near the beginning of training camp as he tries to bounce back from a series of off-the-field setbacks that derailed his once-promising career with Arizona.

New Orleans is back to having just one defensive back named Marcus Williams on the roster after cutting the veteran cornerback by that name only weeks after signing him as a free agent. The former New York Jet and Houston Texan intercepted a pass for a touchdown during the Saints' preseason victory over the Chargers in Los Angeles, but that wasn't enough to keep him around.

The younger Marcus Williams, a 2017 second-round draft choice out of Utah, is projected to start at free safety as he seeks to bury bad memories of his missed tackle of Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs on the last play of last season's playoff loss in Minnesota.

The Saints also parted ways with their 2015 second-round pick, Hau'oli Kikaha, an edge pass rusher who showed promise as a rookie but who missed the 2016 season after tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament for the third time. He came back from that injury to make the team last season but struggled to work his way into the regular playing rotation and was a healthy scratch several times.

Other players cut by the Saints were: linebackers Jayrone Elliott, KeShun Freeman and Colton Jumper; defensive tackles Jay Bromley, Woodrow Hamilton and Henry Mondeaux; defensive ends Alex Jenkins and George Johnson; defensive backs Sharrod Neasman, Linden Stephens and Robert Nelson; receivers Tanner McAvoy and Keith Kirkwood; offensive linemen Josh LeRibeus, Nate Wozniak, Michael Ola, Andrew Tiller, Landon Turner and Don Barclay; tight ends Garrett Griffin, John Phillips and Deon Yelder; quarterback J.T. Barrett; and running back Jonathan Williams.