METAIRIE, La. -- The New Orleans Saints will look a little different when they open the 2021 NFL regular season against the Green Bay Packers on Sept. 12 in the Caesars Superdome. The Saints finished 2020 with a 12-4 record, atop the NFC South, before losing a divisional-round game to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Saints will have at least 10 new starters in Week 1, thanks to Drew Brees' retirement, an offseason salary-cap purge and a handful of untimely injuries and suspensions. And there is some intrigue about whether they'll make a change with their No. 2 running back spot as well.
The roster will be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday -- but it should keep evolving over the next two weeks as they look to plug holes at cornerback, defensive tackle and tight end with players who become available from other teams.
Here is an initial projection:
QUARTERBACK (3): Jameis Winston, Taysom Hill, Ian Book
There is a good chance the Saints will keep veteran Trevor Siemian around as insurance on either the active roster or practice squad. But Book has looked polished enough as a rookie fourth-round draft pick to be a viable backup option on game days.