Saints make multiple roster moves, including waiver claim of EDGE Garrett Nelson

The New Orleans Saints announced a package of roster moves Tuesday, a set of transactions that reshapes their defensive front and alters the way their offseason depth chart is likely to be built. In the announcement, the team said it has been awarded EDGE Garrett Nelson off waivers from the Seattle Seahawks, and it has made corresponding moves involving two defensive line players, including placing Bryan Bresee on injured reserve.

Nelson’s addition comes through the waiver process. By awarding him off waivers from Seattle, the Saints have secured the right to roster the edge defender in their system rather than leaving him to the next claim window. For New Orleans, the move is part of a broader pattern many teams follow in camp, using the waiver wire to address positional depth and to create competition at pass-rush spots where roles can change quickly based on preseason performance and availability.

The Saints also placed DL Bryan Bresee on injured reserve. The injured reserve designation generally indicates the player will not be available for the team during the immediate portion of the season, and it forces coaches to recalibrate their rotation on the defensive line. Bresee’s status matters for New Orleans because the defensive front tends to be one of the most sensitive units to injuries, with lineup changes affecting both pass rush production and run-defense alignment.

In addition to Bresee’s IR placement, New Orleans announced it has waived/injured DL Keeshawn Silver. Waived/injured is a specific transaction category used when a player is hurt but the team still needs to make roster adjustments. Depending on how the process plays out after the waiver designation, it can lead to different outcomes for the player, including whether another team claims him or whether he remains tied to the Saints’ roster under injury-related rules.

The Saints’ roster moves were issued by Executive Vice President and General Manager Mickey Loomis, according to the team’s release. That matters because the statement underscores the transactions were made with the organization’s front-office priorities in mind, not just day-to-day camp management. For fans, it is also a reminder that late summer NFL rosters are in constant motion, with teams using every available mechanism, from waivers to injured reserve, to construct workable depth charts before the season proper begins.

Looking ahead, the Nelson claim is likely to put additional focus on New Orleans’ edge-rusher competition and on how the Saints deploy their front in base and sub packages. Meanwhile, Bresee’s IR status and Silver’s waived/injured designation will open up additional reps for other defensive linemen. The near-term story to watch will be which players step forward to absorb snaps vacated by those moves, and how quickly the Saints can stabilize their run defense and pressure package as the roster locks into its regular-season form.

For Seattle, Nelson’s departure via waivers is another example of how quickly NFL offseason depth can shift, especially among players fighting for roles along the edge. For New Orleans, the sequence of transactions is straightforward in intent: add a potential contributor on the edge, reduce the number of players tied to injury issues, and ensure the roster’s health and availability profile is aligned with the team’s training-camp evaluation.