New Orleans Saints wide receiver Cedrick Wilson (11) catches a pass during the eleventh day of training camp practice at Crawford Field at University of California, Irvine, Calif., Monday, Aug. 5, 2024.
(Photo by Sophia Germer, The Times-Picayune) There were several unsettled positions for the New Orleans Saints when they arrived in Southern California nearly three weeks ago, but after more than a dozen practices , things are starting to crystallize. As the Saints gear up for their second preseason contest this weekend against the San Francisco 49ers, here’s a look at how six position battles are shaping up. It appeared the Saints were willing to give second-year guard Nick Saldiveri every opportunity to win the starting job when training camp opened.
He had taken the lion’s share of the first-team snaps during the summer and had earned praise for getting himself into shape during the offseason. But Saldiveri started to lose his grip on the competition early in training camp when New Orleans started splitting his first-team snaps with Patrick, a veteran free agent addition. Then Saldiveri suffered a calf injury that has kept him out of practice since July 29.
Outside of the days when Patrick filled in for center Erik McCoy with the starting five, he has exclusively handled the first-team snaps at left guard in practice. He also was in the starting lineup for the preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals. It’s not fair to call this one yet.
Saldiveri could still ret.