From Roster Cuts to Big Wins: The New Orleans Saints' Secret Strategy

The saying 'One man's trash is another man's treasure' could be applicable as the Saints search for a potential gem from the cast-offs of other teams.

Taysom Hill (7) of the New Orleans Saints runs against the Atlanta Falcons / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The New Orleans Saints finalized their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday. Player personnel movement is far from over. Every NFL team began constructing their 16-player practice squad at noon Eastern Time on Wednesday, with also more active roster movement to come.

There will also be players throughout the league that are placed on short-term injured reserve. These are players that have a chance of returning this season and were kept initially by their respective teams to prevent them from signing elsewhere.

Moving these players will create roster space. Some veterans will be re-signed by the teams that released them. There will also be several first or second year players that missed a roster spot, but performed well enough in training camp to attract other teams for another chance.

Most of those players will be former middle or late round draft picks or undrafted pickups that fans may not have even heard of. Don't think these type of players can potentially make a difference? Recent New Orleans Saints history says otherwise.

Here are a few players that were given up on by their original teams at a young age. They were ultimately picked up by the Saints, where they'd go on to make their original team regret that mistake.

Lance Moore, WR

Dec 29, 2013; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Lance Moore (16) catches a scoring pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers / Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports

Moore played at the University of Toledo. In three seasons as a starter, he caught 216 passes for 2,692 yards and 25 touchdowns. This included back-to-back years of at least 90 receptions and over 1,100 yards to close out his career. He also averaged nearly 14 yards as a punt returner, scoring twice.

Despite being one of the greatest players in Toledo history, Moore was not selected in the 2005 NFL Draft. Considered too small (5'9" and 187-Lbs) and not fast enough, the Cleveland Browns ultimately signed him as an undrafted rookie.

Cleveland released Moore at the conclusion of the 2005 preseason. New Orleans would ultimately sign him to their practice squad. The Saints would allocate Moore to NFL Europe, where he'd play for the Berlin Thunder before returning to the Saints practice squad in 2006. He'd see action in four games that season, returning a few punts and catching one pass for 10 yards.

Moore stuck to the roster in 2007 and earned a larger role. Appearing in all 16 contests, he'd catch 32 passes for 302 yards and two scores. He also averaged over nine yards per return as the team's primary punt returner.

An early season injury to top receiver Marques Colston in 2008 allowed Moore a bigger opportunity. He took full advantage with 79 catches, 928 yards, and 10 scores to lead the team in all three categories.

New Orleans Saints receiver Lance Moore (16) catches a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIV / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Moore dealt with injuries of his own that limited him to seven games in 2009. He'd recover in time to be a key part of the Saints championship run and made an acrobatic catch of a two-point conversion in the Super Bowl XLIV win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Between 2008 and 2013, Moore was a vital part of a historically prolific New Orleans passing attack and a trusted target of QB Drew Brees. His best statistical season was in 2012, when he caught 65 passes for 1,041 yards and six touchdowns.

Moore's eight-year tenure with the Saints ended after the 2013 season. At the time, his 346 receptions ranked fourth in franchise history with his 4,281 receiving yards and 38 touchdown catches both ranking fifth in team history.

Lance Moore went from an unknown project from a small school that was too small and without blazing speed to a member of the Saints Hall of Fame.

Senio Kelemete, OL

Oct 15, 2017; New Orleans Saints guard Senio Kelemete (65) blocks for quarterback Drew Brees (9) against the Detroit Lions / Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Kelemete was a fifth-round choice in the 2012 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals out of the University of Washington. He'd appear in one game for the Cardinals as a rookie and actually caught a deflected pass. Arizona would release Kelemete at the end of training camp the following season.

New Orleans would immediately sign Kelemete, though he remained on the practice squad throughout the 2013 campaign. Over the next four seasons between 2014 and 2017, Kelemete was an underrated piece of one of the league's top offensive lines. He appeared in 59 games over that span, starting 22 contests.

Kelemete's ability to play multiple spots along the offensive line was highly valued by New Orleans. He was often used as an extra blocker on ''jumbo'' sets, but was also a quality spot-starter as an injury replacement at various positions.

Wil Lutz, K

Sep 9, 2019; New Orleans Saints kicker Wil Lutz (3) kicks a game-winning field goal against the Houston Texans / Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Lutz was originally an undrafted signing by the Baltimore Ravens out of Georgia State in 2016. After losing a kicking battle to Justin Tucker, a potential future Hall of Famer, Lutz was waived at the end of training camp his rookie year.

Sean Payton and the Saints signed Lutz after a recommendation from Ravens coach John Harbaugh. Despite a few rocky moments as a rookie, Lutz showed both range and accuracy. He'd quickly go on to be one of the most reliable and best clutch kickers in the National Football League.

Between 2016 and 2022, Lutz converted nearly 85% of his field goal attempts and over 97% of his extra points. He was automatic between 20 and 40 yards, connecting on 94% of his tries. On field goals over 40 yards, Lutz converted an impressive 76% of his attempts.

Lutz was traded to the Denver Broncos, and Sean Payton, just prior to the 2023 regular season. He left as the franchise's all-time leader in field goal percentage for kickers that have played at least 20 games. Only Hall of Famer Morten Andersen tops Lutz in team history for extra points and successful field goals over 40 or 50 yards.

Willie Snead, WR

Sep 18, 2016; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Willie Snead (83) catches a touchdown pass against the New York Giants / Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

Snead starred at Ball State University. He was a two-time 1st Team All-MAC selection in 2012 and 2013, catching 195 passes for 2,664 yards and 24 scores over that span. Snead left Ball State as second in school history in touchdowns and receiving yardage. Despite his gaudy numbers, he was not selected in the 2014 NFL Draft after scouts viewed him as too small (5'11" and 195-Lbs.) and too slow.

The Cleveland Browns brought Snead in as an undrafted rookie. He played well throughout the 2014 preseason but was still released at the end of training camp. The Carolina Panthers would then add Snead to their practice squad, but released him before the end of the 2014 campaign.

New Orleans picked up Snead for their practice squad to close out 2014. He wouldn't see any game action, but surprised many by making the team the following summer. Not only did Snead make the team in 2015, but he quickly worked his way up the depth chart and had an impressive impact for the explosive Saints offense.

Snead caught 69 passes for 984 yards in 2015, finishing second on the team in receiving yardage and third in receptions. Despite the presence of speedster Brandin Cooks and a star rookie named Michael Thomas in 2016, Snead was still a big part of the attack with 72 receptions for 895 yards and four scores.

Various issues caused Snead to tumble down the depth chart in 2017 and led to his exit from the team after that season. For two seasons, though, he was a vital part of the top passing attack in the league.

Taysom Hill

Sep 18, 2023; Taysom Hill (7) of the New Orleans Saints against the Carolina Panthers / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

As a college quarterback, Hill was a starter for two years at BYU. However, he also missed all of one season and most of another because of injuries. That, coupled with the fact that he was an older prospect (27 at the time) resulted in him not being selected in the 2017 NFL Draft.
The Green Bay Packers inked Hill as an undrafted rookie.

Despite a solid preseason, the Packers cut ties with him at the end of training camp. New Orleans pounced, immediately bringing Hill in for a practice squad spot. By the end of the 2017 campaign, Hill had been elevated to the active roster as a special teams contributor.

Since 2018, Taysom Hill has been the most diverse player in the NFL. He's played quarterback, running back, slot receiver, tight end, returned kicks, and has been on the punt block and protect units. His role is expected to expand even further in 2024 under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.

Hill has gone 7-2 as a starting quarterback, completing 64.1% of his throws for 2,348 yards with 11 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He's shown surprising improvements as a receiver and has caught 76 career passes for 756 yards and 11 touchdowns.

While Hill's versatility is a lethal weapon, he's most effective as a runner. Since 2018, he's rushed for 2,159 yards while averaging 5.4 per attempt and scoring 27 touchdowns. Remember, he's accomplished all this as mostly a part-time and situational player.

Taysom Hill is just the latest example of a cast-off from one team having tremendous success with the Saints. Not every pickup is going to have the success of a Taysom Hill, Lance Moore, Wil Lutz, or even a Willie Snead or Senio Kelemete. But, don't discount the possibility of one team's ''trash'' becoming a contributor, or even a gem, for the New Orleans Saints.