<span>                

New Orleans Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis announced Monday the club has waived wide receiver Todd Blythe, safety Curome Cox, fullback Kevin Dudley, center Rob Hunt and punter Waylon Prather. The transactions bring the team's active roster to 75 players, meeting the NFL-mandated level.

Blythe joined the team as an undrafted free agent from Iowa State this spring. The 6-5, 214-pound wide receiver played in two games this preseason, catching one pass for 11 yards.

Cox was signed by the Saints midway through training camp as a free agent. A fourth-year pro, the 6-1, 204-pound safety played in the team's first preseason game and made one tackle prior to suffering a groin injury that held him out of the past two games.

Dudley first came to New Orleans prior to the 2007 season and has participated in the team's last two training camps in addition to serving on the Saints' practice squad for the entirety of the '07 regular season. The former University of Michigan fullback caught one pass for a one-yard touchdown in three games this preseason before sustaining a sprained left ankle in the Cincinnati game.

Hunt joined the Saints in June after playing for the AFL's New Orleans VooDoo in the spring. The 6-4, 301-pound lineman saw action at center in one preseason game this summer.

Prather signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent from San Jose State University. The rookie punter played in all three preseason games to date, averaging 53.0 yards on three punts with a net average of 47.7 and a long kick of 60 yards. He also served as the holder on some placekicks.

The Saints will close their preseason schedule Thursday with a 7:00 pm game against the Miami Dolphins at the Louisiana Superdome.