You'd like to think the NFL is done expanding. There aren't enough good quarterbacks to go around for 32 teams as it is, to say nothing of the game's other positions. But league commissioner Roger Goodell has global ambitions and the buzz about adding a team overseas hasn't gone away. It's just a thought exercise, but let's say the NFL is expanding this year, and we're in charge of picking which New Orleans Saints players would be available in an expansion draft.
It's less a question of who to protect and more about who we'd be open to losing. We're following the same rules from the 2002 expansion draft, which included these limitations:
- Must include five players
- No pending 2026 free agents (restricted or unrestricted)
- No players who went on injured reserve during 2025 training camp
- Only one player with 10 or more years' experience
- No kickers or punters
That immediately rules out big names like Demario Davis and Cameron Jordan, who are both pending free agents with more than a decade of experience. Other free agents like Alontae Taylor, Taysom Hill, Luke Fortner, Dillon Radunz, and Jonathan Bullard are ineligible for similar reasons. Just three players are under contract for 2026 after going down with injuries in 2025's training camp: Ja'Lynn Polk (with the New England Patriots at the time), Bub Means, and Nick Saldiveri.
Got all that? Here are the players who would be eligible for an expansion draft, and who we're picking five names from to make available:
- QB: Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler
- RB: Alvin Kamara, Audric Estime, Evan Hull, Devin Neal, Kendre Miller
- TE: Juwan Johnson, Treyton Welch, Moliki Matavao, Zaire Mitchell-Paden
- OL: Kelvin Banks Jr., Taliese Fuaga, Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz, Torricelli Simpkins III, Asim Richards, Xavier Truss, Easton Kilty, William Sherman
- WR: Chris Olave, Devaughn Vele, Mason Tipton, Kevin Austin Jr., Trey Palmer, Samori Toure, Ronnie Bell, Elijah Cooks, Damien Alford
- LS: Zach Wood
- DL: Chase Young, Carl Granderson, Bryan Bresee, Davon Godchaux, Nathan Shepherd, Vernon Broughton, Khristian Boyd, Coziah Izzard, Fadil Diggs, Myles Cole
- LB: Pete Werner, Danny Stutsman, Jaylan Ford, Isaiah Stalbird
- DB: Kool-Aid McKinstry, Quincy Riley, Jonas Sanker, Justin Reid, Jordan Howden, Julian Blackmon, Isaac Yiadom, Rejzohn Wright, Dalys Beanum, Jayden Price, Beanie Bishop, Elliott Davison
So think of it as protecting all but five of those players. While the Saints wouldn't get any draft pick compensation by losing a player in the expansion draft, they would get salary cap relief with a new team taking on all of the remaining contract, including signing bonus proration. It's an opportunity to potentially get out of a bad contract or two. To put it another way, the question isn't who you would protect. It's who you would be comfortable giving up.
That in mind, here are our five picks:
- Safety Justin Reid. The eight-year pro was solid in 2025 but he didn't truly meet expectations as a playmaking replacement for Tyrann Mathieu. He also has salary cap hits of $11.5 million in both 2026 and 2027, with a fully-guaranteed $9.25 million base salary this season. The Saints have some promising guys in the pipeline like Jonas Sanker, Julian Blackmon, and Jordan Howden, but they could also draft Ohio State star Caleb Downs in April or add another young safety after Round 1. Either way, an expansion team picking up Reid would help them get younger, cheaper, and more dynamic at a key spot in the secondary.
- Right guard Cesar Ruiz. Ruiz never has met expectations since being drafted late in Round 1 back in 2020, and trading him before June (and this year's draft) would only save the Saints $12,000. That might be worth it if they can get a premium pick back but don't hold your breath. Instead, making him eligible for the expansion draft would take his $14.196 million salary cap hits off the books both this year and next. He hasn't played well enough in New Orleans to justify those costs. It's vital that the Saints get better guard play. Finding a way to move on from Ruiz is part of accomplishing that.
- Running back Kendre Miller. Miller's body has betrayed him time and again. Injuries have kept him out of action, but when he's been available, he's run hard and flashed big-play ability. Right now he figures to compete with Audric Estime and Devin Neal for the third or fourth spot on the depth chart behind Alvin Kamara and another running back; whether the Saints look to free agency or the 2026 draft class (top-10 prospect Jeremiyah Love, specifically) remains to be seen, but fresh legs are on the way. Miller is still recovering from a midseason ACL tear but could benefit from a fresh start somewhere else.
- Wide receiver Ronnie Bell. We're running deep at wide receiver, so we'll look there for one of the final two picks in this expansion draft. Bell was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers back in 2023 and played in all 17 games as a rookie, but his role has diminished after he bounced around the league in subsequent years. He only logged 38 snaps in two games with the Saints in 2025 so probably wouldn't be a big loss if an expansion team drafted him. Wideouts Elijah Cooks and Damien Alford were also considered here but the team seems to like Samori Toure enough to hold onto him.
- Cornerback Dalys Beanum. Same philosophy here -- there's a ton of cornerbacks under contract for 2026, so we can take the hit if Beanum gets claimed. The Saints signed him as an undrafted rookie from South Dakota State last year (guaranteeing just $25,000) and kept him on the practice squad all season. He's got NFL size but we just haven't seen anything from him yet. Really this came down to two corners, with Jayden Price being considered, but Price has flexibility to cover the slot. That inside-out versatility could be needed if Alontae Taylor leaves in free agency, so Beanum was the pick instead.
Do you agree or disagree with those picks? The Saints wouldn't lose more than two of them, and if one of their players were selected, they could take another name off the list in a corresponding move. Our staff writers are working on their own expansion draft selections, so check back for an update on where they all stand.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: NFL expansion draft: Rules, eligible players, possible Saints picks