With two preseason games in the books, we now have a better picture of what the New Orleans Saints initial 53-man roster might look like. Clear front-runners have emerged at several positions, however, some competitions are far from finished.

Here’s an updated projection for the Saints initial 53-man roster, which needs to come together before September 1st. Another update will be posted following the Saints fourth preseason game.

New Orleans Saints 2018 Roster Projection: Mid-Preseason Edition

Quarterback

Drew Brees, Tom Savage, Taysom Hill (3)

Hill had some impressive plays in the Saints first preseason game, which earned him a start on Friday against the Arizona Cardinals. Unfortunately, Hill took a step back against Arizona as he played a role in four turnovers. Overall, he lacked poise and simply doesn’t look ready for regular season action. A more efficient performance in the final exhibition games, along with Hill’s special teams’ contributions could be enough to keep him on the roster though.

Savage had another quiet performance, but he’s still clearly a more polished quarterback. After two very conservative performances, Savage’s downfield passing ability remains a concern. He will probably win the backup job anyway, but he could provide skeptics some re-assurance by completing some deep passes before preseason ends.

Meanwhile, Barrett made the most of his two drives of playing time on Friday after failing to complete a pass against Jacksonville. He looked great on a 12-yard touchdown scramble in the final moments, but he remains far behind Savage and Hill in this race.

Running Back

Alvin Kamara, Jonathan Williams, Boston Scott, Zach Line (FB) (4)

Mark Ingram (suspension)

Thanks to two strong showings by Williams, the pecking order is much clearer. Williams has so far accumulated 61 rushing yards at 5.08 yards per carry in preseason action. He was particularly impressive behind the first-team offensive line on Friday. He broke loose on a physical 19-yard run that resembled the downhill style of Ingram.

Williams looks like a satisfactory replacement for Ingram while he serves a four-game suspension to start the season. Scott is likely to make the roster because of his potential in the Saints offense, and return ability. A couple more big runs or returns in preseason should solidify his spot.

The Saints may keep a fourth halfback as well, in which case West likely has an edge over Shane Vereen as a more physical runner. West hasn’t made much noise so far, but he looked sharp on a 21-yard sweep against the Cardinals. We’ll likely get a longer look at West in one of the remaining exhibition games.

Wide Receiver

Michael Thomas, Tre’Quan Smith, Ted Ginn, Cameron Meredith, Tommylee Lewis (5)

This position is set aside from a fifth, and potentially a sixth spot. Lewis still seems like the favorite despite missing much of training camp with an undisclosed injury. Lewis has two years of experience and some sporadic success in the Saints offense, but he’s seen fewer reps in the return game recently behind recent signee Brandon Tate and Scott.

The three favorites behind Lewis are Tate, Keith Kirkwood, and Austin Carr. Kirkwood has consistently shined in camp, but he likely needs to show more in preseason action to make the roster. Carr has been a similar story, although the aforementioned players haven’t been given many opportunities by their quarterbacks. Together Savage, Hill, and Barrett only have two completions of 20 or more yards.

This battle will come down to whether or not someone outside of the five favorites can breakout in the next two weeks. If not, you can expect Lewis to return.

Tight End

Ben Watson, Josh Hill, Dan Arnold (3)

Michael Hoomanawanui continues to miss time with an undisclosed injury, keeping the window open for another tight end to sneak onto the roster. Arnold, a 2017 undrafted free agent signing continues to be the most productive alternative, but the third spot will come down to what the Saints decide their priorities are for the position.

With two solid blockers in Watson and Hill, New Orleans could consider keeping a receiving threat like Arnold or undrafted rookie Deon Yelder. However, Hoomanawanui was undoubtedly a big part of the Saints excellent run blocking in 2017. Is it worth letting go of a trusted asset in favor of a raw, unproven receiving threat? So far Arnold is forcing New Orleans to ponder this question.

Another alternative is Garrett Griffin, a skilled blocker who the Saints have kept around in some form for two years. Griffin missed a big opportunity against Arizona though, letting a perfect pass from Barrett on a fade go through his hands on a 2-point conversion attempt. It’s just one play, but every missed opportunity gets magnified when several players are fighting for one roster spot.

Offensive Line

Terron Armstead, Andrus Peat, Max Unger, Larry Warford, Ryan Ramczyk, Jermon Bushrod, Josh LeRibeus, Cameron Tom, Michael Ola (9)

New Orleans has kept seven or eight linemen in years past, but the departure of Senio Kelemete reduced the versatility of this group. Kelemete was capable of playing any position on the line, allowing the Saints to keep fewer linemen.

So far Bushrod has been the backup left tackle, where he started in his previous tenure with the Saints. Bushrod spent the last two seasons starting at right guard, giving him some versatility. He allowed a strip-sack against Arizona but has otherwise looked adequate. At right tackle, Ola has served as a backup with rookie Rick Leonard behind him.

New Orleans seems to have more options for backup interior line roles. LeRibeus filled in admirably at both left guard and center last season. Currently, he’s been the backup left guard with Tom as the backup center. Tom has played plenty of reps at guard as well. The backup right guard has been Landon Turner to this point, but New Orleans seems to favor LeRibeus and Tom over him, and both players could feasibly play right guard.

Rookie Will Clapp is another strong candidate. He’s played all three interior line positions in camp and has reportedly outperformed Leonard, who was selected three rounds before Clapp. This position battle is still far from over.

Defensive End

Cameron Jordan, Alex Okafor, Marcus Davenport, Trey Hendrickson, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Mitchell Loewen (6)

In the previous projection, six ends seemed excessive yet likely due to the available talent. Following Okafor’s injury last week, which could keep him out for four-six weeks, six ends seems like the right amount. Hendrickson and Loewen have seen a lot of first-team reps due to Jordan getting regular rest days and Okafor’s injury issues. They seem like locks at this point. Loewen is also a capable defensive tackle.

Muhammad has had some good pressures in preseason, but he needs to show more to fend off veteran George Johnson, a key late-season contributor last year. Hau’oli Kikaha has been removed from this position after spending both exhibition games at outside linebacker/standing edge rusher.

Defensive Tackle

Sheldon Rankins, David Onyemata, Tyeler Davison, Devaroe Lawrence (4)

There may not even be room for a fourth defensive tackle, but there are a few strong candidates to sneak onto the roster. Lawrence leads the pack with seven tackles (one for loss), two sacks, and a batted pass through two preseason games. Undrafted rookies Taylor Stallworth and Henry Mondeaux have made some plays in preseason as well.

There’s also Jay Bromley, a long-time situational player for the New York Giants who has consistently shown up in camp. Keep a close eye on these players in the remaining exhibition games. With no guarantee that there’s even a fourth opening, one of them will really have to turn heads to make the cut.

Linebacker

Demario Davis, A.J. Klein, Manti Te’o, Alex Anzalone, Craig Robertson, Hau’oli Kikaha (6)

The battle for the sixth spot has opened up a bit since preseason began. In both games, Kikaha has played ahead of Stupar, who was previously projected for the sixth spot. However, this could simply mean New Orleans is giving Kikaha, a former second-round pick every opportunity possible to stay on the roster. Stupar could still be the favorite as he’s a valued special teamer.

Jayrone Elliott emerged as a strong candidate following a big game against Jacksonville. He recorded 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in the most surprising breakout performance to this point. Meanwhile, undrafted rookie Colton Jumper struggled against Jacksonville and consequently saw just two defensive snaps against Arizona.

Defensive Back

Marshon Lattimore, Ken Crawley, Patrick Robinson, P.J. Williams, Marcus Williams, Vonn Bell, Kurt Coleman, Chris Banjo, Arthur Maulet, Natrell Jamerson (10)

Cornerback and safety are combined in this edition since there are only one or two spots in question between the two positions. Banjo continues to get the most action at safety behind Marcus Williams, Bell, and Coleman, and he’s a proven asset on special teams. Undrafted rookie J.T. Gray continues to get plenty of reps as well, but Banjo will remain the favorite if things continue this way.

Maulet has enjoyed the most snaps behind the four favorites at cornerback and he’s been a strong performer in camp. Maulet is in a tight battle with fellow special teams contributor Justin Hardee, who’s seen a lot of preseason action as well. It could come down to a big play from Maulet or Hardee in the final exhibition games that makes the difference here.

Jamerson has been inconsistent in preseason thus far, but the rookie continues to get second team reps. There’s still hope for rookie Kamrin Moore, who’s playing catch up at safety after missing much of training camp.

Special Teams

K – Wil Lutz, P – Thomas Morstead, LS – Zach Wood (3)

This is the only group set in stone at this point.