New Orleans Saints Continue Making Roster Tweaks

The New Orleans Saints only kept four wide receivers on their initial 53-man roster, which would leave any NFL team thin at that position. Chris Olave, Bryce Lance, Devaughn Vele, and Barion Brown are the first four up, but the Saints placed Jalen Moreno-Cropper and Trey Palmer on the practice squad as potential game-day activations.

Fast forward to today and the Saints aren't done adding to the practice squad with Kevin Austin, Jr returning to New Orleans along with tight end Treyton Welch. The team was awarded cornerback Decamerion Richardson from the Las Vegas Raiders via waivers. To make room, the team placed rookie Lorenzo Styles, Jr on injured reserve. 

Richardson, 6-2, 192, was originally selected by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft (112th overall) out of Mississippi State. In two seasons with Las Vegas, he appeared in 27 games with seven starts and recorded 46 tackles (28 solo), one pass breakup and 11 special teams tackles. In 2025, he played in 15 games and finished with ten special teams tackles to rank second on the Raiders.

Austin, 6-2, 200, was originally signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2022 out of Notre Dame. After spending his rookie season on the Jaguars practice squad in 2023, he has spent time with New Orleans the past two seasons, appearing in 16 games with three starts, catching 24 passes for 291 yards (12.1 avg.) with one touchdown. In 2025, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla. native caught 13 passes for 140 yards and his first-career touchdown.

Welch, 6-4, 240, was originally signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2024 out of Wyoming. After spending time on the Saints' practice squad the last two seasons, he saw his first NFL game action in 2025, appearing in three games with one start with the Black and Gold.

Former Browns wide receiver Cedric Tillman was also added to the Saints practice squad.

Tillman, 6-3, 215, was originally drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the third round (74th overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Tennessee. The Las Vegas, Nev., native played in 38 games with 19 starts for the Browns (2023-25), recording 71 catches for 833 yards (11.7 avg.) with five touchdowns. In 2025, he played in 13 games with ten starts, catching 21 passes for 270 yards (12.9 avg.) with two touchdowns.