We’re counting down the days until the start of the New Orleans Saints’ regular season by featuring each player to wear that day’s corresponding jersey number, and with there being 61 days to go it brings us to Sincere Haynesworth.
What must the rookie from Tulane do to make the squad? Let’s look back at the road that brought him here, and what realistic goals are for him in 2024:
- Name (Age): Sincere Haynesworth (23)
- Position: Offensive center
- Height, weight: 6-foot-1, 310 pounds
- Relative Athletic Score: 5.04
- 2024 salary cap hit: $797,000
- College: Tulane
- Drafted: Undrafted in 2024 (New Orleans Saints)
- NFL experience: Rookie
Haynesworth didn’t receive a ton of guarantees in his rookie contract ($16,000 in total, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill) so he wasn’t as highly sought-after as other players in the class of undrafted free agents. And he’s a little undersized by pro standards. Still, he put some strong reps on his game tape and the Saints didn’t bring him in for no reason.
Part of the appeal is his ample college experience. Haynesworth started for five years at the college level, four of them at center, totaling an impressive 3,987 career snaps. He also spent a year at right guard. He was the primary backup for Pro Bowl center Erik McCoy at organized team activities this spring before the Saints signed Lucas Patrick in time for minicamp, which bumped Haynesworth down to the third team offense with his fellow rookie Spencer Rattler.
So how can he make the team? Haynesworth must show that he’s a good fit in Klint Kubiak’s offense, and that he’s a better option to round out the depth chart than his competition. That includes other rookies like Josiah Ezirim (a seventh-round draft pick), Kyle Hergel and Nouri Nouili (neither of whom, like Haynesworth, were drafted), plus Mark Evans II, last year’s big get in undrafted free agency. Showing some positional versatility would be nice but so long as he’s keeping his quarterback clean and holding his own through training camp and the preseason, he’ll have as good a shot as anyone.
