The first leg of training camp for the New Orleans Saints is done.
The Saints will travel to California for the next part of camp Wednesday and will be out west until Aug. 15. The team will train once again at UC Irvine, with its Sunday preseason opener against the Los Angeles Chargers on deck.
With 11 practices in the books, and a shift out west coming, let’s take a moment to map out a 53-man roster now that we have plenty of information available.
Quarterback (3): Spencer Rattler, Tyler Shough and Jake Haener
All three quarterbacks are in the mix for the starting job, with Rattler having the strongest camp of the trio. Each one has proven worthy of a roster spot.
Running back (4): Alvin Kamara, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Devin Neal, Velus Jones
No, Kendre Miller isn’t on this list. As of now, the third-year running back has been far too inconsistent through nine practices and he’s been outshone by several other backs. Maybe the Saints retain him due to his overall talent, but at this point, it should no longer be considered a surprise if New Orleans ends up moving on.
Running back has also been a very competitive position battle for New Orleans, and Jones has done a nice job of creating an opportunity. He has home-run caliber speed — and the Saints could use more of that. He also provides special teams value as a gunner, which gives him the egde over undrafted free agent Marcus Yarns and others. Neal’s multi-week hamstring injury could affect his spot, but that’s not an automatic disqualification.
Wide receiver (6): Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Brandin Cooks, Cedrick Wilson, Mason Tipton, Dante Pettis
Outside of Olave and Shaheed, this unit could still use a boost. Cooks has made an impact as a leader in the room, but he’s having a quieter camp from a production standpoint. His spot should still be safe. The last three spots are up for grabs, but of them, Tipton has again been a training camp All-Star for the second straight year. That gives him an edge over 2024 fifth-rounder Bub Means, whose presence has hardly been felt in practice. Pencil in Pettis as this team’s punt returner, by the way.
Offensive line (9): Kelvin Banks, Trevor Penning, Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz, Taliese Fuaga, Landon Young, Dillion Radunz, Will Clapp, Shane Lemieux
The starters have been fine. It’s the depth that’s a real concern. Clapp and third-stringer Kyle Hergel have had multiple bad snaps, and the issue doesn’t seem to be going away. Young is back at swing tackle after mainly playing guard last year, but would he actually see the field if an injury occurred to either Banks or Fuaga? The Saints have the option of inserting Radunz at guard and moving Penning back to tackle if need be, though we haven’t seen this combination at all in camp.
Tight end (3): Juwan Johnson, Jack Stoll, Moliki Matavao
Coach Kellen Moore said Taysom Hill and Foster Moreau will travel to California with the Saints, but neither tight end has yet to practice as they recover from knee injuries. If either can be ready in time for the regular season, they’ll certainly be on this roster. If neither is ready, they’ll open the year on Physically Unable to Perform and have to miss at least four games. But we’re in wait-and-see mode right now, leaving only three tight ends for this projection.
Edge rusher (4): Chase Young, Carl Granderson, Cam Jordan, Isaiah Foskey
Defensive tackle (6): Bryan Bresee, Davon Godchaux, Nathan Shepherd, Vernon Broughton, Khalen Saunders, Jonah Williams
Let’s start with Foskey. Much of the same logic about Miller can be applied to Foskey, who has been invisible for much of camp. But would the Saints really give up on both 2023 picks in one offseason? That’s tough to see, so for now, Foskey makes it — even if Chris Rumph and undrafted free agent Jasheen Davis have looked a lot more impressive.
The interior of the defensive line, meanwhile, remains just as crowded. Jonathan Bullard’s insertion in the group added another layer, but the veteran lately has appeared to work with the 2’s and the 3’s more than the starters. There are still questions about whether the Saints keep both Shepherd and Saunders, but Shepherd’s presence with the starters has been very noticeable of late and Saunders is probably needed to play nose tackle if Godchaux gets hurt.
Linebacker (5): Demario Davis, Pete Werner, Danny Stutsman, Nephi Sewell, D’Marco Jackson
One of the more surprising elements of camp is how many first-team reps that Stutsman has gotten as a fourth-round pick. Managing Davis’ workload factors into that, but the rookie’s opportunities are also reflective of how quickly he’s gotten himself up to speed. As for the last two spots, Sewell and Jackson appear to be ahead of the rest of the group, including second-year linebacker Jaylan Ford.
Cornerback (4): Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alontae Taylor, Isaac Yiadom, Quincy Riley
Safety (6): Justin Reid, Julian Blackmon, Jordan Howden, Jonas Sanker, Terrell Burgess, J.T. Gray
Only four cornerbacks may appear light, but realize that Burgess can essentially be the backup nickel in the event Taylor has to miss time. Burgess has had a solid camp and he even rotated in with the 1’s during Sunday’s long scrimmage. That gives him a narrow edge over Ugo Amadi, who also has been used in several spots.
Specialists (3): Blake Grupe, Zach Wood and Kai Kroeger
Kroeger’s signing could be taken as a sign the Saints aren’t satisfied with Matthew Hayball and James Burnip. Is that enough to give him the edge in the punting competition? Honestly, that’s a battle that still needs a lot of time to unfold.
Source link
