METAIRIE, La. ― Junior Galette sat at his locker Friday during the lunch hour, sweating because he was unsure of whether he had made the Saints’ 53-man roster or not.
Hours later, the undrafted rookie free agent defensive end had his answer. Welcome to the roster of the Super Bowl champions, Junior.
It’s exactly what he thought about on Feb. 7 when the Saints beat Indianapolis 31-17 in the Super Bowl.
“I’m watching this defense and I’m like, ‘Man, I wish I could play on a defense like that,’ ” Galette said.
Head Coach Sean Payton would not comment on any of the cuts because they have not been officially reported, but defensive end Bobby McCray, center Nick Leckey, running back Ladell Betts, defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy and quarterback Patrick Ramsey all were waived.
Meanwhile, free safety Usama Young left the training facility clutching a playbook under his arm and when asked whether he made the team, said, “Well, I’m holding a playbook.”
Running back DeShawn Wynn’s roster spot was confirmed via a tweet by his agent David Canter.
McCray was the first player to be confirmed cut by Eyewitness Sports reporter Scott Cody. That move came a little more than a month after the Saints brought him back following a June 21 waiving.
The Saints must notify the NFL of all 22 roster cuts by 3 p.m. Saturday.
The Saints originally waived McCray on June 21 before bringing him back on July 22, a week before training camp began.
McCray finished his Saints career with 43 tackles and 7½ sacks, though he had only 1½ sacks in 2009. In his six years in the NFL, McCray has tallied 134 tackles and 29 ½ sacks.
Meanwhile, Ramsey’s cut, first reported by the Times-Picayune, means Chase Daniel has won the job of backup quarterback to Drew Brees.
The decision was thought to be a close one and one of the hardest the Saints would have to make this preseason.
Ramsey finished the four games with 28 of 45 for 400 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Daniel was 31 of 48 for 369 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. But Daniel is entering his second year in the offense and showed enough upside in games to force the Saints to keep him.
Betts, who was cut according to ESPN.com, never really got going after signing with the Saints after the team lost Lynell Hamilton to season-ending knee surgery. Betts was coming off his own surgery, tearing both his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in November.
Leckey spent the 2009 season with the Saint as backup to Jonathan Goodwin at center. He played special teams, as well.
Clancy’s agent tweeted that he was let go, though he said the lineman already was attracting interest.
