The NFL has disciplined New Orleans Saints linebacker Danny Stutsman shortly before the start of the regular season.
Stutsman was fined $7,011 for unnecessary roughness for use of the helmet during the Saints' preseason Week 3 game against the Dallas Cowboys , according to the NFL's player accountability listing. The infraction was recorded with 11:47 remaining in the first quarter.
New Orleans beat Dallas 27-24 on August 28 to close the preseason. Stutsman recorded two tackles, including one solo stop, in the victory.
The fine comes as Stutsman prepares for his second NFL season and potentially a larger role in the Saints defense. New Orleans opens its regular season against the Detroit Lions on September 13.
The latest punishment is notable because it is not Stutsman's first NFL fine involving helmet use.
Spotrac lists Stutsman as having been fined $6,059 in December 2025 for impermissible use of the helmet against the Carolina Panthers .
That means the Saints linebacker has now been disciplined twice for helmet-related infractions since entering the league as a fourth-round pick in 2025.
The latest fine does not carry a suspension, and Stutsman remains on the Saints' active roster.
Still, avoiding additional discipline will be worth watching for a young linebacker trying to carve out a larger defensive workload.
The NFL and NFL Players Association also announced in August that they were placing increased disciplinary emphasis on several health-and-safety violations, with escalating consequences for repeated offenses in certain categories.
Stutsman enters 2026 in a different position than he did as a rookie.
The Saints selected the Oklahoma product with the No. 112 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL draft. According to his team biography , Stutsman initially made his mark primarily on special teams before receiving more defensive work as his rookie season progressed. The Saints credit him with 40 tackles and 13 special-teams stops in his first season.
New Orleans entered training camp with Kaden Elliss and Pete Werner projected atop the linebacker rotation, but the Saints specifically identified Stutsman as competition for more playing time behind them.
The club's current depth chart lists Stutsman behind Elliss at linebacker, making him one of the first players New Orleans could turn to when the starters come off the field or defensive packages require another linebacker.
That makes the timing of the fine more relevant than the dollar figure alone.
Stutsman is no longer simply a developmental fourth-round rookie fighting for a roster spot. He is entering a season in which New Orleans could need him to take another step defensively, particularly after his workload grew late in 2025.
The Saints now have more than a week to prepare for Detroit. For Stutsman, the preseason is over, the fine is official and the next opportunity comes when the games begin to count.
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