The preseason is best for getting young players experience and deciding position battles. These battles won’t be decided in the first week of action, but players can begin to separate themselves from the pack. The New Orleans Saints have a couple of intense position battles currently raging at training camp, which will come to a head Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Here are the areas you need to keep an eye on and the players you need to watch in each phase of the game:
Cornerback
Alontae Taylor versus Paulson Adebo is the premier battle in Saints training camp this year. These two young players are battling for the starting cornerback job opposite of Marshon Lattimore. This has been a hotly contested battle, and preseason will be the deciding factor. The other side of this battle is Taylor has spent some time at slot cornerback in addition to outside cornerback. Though Taylor will primarily play on the outside, there is a good chance the Saints want to get a look at him at slot as well.
Offensive guard
This will be sort of a one sided competition in this game. Andrus Peat and James Hurst are competing for this job, but Peat is currently sidelined with a quad injury. Hurst will continue to receive all of the first-team reps in the meantime. The Saints’ unofficial depth chart listed both players as sharing the starting spot. Hurst walks into the first preseason game with the opportunity to stand alone at the top of the depth chart next week.
Linebacker
The search for a linebacker behind Demario Davis and Pete Werner is still ongoing. This battle has the most contestants. Ultimately, Jaylon Smith could be the victor. Since he was only signed earlier this week, he likely won’t play much Sunday, if at all. Anfernee Orji, D’Marco Jackson, Nephi Sewell and Nick Anderson will be fighting for the limelight. Special teams could decide which of them makes the roster, however, you still hope to see standout moments on defense from the group too.
Backup quarterback
Dennis Allen was questioned if Jake Haener had a chance to overtake Jameis Winston for the backup quarterback battle this week, and Allen left that option on the table. The ramifications for this battle has the potential to be larger than the depth chart. There are a few quarterback situations around the league that could use a boost both in the preseason or possibly during the year. A good preseason by Winston could make him a trade target. If Haener is impressive enough for New Orleans to feel comfortable with him as a backup, the Saints might be willing to listen to offers for Winston. This would also give Winston a chance to prove he can still be a starting quarterback in the NFL.
