The New Orleans Saints preseason will close out on Friday night when the Los Angeles Chargers visit for this summer’s only exhibition game at the Caesars Superdome. It’s the last opportunity for many players to make their case for a roster spot – New Orleans must whittle the depth down from 80 players to just 53 after this preseason game, and probably 40 or more of those roster spots are already spoken for. Many guys will just be hoping to earn a practice squad contract. The Saints have built a highly competitive team.
So there will be plenty to tune in for when they kick off with the Chargers. We’re highlighting one player from each position group who deserves some attention. Some of them are guys on the roster bubble who can change their fortunes with a big night, others are recent high draft picks who need to show more progress before the regular season begins. Others could be on their way out if they don’t meet expectations. Let’s run through the list:
Quarterback: Ian Book
We don’t know yet whether Jameis Winston will suit up against the Chargers, but it’s a safe bet that Book will. And this might be Book’s last chance to convince the team to hang onto him. It feels unrealistic to see him staying on the 53-man roster, but a good game could secure a practice squad spot for him. If he continues to struggle, though, they could choose to punt on one of Sean Payton’s former projects and bring in a different passer to develop in the background.
Running back: Abram Smith
This might be the last stand for Smith. Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram II, and Dwayne Washington are safe bets to make the team. That leaves just one spot left on the roster, and it’ll be him or Tony Jones Jr. They’ve seen comparable snaps counts (Smith has played 38 reps on offense, 26 on special teams; Jones has 33 on offense and 16 on special teams). Jones is more of a known quantity as a third-year pro, but Smith may have more potential. Smith has 16 rushing attempts, gaining 55 yards (3.4 yards per carry) but committing one of the team’s few fumbles in preseason. Jones has 11 carries for 46 yards (averaging 4.2 yards a pop). Neither player has forced many missed tackles, nor have they recorded a run of 10 or more yards. Jones may have a narrow lead going into the final preseason game, but Smith still has time to turn it around.
Tight end: Nick Vannett
Vannett was recently named a surprise cut or trade option for New Orleans, and it’s not hard to see why: he’s played more snaps (58, 7 of them on special teams) than any other tight end on the roster. Taysom Hill is a more flexible, better-established player. Adam Trautman and Juwan Johnson are each younger with higher ceilings. Undrafted rookie Lucas Krull (just 15 snaps in preseason, 12 of them on offense) feels like a shoo-in for the practice squad. Vannett could very well be auditioning for his next team against L.A., so look for the Saints to play him to his strengths as an inline blocker.
Wide receiver: Kirk Merritt
Merritt has played the second-most snaps at his position (71) through offense (47) and special teams (24), with only Kawaan Baker seeing a heavier workload across two preseason games. And now he’s practicing with the running backs to try and expand his skill set. He’s pushing Tre’Quan Smith (44 snaps, all on offense) and Marquez Callaway (38 snaps, 5 of them on special teams) for that sixth receiver spot, and a strong performance could help his case. The more things he can do, the better his odds, but he may be headed for the practice squad regardless of how this exhibition game goes for him.
Offensive tackle: Trevor Penning
Penning needed all the snaps he could get coming out of Northern Iowa, and the Saints have done that by fielding him on 106 downs (102 of them with the offense), more than anyone besides Book. And he should continue to see plenty of reps against the talented Chargers defensive line. If James Hurst is healthy, he’ll be starting ahead of Penning at left tackle in two weeks at Atlanta. The best way to improve is through experience and this game is another big learning opportunity for the rookie first rounder.
Interior offensive line: Cesar Ruiz
Ruiz is in a similar position to Penning, but his starting job is secure and the team hasn’t been playing him much as these preseason games run along. He does need the reps to continue working on his flaws and learning from mistakes and building confidence at the position. But he’s made some progress and it’s good to see him developing in real-time. His backup Calvin Throckmorton is a safe roster lock, but Khalique Washington (a part-time right tackle) and Josh Andrews (a veteran center) have both gotten looks behind them.
Interior defensive line: Malcolm Roach
Few players have knocked down more challengers than Roach, who is playing ahead of multiple rookies brought in to unseat him like Josh Black and Jordan Jackson (a sixth-round draft pick). He leads the team in quarterback pressures (4) through two preseason games and has been playing hard late into some of these exhibition matchups. David Onyemata and Shy Tuttle are entrenched on top of the depth chart, and Kentavius Street feels safe, but Roach can seal the deal for a spot in the rotation if he can keep up the pressure. It’s either him, Albert Huggins, or one of those rookies for that fourth spot in the lineup.
Defensive end: Taco Charlton
We haven’t seen much out of second-year draft pick Payton Turner this summer, which is really disappointing after his injury-shortened rookie season. Instead, most of the action at defensive end has come at the end of the depth chart, where Charlton has made it interesting while pushing Tanoh Kpassagnon for snaps. Nick Lalos was signed recently and he’s also had some bright moments. But it’s looking like Charlton or Kpassagnon will round out the unit behind Cameron Jordan, Marcus Davenport, Carl Granderson, and Turner. Charlton has been more active (bagging one of the team’s few sacks and three defensive stops) but Kpassagnon brings more flexibility in lining up from a variety of spots while getting on the field with the kicking units.
Linebacker: Nephi Sewell
Badly overlooked among the Saints’ undrafted free agent signings (I’m guilty of that, too) Sewell has done nothing but play well in several roles on special teams and make the most of his opportunities on defense throughout the summer. He leads the unit with five defensive stops while competing hard in coverage. His 34 snaps in the kicking game also lead the team. He has a very real shot at pushing Zack Baun off of the roster. The Saints usually keep six linebackers, with the bottom three players expected to play special teams almost exclusively. If we assume that Demario Davis, Pete Werner, and Kaden Elliss are safe with Eric Wilson and Andrew Dowell as the top backups, that leaves Sewell in a competition with Baun and Jon Bostic for that last roster spot.
Safety: Daniel Sorensen
There’s a good argument for Justin Evans to be highlighted in this slot, but hear me out. The Saints typically roster five or six safeties, and these players should be considered safe: Tyrann Mathieu, Marcus Maye, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, J.T. Gray, and P.J. Williams. At this point it feels like it would be a big surprise for Evans to not make the team. Is Sorensen making the cut? He’s played more snaps than Evans (62 on defense against Evans’ 54), getting greater exposure at safety despite having a substantially longer career to look back on. They’ve both gotten reps on special teams (15 for Sorensen, 19 for Evans). Evans has lined up over the slot 10 times in the preseason games and often in practice, suggesting he’s more of a direct backup for Gardner-Johnson. Sorensen could hypothetically sign with the practice squad as one of the six veteran slots allowed, but he’s got to show out on Friday to make a strong closing argument.
Cornerback: DaMarcus Fields
The undrafted rookie out of Texas Tech is one of four players to see more than 100 combined snaps in two exhibition games, and he’s the only defender (leading the team with 88 defensive snaps, adding 17 reps in the kicking game). He’s lined up in the slot a surprising 49 times, taking 32 reps outside and moving closer into the box 7 times. He’s also kind of been a boom-or-bust player: PFF charting found he’s been targeted 8 times, allowing 4 receptions foro 25 yards while yielding 2 touchdown receptions and breaking up 2 passes. He hasn’t given up a catch for more than 15 yards. If he can get more reps and figure some things out, further adjusting to the NFL, he has the potential to be a good backup. The Saints have played him often, in a variety of roles, and if they keep a fifth corner behind Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo, Bradley Roby, and Alontae Taylor it’s probably going to be him. Fields needs a strong performance to make the team, though he should be seen as a favorite for the practice squad if he clears waivers.
