Ross Jackson· Jul 1, 2026
Ross Jackson lays out his early defensive 53-man roster projection for the 2026 Saints, naming five edge rushers, four interior defensive linemen, five cornerbacks, five linebackers and five safeties, plus his kicker, punter and long snapper, and sends Mike Heldman, Chris Rumph and Jackson Sirmon to the practice squad.
“So I have the scenes keeping five safeties, and this is a really strong safety room.”
said on air, transcribed by us · Locked On Saints (podcast) · read the original →
32 checkable claims — 24 roster spot calls and 8 depth chart calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 31 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
16 of 32 have settled so far, averaging 93.8 out of 100, against 87.5 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Of the 3 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room on every one.
Where this call stands in the room
Quincy Riley · 2026 season3 calls from 3 pundits between 1 and 1. Ross Jackson said 1. the room's median is 1. not settled yet
Every dot is a call somebody published on the same question. Where the dots land says where this take sits, not whether it is right — nothing here is settled yet. Hover a dot for the name and number; click it to read that take.
Where do you stand? Pick this and every open claim on Picks →
Who this take is about
- Carl Granderson
- New Orleans Saints
- Tyree Wilson
- Jayden Price
- Kaden Elliss
- Davon Godchaux
- Justin Reid
- Anfernee Jennings
- Chris Rumph II
- Pete Werner
- Vernon Broughton
- Martin Emerson
- Danny Stutsman
- Chase Young
- Cameron Jordan
- Jordan Howden
- Isaiah Stalbird
- Michael Heldman
- Charlie Smyth
- Julian Blackmon
- Bryan Bresee
- Jonas Sanker
- Ryan Wright
- Terrell Burgess
- Isaac Yiadom
- Zach Wood
- Jackson Sirmon
- Kool-Aid McKinstry
- Quincy Riley
- Christian Miller
- Jaylan Ford
32 checkable claims in this take
Each one is scored on its own against the published methodology. A pundit naming several outcomes is graded on each, not on all-or-nothing.
Carl Granderson to make the roster
“we're going Chase Young, Cam Jordan, Carl Granerson. Those are your top three edge rushers for certain.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- NO
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Carl Granderson
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
Tyree Wilson to make the roster
“And then Tyree Wilson, who this inch traded a fifth round pick for during the draft... And so as of right now, I have him, keeping this keeping that opportunity.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- NO
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Tyree Wilson
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
Jayden Price to make the roster
“And then I'm gonna roll with Jaden Pryce. Jaden Pryce as the fifth corner that I'm gonna keep on this roster right now”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 0+200 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- NO
- skill:
- 200
- player:
- Jayden Price
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 0
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
Kaden Elliss to make the roster
“So as of right now, those five linebackers for me, Ellis, Werner, Stutzman, Stahlberg, and Ford.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- NO
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Kaden Elliss
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
Davon Godchaux to make the roster
“But I have the scenes keeping, Brian Brzee, Devon Gotjob, Vernon Broughton, as well as Christian Miller.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- NO
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Davon Godchaux
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
Justin Reid to make the roster
“So I have the scenes keeping five safeties... Justin Reed as well as, Julian Blackman are your two starting kind of deep safeties”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- NO
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Justin Reid
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
Anfernee Jennings to make the roster
“Then we're adding in Anthony Jennings, one of the league's best edge setters in the run game”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- NO
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Anfernee Jennings
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
Chris Rumph II to make the roster
“And then Chris Rumph the third ends or Chris Rumph, the second, excuse me, ends up being another player kind of on the outside looking in... Hopefully, a veteran practice squad spot available for him”
Miss · 0Scored 0a naive guess scored 100-200 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- NO
- skill:
- -200
- player:
- Chris Rumph II
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he does not make the 53
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
Pete Werner to make the roster
“So as of right now, those five linebackers for me, Ellis, Werner, Stutzman, Stahlberg, and Ford.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- NO
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Pete Werner
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
Vernon Broughton to make the roster
“But I have the scenes keeping, Brian Brzee, Devon Gotjob, Vernon Broughton, as well as Christian Miller.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- NO
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Vernon Broughton
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
Martin Emerson to make the roster
“And then Isaac Adam as well as Martin Emerson are right there as your primary depth”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 0+200 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- NO
- skill:
- 200
- player:
- Martin Emerson
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 0
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
Danny Stutsman to make the roster
“So as of right now, those five linebackers for me, Ellis, Werner, Stutzman, Stahlberg, and Ford.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- NO
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Danny Stutsman
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
Chase Young to make the roster
“we're going Chase Young, Cam Jordan, Carl Granerson. Those are your top three edge rushers for certain.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- NO
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Chase Young
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
Cameron Jordan to make the roster
“we're going Chase Young, Cam Jordan, Carl Granerson. Those are your top three edge rushers for certain.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- NO
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Cameron Jordan
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
Jordan Howden to make the roster
“After that, I'm gonna roll with, Jordan Howden as well as Terrell Burgess.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- NO
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Jordan Howden
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
Isaiah Stalbird to make the roster
“So as of right now, those five linebackers for me, Ellis, Werner, Stutzman, Stahlberg, and Ford.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- NO
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Isaiah Stalbird
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
Michael Heldman to make the roster
“it just kind of means that you're probably looking at a practice squad spot for Heldman”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Charlie Smyth to make the roster
“I mentioned in yesterday's episode, Charlie Smith. I'm keeping him on as the kicker right now”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Julian Blackmon to be 1st on the depth chart
“Justin Reed as well as, Julian Blackman are your two starting kind of deep safeties”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Bryan Bresee to make the roster
“But I have the scenes keeping, Brian Brzee, Devon Gotjob, Vernon Broughton, as well as Christian Miller.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Jonas Sanker to be 1st on the depth chart
“Jonas Sanker out of Virginia, who is now stepping into Allante Taylor's role as the star slot defender, in this defense”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Ryan Wright to be 1st on the depth chart
“Your punter is Ryan Wright... He's gonna be there.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Charlie Smyth to be 1st on the depth chart
“makes the most sense to keep Charlie Smith there... as the kicker. We'll see if he rides to that competition. Pretty confident he will going into training camp.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Terrell Burgess to make the roster
“After that, I'm gonna roll with, Jordan Howden as well as Terrell Burgess.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Isaac Yiadom to make the roster
“And then Isaac Adam as well as Martin Emerson are right there as your primary depth”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsZach WoodNew Orleans SaintsJul 1, 2026
Zach Wood to be 1st on the depth chart
“And then finally, long snapper, Zach Wood... no competition for Zach Wood, uncontested. He's your guy”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Jackson Sirmon to make the roster
“I think that, you know, Sermon has a quick path to be the only linebacker that was brought in outside of Ellis this offseason to the practice squad”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Justin Reid to be 1st on the depth chart
“Justin Reed as well as, Julian Blackman are your two starting kind of deep safeties”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Kool-Aid McKinstry to be 1st on the depth chart
“the leadership is also coming from setting the example on the football field as the top corner in the room, and that's being done by Kool Aid McKinstry... So Kool Aid and Quincy are your your starters.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Quincy Riley to be 1st on the depth chart
“my projection for the quarterback room is, Quilead McKentry, Quincy Riley, those year two starters on the outside”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Christian Miller to make the roster
“But I have the scenes keeping, Brian Brzee, Devon Gotjob, Vernon Broughton, as well as Christian Miller.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Jaylan Ford to make the roster
“So as of right now, those five linebackers for me, Ellis, Werner, Stutzman, Stahlberg, and Ford.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Chris SimmsScore Predictions · New Orleans SaintsClose · 48Simms went through the entire Week 3 slate with straight-up winners and predicted final scores, taking Jacksonville, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Detroit, Houston, Carolina, Kansas City, Seattle, the Giants, Baltimore, New Orleans, Minnesota, San Francisco, Denver and Philadelphia. He also expected Zay Flowers and Puka Nacua to sit, Kyler Murray to play, and said Marvin Harrison Jr. projects as no better than a good No. 2 or high-end No. 3 receiver.
- Nick WrightScore Predictions · New Orleans SaintsMiss · 33On his Week 3 pick show, Nick Wright gave straight-up final-score predictions for five games, calling blowouts by Seattle over Washington and Kansas City over Miami, a Jacksonville home win over New England, a narrow New Orleans win over the Raiders and a low-scoring Baltimore win over Dallas in Brazil. He also called Seattle the best team in the NFL with the league's best defense.
- Dan BeyerGame Outcome Picks · New Orleans SaintsMiss · 0For his Week 3 survivor pick, he took the Saints to beat the Raiders at home, saying he doesn't see Las Vegas staying unbeaten.
- Darrion GrayScore Predictions · New Orleans SaintsClose · 45Predicted the Saints beat the Raiders 27-17 at home.
- John HendricksScore Predictions · New Orleans SaintsClose · 43Predicted a lower-scoring Saints win over the Raiders, 24-19, with the defense carrying them.
- Lance MooreScore Predictions · New Orleans SaintsClose · 48Called for a Saints victory over the Raiders by a score of 27-20.
More roster spot calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Jeff KerrRoster Spot Calls · Zach ErtzMiss · 0Kerr expects Zach Ertz to be elevated from the practice squad and play in the Eagles' Week 3 Monday night game against the Bears, and to serve as Philadelphia's clear TE1 with Dallas Goedert out.
- Jeff KerrRoster Spot Calls · Chance CampbellHit · 100Kerr ranks the Eagles' eight undrafted free agents by their chances of making the initial 53-man roster, with Kapena Gushiken the most likely and predicts at least one UDFA makes the 53. He also forecasts practice squad spots for Zion Wilson, Deontae Lawson and Maximus Pulley, and a release for long snapper Rocco Underwood.
- Carter BahnsRoster Spot Calls · Jeshaun JonesMiss · 0A CBS Sports piece expects suspended Vikings receiver Jeshaun Jones to lose his roster battle and be cut by the Aug. 30 deadline, given Minnesota's established receiver group.
- Jeff KerrRoster Spot Calls · Chance CampbellHit · 100Kerr's third Eagles 53-man roster projection names the players he expects to make the team at each position, with Cole Payton, Elijah Moore, Johnny Wilson, Gabe Hall and Rocco Underwood left off; he also predicts Underwood is exposed to waivers and returns to the practice squad, Deontae Lawson lands on the practice squad, and Eli Stowers is the TE3.
- Jeff KerrRoster Spot Calls · Chance CampbellHit · 100Kerr's updated 53-man roster projection for the Eagles after eight training camp practices, naming which players make the team at each position plus depth-chart placements like Wicks as WR2, Mundt as TE2, Kendall as third guard, Bell as third tackle, and Epps/Carter battling to start at safety.
- Ralph VentreRoster Spot Calls · Christian BenfordMiss · 0Ventre expects Christian Benford's toe injury to sideline him for at least the Week 4 game against New England, and believes the Bills will have to add a cornerback to the 53-man roster this week — likely by moving Benford to injured reserve — with practice squad rookie Kani Walker the most likely player elevated.