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 return and prove he belongs with the first team. But for the moment, Patrick has seized the opportunity. Like so many Saints receivers, Wilson has missed time in training camp because of a soft tissue injury.
But he’s looked more and more comfortable since he returned, and he appears to have the inside track at what is effectively a starting role in the offense. Wilson has experience in this type of offense — he played his last two seasons in Miami under coach Mike McDaniel, who, like Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, is a Kyle Shanahan protegé. As a bigger target, Wilson also presents a contrast in style to Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed.
Working in his favor is that nobody else consistently has stepped up. Second-year wide receiver A.T.
Perry may make a run at the job after a strong performance in the preseason game, but it’s been hard to ignore coach Dennis Allen’s comments every time he’s been asked about Perry. Allen consistently has said he wants to see more out of Perry besides the things he does when the ball is thrown his way. Undrafted rookie Mason Tipton got off to a scorching start in camp, but he has been sidelined by a hamstring injury.
He is also on the smaller side (5-foot-9, 179 pounds at his pro day). Equanimeous St. Brown and rookie Bub Means have been sidelined by injuries.
Stanley Morgan has been inconsistent as a pass catcher and will probably have to make the roster via special teams. Even though Willie Gay followed up his strong camp performance with an excellent preseason debut, and although Werner has been sidelined with a shoulder issue, this one feels pretty settled. Werner got off to an excellent start in training camp, and the team rewarded him with a three-year contract extension.
That doesn’t feel like a move the Saints would make unless they envisioned Werner winning the job. Gay still should have a role on the defense. The free agent addition has brought a jolt of energy and athleticism to the defense, and it should be interesting to see how New Orleans implements Gay’s skills into its usual looks.
That may be a copout, but nobody has seized control of the starting safety job opposite Tyrann Mathieu. Johnathan Abram might have been the favorite entering training camp, and he did start the preseason opener, but New Orleans has rotated Jordan Howden and Will Harris into that spot throughout camp. The Saints also kicked the tires on veteran free agent Justin Simmons last week, but a deal has yet to materialize — and on Monday, so the Saints aren’t the only team in the race.
If the Saints don’t sign Simmons, this might be a situation that plays out throughout the year. Abram, Howden and Harris all have things they do well, and all have weaknesses as players. It’s possible the Saints choose their starter based on matchup.
Charlie Smyth has a great story and undeniable talent. The Irishman has made kicks from 59 and 62 yards in training camp (the latter probably would have been good from 70), then made a game-winning 37-yarder against the Cardinals on his first-ever kick during an American football game. But while Smyth has made this camp competition interesting, it still feels like Grupe has the inside track.
While Grupe hasn’t been the model of consistency (especially as of late), Smyth has shown signs of his inexperience throughout camp, missing several from extra-point range. Grupe also has been much more reliable with his placement on kickoffs, which special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi considers of paramount importance with the new kickoff rules. The punting competition might be closer.
It has been hard to get a true gauge of where things stand in training camp, because it’s much less clear what constitutes a successful punt than a field goal; maybe the Saints are working on limiting return yardage, or trying to angle punts out of bounds, or trying to make punts difficult for returners to catch. The preseason game offered a bit more evidence on where things stand. Hedley enjoyed a strong performance, landing three of his punts inside the 20-yard line and averaging 46.
8 yards per punt. His competition, Matthew Hayball, showed off a booming leg — Hayball averaged 53 yards on his three punts, with a long of 61 — but he also kicked a ball into the end zone, and his net punting average (35.0) was almost 20 yards worse than his gross average.
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