Projected 53 man Roster players (those that make the cut) with starters listed bold; Injured players are italicized; (r) Rookie

QB Drew Brees, Chase Daniel
FB Korey Hall
RB Mark Ingram(r), Pierre Thomas, Darren Sproles, Joique Bell
WR Marques Colston, Robert Meachem
FL Lance Moore, Devery Henderson, Courtney Roby
LT Jermon Bushrod
LG Carl Nicks, Roger Allen
C Olin Kreutz, Matt Tennant
RG Jahri Evans
RT Zach Strief/Charles Brown
TE Jimmy Graham, David Thomas, Tyler Lorenzen(r)

LDE Alex Brown, Cam Jordan(r), Junior Galette
DT Sedrick Ellis, Mitch King(r)
NT Shaun Rogers/Aubrayo Franklin
RDE Will Smith, Jeff Charleston
WLB Scott Shanle, Jonathan Casillas, Nate Bussey
MLB Jonathan Vilma, Jo-Lonn Dunbar
SLB Will Herring, Clint Ingram, Martez Wilson(r)
LCB Jabari Greer, Leigh Torrence, Johnny Patrick(r)
SS Roman Harper, Jonathon Amaya, Pierson Prioleau
FS Malcolm Jenkins, Chris Reis
RCB Tracy Porter, Patrick Robinson

PK Garrett Hartley
P Thomas Morstead
LS Justin Drescher

Injured Reserve/PUP

Chris Ivory, Greg Romeus(r), Joseph Morgan(r)

- Injuries playing a big role in who makes this team

- Can Arrington pull a rabbit out of his?!?

- Linebacker is the big mystery on defense

- Darren Sharper to resign?!? Does he still have plenty in the tank?!?

- Mitch King to outlast Tom Johnson for the backup to Sedrick Ellis

- Is Matt Tennant and Charlie Brown our new Bushrod and Strief? Where's the depth?

- Back to injuries, Late in the season, players that may be on the PUP list will need to come off that list and cuts will be made then...

- This season will be a game of who's left standing...

I (surprisingly) disagree with you on this one. The injury doesn't seem to be that serious, and both SP and GW have been high on TJ and how he has competed and performed.

I firmly believe that TJ is more in the way of what GW wants out of a DT, especially from a 3-tech. I think that King might be undersized for that position in the NFL - even though he has looked good against the backups - and, therefore, it would be intriguing to see him try out as DE or, even better, as a LB like he did at times in College... or was it high school?!

Without injury, I agree that Johnson look to be the better candidate than King...

But injuries are going to dictate who makes this team more so than in any other year...

TJ will be healthy come season start... I hope! http://yoursmiles.org/msmile/pozitive/m1213.gif

Furthermore, the Saints have invested significantly more money in him, so the FO has a "hidden" motivation to see him start.

Yep, we outbid several teams that wanted him. If Mitch King makes this team, it'll be as our 5th DT.

I think he could also be a DE in some packages. We may not keep a lot of LB's since the majority of ours are simply journeymen anyway. We may opt to keep an extra DE/DT over a 6th/7th LB. Dunbar/Herring/Ingram can play all 3 spots.

Who could also play DE King or Johnson?

Come to think of it both could slide outside in certain packages (like our 3-4 or the 3-3-5). They have good quickness. Both are kinda short but their burst looks good.

Dont count out Swanson Miller

King has some technique issues, but his motor is undeniable...

Johnson seems like a solid defensive tackle...

After tonight, I'm thinking five (5) defensive ends and five (5) defensive tackles...

Martez Wilson, should he mature could be your inside linebacker with Vilma's coverage skills put outside at SLB...

Shanle and Casillas can't seem to establish whose the starter...

If there was any doubt Joique Bell just sewed up his roster spot with that radio interview he just gave...