Saints Nation: Will Smith and Charles Grant remain on active roster, for now

The Saints roster stands at 53 as Garrett Hartley is officially suspended, but Charles Grant and Will Smith are not. If the suspensions uphold the Saints would move to 51 players, but they're set at 53 until a ruling is made. More information can be found HERE.

Saints Nation: Saints trade for Pats' David Thomas

The Saints have added Patriots tight end David Thomas in a trade for an undisclosed 2011 draft pick (SOURCE).

Assuming the Smith/Grant/Hartley suspensions are in effect, that leaves the Saints roster at 51 and it's safe to assume we'll be adding a couple more players.

Thomas could easily be active by week 1 with Darnell Dinkins still hobbled with an ankle injury. More info on Thomas, who was a 3rd round pick in 2006, can be found here. He has 21 career receptions and 1 touchdown.

Saints Nation: New Orleans Saints Final 53 man roster - incomplete

As of RIGHT NOW, these are the 50 players the Saints have retained:

QB (2) Drew Brees, Mark Brunell

HB (4) Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush, Mike Bell, Lynell Hamilton

FB (1) Heath Evans

WR (5) Marques Colston, Lance Moore, Devery Henderson, Robert Meachem, Rod Harper

TE (3) Jeremy Shockey, Buck Ortega, Darnell Dinkins

T (4) Jammal Brown, Jon Stinchcomb, Jermon Bushrod, Zach Strief

G (3) Jahri Evans, Carl Nicks, Jamar Nesbit

C (2) Jonathan Goodwin, Nick Leckey

E (3) Anthony Hargrove, Bobby McCray, Jeff Charleston

DT (3) Sedrick Ellis, Kendrick Clancy, Remi Ayodele

OLB (5) Scott Fujita, Scott Shanle, Troy Evans, Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Jonathan Casillas

MLB (2) Jonathan Vilma, Marvin Mitchell

CB (5) Tracy Porter, Jabari Greer, Randall Gay, Malcolm Jenkins, Leigh Torrence

S (5) Darren Sharper, Roman Harper, Usama Young, Pierson Prioleau, Chris Reis

K (1) John Carney

P (1) Thomas Morstead

LS (1) Jason Kyle

This means you can expect the Saints to sign 3 players in the very near future to fill out their roster. Keep in mind Will Smith, Charles Grant and Garrett Hartley are currently awaiting suspensions and they fill out the 53 man roster. It's possible the Saints could bring back some of the recently released players once they officially go on suspension.

Saints Nation: Saints reveal final cuts

The following players have been released:

Courtney Roby, Adrian Arrington, PJ Hill, Herb Donaldson, DeMario Pressley, Nate Bennett, Michael Brown, Digger Bujnoch, Tim Duckworth, Danny Gorrer, Skyler Green, Earl Heyman, Martrez Milner, Jermey Parnell, Paul Spicer, Joey Harrington, Matt Simon, Anthony Waters, Anthony Davis.

SOURCE

In addition, Billy Miller, Chip Vaughn and Olaniyi Sobomehin have been placed on injured reserve and are shelved for the season.

Saints Nation: Joey Harrington, Paul Spicer & Adrian Arrington released

Per the NFL Network, the Saints have released 3rd string Quarterback Joey Harrington. This means barring the possibility the Saints sign another quarterback going into the season, they'll only keep 2 Quarterbacks on the 53 man roster in Brees and Brunell.

Breaking news: In a VERY surprising move the Saints have let veteran Paul Spicer go. Spicer was slated as a starter for week 1 at defensive end. Word has it Adrian Arrington is also cut. The promising receiver has battled injuries throughout the 2 training camps he competed in and the Saints decided to part ways with the Michigan draftee.

Stay tuned to Saints Nation for more information on cuts as they become available.

Saints Nation: Saints drop preseason finale to Dolphins, 10-7

In an ugly game filled with inconsistent offensive play and horrendous pass blocking, the Saints lost 10-7 to the Dolphins to end their preseason campaign 3-1 (BOX SCORE). The Saints' lone score came on a 55 yard punt return for a touchdown by Rod Harper. The biggest loss didn't come from the scoreboard, however, as reliable backup tight end Billy Miller (pictured) left the game with what appeared to be a serious Achilles tendon injury. While Sean Payton said after the game that it was too early to tell the extent of the injury, all signs point towards Miller being out for the year. Couple that with Dan Campbell already out for the year, and Darnell Dinkins missing almost all of preseason with an ankle injury - and the Saints are extremely thin at tight end behind starter Jeremy Shockey.

Observations:

-- Lynell Hamilton looked very good in extended reps. I fully expect him to make the final 53 based on yesterday's performance.

-- Joey Harrington looked lost out there. Admittedly his line blocking was abysmal, but Harrington held onto the ball too long and could not get the offense moving. He may have cost himself a roster spot with that performance.

-- The kicking game for the Saints in the preseason has been HORRENDOUS. Carney continued that trend shanking a 34 yard attempt before halftime. They better get that corrected in a hurry. Shades of Olindo Mare are starting to creep back into my head - please make it stop.

-- Thomas Morstead was a bright spot for once, finally showing up why the Saints drafted him. Not one of his punts was returned, and he also featured a 63 yard blast inside the 10. Very solid game from the Saints' rookie punter.

-- Rod Harper better make the team. 2 punt returns for TD's in 4 games? That's Reggie Bush like.

-- Jo-Lonn Dunbar could be a starter for the Saints at linebacker in the not too distant future. He was all over the place creating plays. A very impressive performance from him.

We'll find out at 3pm tomorrow who are the final 53 players to make the roster. Keep in mind the Saints may go out looking for a tight end and maybe a defensive tackle that get cut from other rosters to add depth.

Saints Nation: Pregame vs Dolphins

The New Orleans Saints host the Miami Dolphins at the Superdome tonight in the final preseason game at 8pm Central, 9pm Eastern. Much like the Saints, the Dolphins also sport an undefeated 3-0 preseason record, featuring wins vs. Jacksonville, Carolina and @ Tampa Bay. The starters for the Saints are expected to play no more than a series before yielding way to the backups.

Out for the Saints: Pierre Thomas, Jammal Brown, Chip Vaughn, Usama Young, Adrian Arrington.

About the Dolphins: The Dolphins were the surprise team in the NFL last year, bouncing back from a dismal season to go 11-5 and win the division behind the solid play of QB Chad Pennington and the direction of new coach Tony Sparano. They hosted the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs and lost 27-9. Their running game is anchored by Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, and they also have a very solid defensive backfield. Perhaps most scary is their linebacking core which features: Jason Taylor, Channing Crowder, Akin Ayodele, and Joey Porter. The Dolphins were the 12th offense in the NFL a year ago, and the 15th defense.

other notes:

-- Reggie Bush is listed as questionable and will likely not play due to a sore calf.

-- This is PJ Hill's last chance to show what he can do, and he'll likely need a HUGE game to make the roster. Herb Donaldson is likely playing for a spot on the practice squad.

-- Dolphins linebacker Akin Ayodele is the older brother of Saints defensive tackle Remi Ayodele.

-- You'll remember Dolphins running back Ricky Williams as a former Saint. Mike Ditka traded the Saints entire draft that year to get him, as well as a 1st and 3rd round pick the following year.

-- The Dolphins first round draft choice is cornerback Vontae Davis, a player the Saints considered before taking Malcolm Jenkins.

-- Jermon Bushrod will start for the 3rd consecutive game in place of Jammal Brown at left tackle.

Enjoy the game and Geaux Saints!