Right tackle Jon Stinchcomb has been released by the New Orleans Saints.

The New Orleans Saints made the move on Monday, making way for backups Zach Strief and Charles Brown to battle for the starting tight tackle job,

Both Coach Sean Payton and General Manager Mickey Loomis described the move as very difficult for them personally. Stinchcomb, who was drafted in the second round in 2003, was the longest-tenured member of the Saints’ roster and one of the most popular players in the building.

Stinchcomb was a Pro Bowler in 2009 and the team’s Man of the Year in 2008. Payton and Loomis both said he “epitomized” everything they want from the players in the organization.

“He’s gonna be on the ‘Wall of Fame’ that we have down our hallway, and I think he should be in the Saints’ Hall of Fame one day,” Loomis said. “He’s meant a lot to our organization, for a number of reasons, including his play on the field.”

Payton said cuts like these are the hardest part of the job and compared it to releasing tailback Deuce McAllister two years ago.

Ultimately, though, the Saints decided they had to move on with a younger player at the position. And they wanted to give Strief and Brown the majority of the snaps over these next three weeks to evaluate them properly.

Strief is the front runner for the job, having been in the Saints’ system for five years with seven career starts at various positions. The Saints think Brown has great athletic potential, though, after drafting him in the second round out of USC in 2010.

The New Orleans Saints’ receiving corps must drive fantasy football players nuts — the way they spread the wealth around from week to week, never knowing whose turn it’s going to be for a breakout game.

They make Coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees awfully happy, though.

For the fifth straight year, the Saints have their top four receivers back in the fold — Marques Colston, Lance Moore, Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem.

If ever it seemed like they might break up the band, this was the year. The NFL’s salary cap is back, and the Saints have had to make some tough financial decisions to stay under it.

Plus, Moore was a free agent who could have chosen to seek a more prominent role in another offense, but he opted to stay where he fits best.

“You know what, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” said receivers coach Curtis Johnson, who isn’t complaining of being bored even though he has to keep working with the same group year in and year out.

“We’re gonna keep on getting better. We’ve got a long ways to go,” Johnson insisted. “But I think the guys that we’ve got are really doing a good job.”

Maybe if the Saints’ receiving group wasn’t so deep, Colston would have made his first Pro Bowl by now.

Or maybe if Moore had left, there would be more of an opportunity for Meachem to finally have that breakout season he’s shown glimpses of being capable of in the past.

Or maybe if anyone had left, annual preseason standout Adrian Arrington would finally get a chance to play during the regular season.

But you won’t hear many complaints from these guys, who seem content to chase another Super Bowl ring with one of the league’s best passing offenses.

“I think what we have here is pretty unique,” Colston said. “Not only as a receiving corps, but as a team in general. You’ve just got a group of selfless guys that enjoy working together. And our main goal is to win.”

The word “unselfish” came up about a dozen times when the Saints’ receiving corps was discussed by coaches and players this week.

It’s a concept the Saints’ receivers have all learned to embrace during their years in Payton’s diverse offense. It helps for them all to know that if they get open, Brees will deliver the ball to them.

That doesn’t mean they aren’t competitive, though.

“As a wide receiver, you’re always ready for your breakout year, don’t get me wrong,” said Meachem, the only first-round draft pick among the group, who joined the other three veterans in 2007.

“Being a competitor, you want the ball every play,” Meachem said. “But when you’re winning, it gets easier for you. And seeing another guy making the same play (is gratifying), because you know how hard he worked in practice, the same as you.”

Meachem has the best combination of size and speed among the Saints’ receivers at 6 feet 2, 210 pounds, which arguably makes him the receiver with the highest “ceiling.”

He offered a preview of how dynamic he can be during the 2009 season, when he caught 37 passes for 524 yards over the final nine games, scoring eight touchdowns during that stretch.

Last year, he was solid, but he didn’t keep up that pace. He played in every game, but was limited in part by nagging foot and ankle injuries. He finished the 2010 season with 44 catches for 638 yards and five touchdowns.

Meachem had ankle surgery after the season, and now he insists he’s healthier than he’s ever been coming into a training camp. Johnson said that’s been evident on the field.

“The Lord blessed me,” Meachem said. “I’m just glad he gave me the opportunity to come out here and finally be healthier than I have in the past.”

Meachem even backed up his New Orleans-based trainer Wyatt Harris, who boasted that he is now fast enough to run the 40-yard dash in 4.25 seconds — though he said he couldn’t do it today.

“Right now you might get a 4.7,” Meachem said. “I’ve got camp legs right now.”

Arrington also seemed like a player who might take a step forward in 2011 after he shined in first regular-season audition last December against Tampa Bay (seven catches for 79 yards).

But so far, Arrington’s spot on the depth chart hasn’t changed. And he missed Saturday’s practice with an ankle injury — though it’s unclear how much time he’s expected to miss.

Colston also missed Saturday’s practice to rest his knee as a precaution after offseason surgery, but he expects to be back on the field today.

The Saints’ passing offense didn’t miss a beat without him, though, with Brees connecting repeatedly with Moore, Meachem and Henderson, among others.

“You know, sometimes we take that (depth) for granted,” Payton said. “And it’s difficult to (maintain) that. (General Manager Mickey Loomis) has done a great job with that.

“It’s an unselfish group. They recognize that there’s gonna be games where their number’s gonna be called more based on the coverage and based on the looks they’re getting. And they understand the quarterback they have is gonna find the open guy.”

So the legend goes — Brees’ favorite receiver is the open one.

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Mike Triplett can be reached at mtriplett@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3405.

New Orleans – The New Orleans Saints announced today that they have agreed to terms with unrestricted free agent safety Roman Harper. The announcement was made by Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis.

Harper, a 6-1, 200-pound five-year veteran was originally selected by the Saints in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He has started all 67 games he’s appeared in at strong safety and totaled 461 tackles, 9.5 sacks, four interceptions, 34 pass defenses, 11 forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and 36 special teams stops.

The University of Alabama graduat finished second on the team in 2010 with 100 tackles, three sacks, one interception, a fumble recovery and nine special teams stops, while setting career-highs with ten pass defenses and five forced fumbles.

Selected to his second consecutive Pro Bowl, Harper became the first Black and Gold safety to be selected to the league’s all-star game twice in franchise history. He was tied for fifth in the NFL in forced fumbles, while his quarterback takedown total was tied for fourth among safeties.

It was the third consecutive season that Harper reached the century mark in tackles.

New Orleans Saints free agent linebacker Scott Shanle said he has already been on the phone with the St. Louis Rams’ general manager and linebackers coach, and he is working on lining up a visit with them.

He said the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles have also expressed interest. He also expects to talk to the Saints about remaining in New Orleans, and he has already talked with linebackers coach Joe Vitt to catch up this morning.

Shanle said he’d like to re-sign with the Saints and believes they are interested in bringing him back.

“But it’s a matter of how much they want you back,” Shanle said, pointing to former Saints linebacker Scott Fujita as an example.

The Saints also wanted to re-sign Fujita last year, he said, but they weren’t in the same financial ballpark as the Cleveland Browns.

As for the Rams, Shanle said he likes that they’re a team on the rise, and he’d be interested in returning to the team where he began his career.

New Orleans Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis will be a busy man once NFL owners and players finally agree to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement.

If the new deal stipulates – as expected – that players with four or more years of experience will be unrestricted free agents – meaning they can sign with any team – the Saints will have 26 players in that category, including some key starters.

Once the signing period begins, we will update this Saints free agency tracker with every signing.