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METAIRIE, La. (AP) — The New Orleans Saints have cut veteran linebacker Parys Haralson, veteran receivers Joe and Josh Morgan and 2014 second-round draft pick Stanley Jean-Baptiste.
The moves on Saturday came at the NFL deadline to trim rosters to the regular-season limit of 53 players.
Also included in New Orleans' final preseason cuts are reserve quarterback Ryan Griffin, kicker Dustin Hopkins and reserve offensive tackle Bryce Harris.
The Saints are retaining veteran Luke McCown as quarterback Drew Brees' primary backup, while Zach Hocker, who has never attempted a regular-season field goal, has won the kicking job.
The Saints have also retained new receiver Willie Snead, who went undrafted in 2014 and has not played in a regular season game but was on the Saints' practice squad for part of last year.
Joe Morgan had been with the Saints off and on since 2011, sometimes making spectacular, long gains but struggling to perform consistently.
Josh Morgan had joined the Saints as a free agent in the offseason, hoping that playing with an elite quarterback such as Brees would improve his productivity as well.
The 6-foot-3 Jean-Baptiste converted from a receiver to a defensive back at Nebraska, and the Saints hoped he could be effective against some of the taller star receivers in the NFC South, but he could not get on the field as a rookie and struggled this preseason.
Haralson has been a Saints regular since 2013, when he acquired in a trade from San Francisco.
New Orleans has not cut any of its nine 2015 draft picks, but one of them, cornerback P.J. Williams, had been placed on injured reserve.
The Saints' initial regular-season roster has five running backs, including veteran Tim Hightower, who has not played since 2011 because of complications rehabilitating a serious knee injury. Similarly, the Saints have retained veteran safety Kenny Phillips, who has not played since the 2012 season because of various leg injuries.
The active roster includes four undrafted rookies among the defensive linemen: Tavaris Barnes, Kaleb Eulls, Ashaad Mabry and Bobby Richardson.
And the Saints have also kept cornerback Kyle Wilson, a 2010 Jets' first-round draft choice who struggled to meet expectations in New York and joined New Orleans as a free agent this past offseason.
Other players cut include linebackers Justin Anderson, Henry Coley and Jerry Franklin; running backs Edwin Baker and Toben Opurum; offensive tackles Nick Becton and Sean Hickey; tight ends Alex Smith, Orson Charles and Chris Manhertz; guards Mike Golic and Cyril Lemon; receiver Seantavius Jones; and defensive backs Sammy Seamster and Pierre Warren.
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