It’s finally here: the New Orleans Saints will open their preseason schedule at home with the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon. These exhibition games are a great opportunity to evaluate the players on the roster bubble as they compete for a few spots on the opening-day lineup. Dennis Allen and Mickey Loomis have their work cut out for them identifying the best fits for the last dozen or so roster spots on this squad.
Here are some players on that roster bubble we’ll be watching closely:
RB Ellis Merriweather
The rookie running back from UMass faces an uphill battle to win a roster spot, but his primary competition Kirk Merritt is unlikely to play Sunday while recovering from a hamstring injury. Merriweather needs to show he can pick up the blitz in pass protection, reliably catch passes thrown his way, and play on a couple of different special teams units. A strong performance could convince the Saints to stop checking in on veteran free agents at running back.
TE J.P. Holtz
Holtz did everything possible to win a roster spot last year — covering punts and kickoffs on special teams, lining up tight to the formation and blocking, and even shifting to the backfield so he could run ahead as a lead blocker. He needs to repeat those feats this summer to hang on through roster cuts. The Saints figure to have their top four set at tight end between Juwan Johnson, Foster Moreau, Taysom Hill, and Jimmy Graham, but Holtz could be an ideal utility player to bring up from the practice squad each week.
OL Lewis Kidd
Kidd surprised a lot of people by making the opening-day roster last year, and he’s on his way to repeating that achievement — though he’ll need to do more than survive the attrition along the offensive line. Players he’s competing with for a roster spot like Landon Young, Trai Turner, Koda Martin, and Scott Lashley have all been sidelined by injuries. So has the starting left guard Andrus Peat, who Kidd filled in for at times last season. Availability is one of the best abilities you can have in pro football, but he needs to improve over last year’s performance nonetheless.
WR Keith Kirkwood
Kirkwood has quietly separated himself from the other veteran backups in the receiving corps by catching everything thrown his way, including a leaping one-handed touchdown grab in team drills at the Caesars Superdome on Friday. The fifth-year pro has never really produced to this point in his career, but he’ll have opportunities to validate those impressive practice reps against the Chiefs’ starting secondary with Rashid Shaheed and Tre’Quan Smith expected to sit this one out with injuries.
DE Niko Lalos, Kyle Phillips
Both of these guys are intriguing options for the practice squad, and they’re competing with one another for that opportunity. Phillips was a solid backup on the New York Jets in recent years. Lalos is coming off a breakout season in the XFL. If Lalos can translate that success against NFL-quality competition, he has a chance, but Phillips has the benefits of greater experience on his side.
LB Nick Anderson
Anderson is stuck in the middle of a crowded position group, and the clock is ticking for the hometown favorite out of Tulane. He needs to make some plays on special teams and cleanly tackle opponents late in Sunday’s game to prove the Saints didn’t need to go sign Jaylon Smith after all. His training camp reps haven’t been the flashiest, but this is his biggest opportunity to help his case for a roster spot.
S Smoke Monday
Monday quickly won over fans last summer before going down with a season-ending knee injury, and he’s been kind of erratic at training camp this year, though he’s turned it up in recent days. A strong performance against the talented Chiefs receiving corps would do a lot to build confidence in the second-year pro. But it may not be enough for him to stand out in a position full of experienced NFL veterans like Johnathan Abram, Lonnie Johnson Jr., and Ugo Amadi, not to mention rookie standout Jordan Howden.
CB Anthony Johnson
Johnson has had some nice reps at training camp, and he was a priority free agent for the team coming out of college at Virginia, so he’s probably a good pick to stick on their practice squad. But he’s stuck a good ways down the depth chart — Marshon Lattimore will start, as will either Alontae Taylor or Paulson Adebo, with Bradley Roby covering the slot. Isaac Yiadom and Troy Pride Jr. have distinguished themselves on the second-team defense. That leaves Johnson on the outside looking in, but he still has time to strengthen his bid for a roster spot.
