3 Saints players who went from the roster bubble to roster locks

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3 Saints players who went from the roster bubble to roster locks

Saints shuffle practice squad, bring back recently-cut kick returner

Bob Rose , Saints Wire · Saints Wire

Thu, Aug 27, 2026 ·

3 min read

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On Friday, the New Orleans Saints wrap up their 2026 preseason with a road trip to play the Dallas Cowboys . These teams met in a joint practice last week that resulted in several brawls and heavy league fines. While it's hard to imagine that repeating itself, there are still some important things to watch for.

Several players on each side are still fighting for roster spots. However, there were a few overlooked individuals or players on the roster bubble coming into training camp who look like they've done more than enough to solidify their spots on the roster. Here are three Saints players who likely have nothing to worry about as they head into the preseason finale.

Bub Means

Few were talking about Means as a wide receiver for the Saints as training camp began. Sure, he showed some promise in 2024 as a rookie. But after a rough start to 2025 training camp, Means was placed on season-ending injured reserve with an ankle injury. Most didn't give him a second thought as the Saints entered 2026 training camp. Especially after New Orleans used three draft choices on wide receivers.

Means quickly made an impression from the onset of camp. He's consistently made plays at all three levels, putting both his injury and 2025 camp performance behind him. He led the Saints with 4 catches and 77 yards in the preseason opener against Jacksonville . While he caught only 1 of his 4 targets against the Rams , Means has still performed well in practices. Whether the Saints keep five or six receivers, Means will almost certainly be one of them.

Jayden Price

New Orleans came into the offseason with a lot of good young talent in their secondary. Nevertheless, the Saints were also looking to offset the free agency loss of Alontae Taylor . This gave opportunities to several young backups. Jayden Price was one of the ones who've taken most advantage of the opportunity.

Price has been one of the most consistent standouts of training camp. He's been effective from both the slot and outside, though his role in this defense feels like more slot--as was Taylor's. Price carried that play into the Jacksonville game with an interception and some nice coverage reps. A former UFL star, Jayden Price just missed making the New Orleans active roster in 2025. It doesn't appear that he'll be left out this time around.

Jaylan Ford

New Orleans had some concerns at linebacker heading into training camp, both with their projected starters and depth. The starters have yet to do much, but the team has some backups stepping up. Isaiah Stalbird has played well enough to earn more reps, but he made plays last year as well. Possibly the biggest surprise of camp has been Jaylan Ford.

A 2024 fifth-round choice from the Texas Longhorns, Ford had done very little defensively over his first two seasons. He'd been strong on special teams, but many felt he'd be on the outside looking in when roster cuts were made as training camp began. Instead, Ford has played the best ball of his career. He has 13 tackles through two preseason games, along with an interception, and has been equally impressive in practices. Ford has been extremely active in coverage and decisive in all his movements and reads. Ford's play was enough for the Saints to trade veteran Deion Jones just two weeks after signing him. At this point, it feels like a major surprise if Jaylan Ford isn't on the final roster. The same can be said of Bub Means and Jayden Price, with the three transforming themselves from bubble players to roster locks.