The New Orleans Saints got a lot of their important work done on Thursday and Friday, but there's still a preseason game to play against the L.A. Chargers this weekend.
It feels likely there's a good number of starters who will be held out, which means there's only so many takeaways. In past years, we'd be looking to figure out the bottom names on the roster at this stage for one of the early cuts, but the rules are different now. There's only one big cut down to 53, meaning the more important question is in the middle of the roster.
THE GAME | Saints at Chargers
- When: Sunday, Aug. 20, 6 p.m. (Central)
- Where: SoFi Stadium, L.A., California
- TV: Fox
- Listen: WWL AM-870; FM-105.3 & the Audacy app
Can anyone emerge from the pack? This is when we should get that answer, and here are three things to watch for with that in mind.
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1. IS JAYLON SMITH THE GUY?
We saw Demario Davis get back to action somewhat over the two days of practice, but he still is yet to do anything more significant than a walkthrough as he continues to work his way back from a calf injury. I don't think it's a coincidence that the Saints began working out veteran linebackers shortly after that injury happened. We're still a ways from the regular season, but what exactly would the contingency be for a game without the stalwart Davis? D'Marco Jackson has been getting a lot of work at the mike, but it feels like where he's at is a long way from being comfortable starting him in the middle for his first NFL game.
So, with that in mind, the question becomes: Is Jaylon Smith that guy? He's certainly got the resume to say yes, particularly when it comes to eating up tackles. In the 2019 and 2020 seasons he recorded an absurd 296 tackles. He worked his way into a key role for the Giants last season, but then they didn't bring him back. That's enough to raise an eyebrow or two. Smith is only 28 and he's got as ideal a build as you could ask for. But can he cover? That's always been my biggest knock on Smith. He doesn't have to be perfect, but I do need to see that he's not a liability. If he can show me that, I think the job is his and you keep building the confidence of Jackson. If he falls flat when he's off the ball, the inevitable rookie struggles from Jackson might be the better option.
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2. ADEBO CAN WIN
The competition between Alontae Taylor and Paulson Adebo has been fun to watch, and both players have showed well. But I think this is one of those cases where Taylor has a higher ceiling in terms of game-changing plays, but Adebo has the higher floor despite not being nearly as flashy. We both ends of the spectrum from Taylor in Week 1 of the preseason as he got worked into the slot and outside. On one drive (in the slot), he got beat downfield for a big play, then got crossed up with Bradley Roby in coverage and allowed a wide open touchdown. Later in the game he worked underneath on a late ball and tipped it in the air for what turned into an Ugo Amadi interception.
On the other hand, Adebo has kept his head down and made stop after stop after stop. His physicality is top level and, more importantly, he knows how to use it. We saw him shut down Chargers wide receivers in practice this week and without drawing any flags. He's got a ton of experience and plays the way I want to see across from Lattimore. I think that wins out in the end.
But I think this is going to be the groundhog day of preseason game. If Adebo goes out and performs at a high level, I think the job is his. If he steps onto the field for that opportunity and gets psyched out by his own shadow, this competition could go on for another week. In Week 1 it was Adebo getting the first team reps, but with Lattimore suffering a minor knee injury on Friday, I don't expect he'll be in uniform. This will be a game where No. 29 starts on one side and No. 1 on the other. Game on.
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HAENER'S PROGRESSION
Jake Haener ended his first career preseason game on a high note, but that doesn't erase the majority of the second half where he and the Saints offense struggled to get much going on offense.
He's a rookie and that's OK. The struggle is where you learn, but that's only the case if you identify the struggle points and iron them out. Haener didn't really get a chance to do that in practice this week, with all the reps in team drills going to Derek Carr and Jameis Winston (at a 2-1 clip in Carr's favor). To me that's an indicator that you wanted to maximize Carr's reps in these competitive joint practices, and he won't be getting any on Sunday. Head coach Dennis Allen hasn't made that plan official, but he did indicate that the number of snaps taken in these practices would likely factor in to availability, and no one took more of them than Carr did.
So how much work will Haener get? I'd bet at least a full half, but I wouldn't be surprised if he takes over in the second quarter and goes the rest of the way, with Jameis running the first quarter with something resembling the first-team offense.
So can Haener be a bit more decisive? Can he and his teammates avoid silly mistakes like snapping the ball early on a 2-point conversion attempt? Can he show growing chemistry with the depth receivers? We've seen the depth OL struggle already, so if he's faced with heavy pressure and can't get a lot done, you accept it. But how he handles that pressure will be telling in its own way.
One way or the other, this feels like a redshirt year for Haener and these three games are the best opportunities you'll have to gauge where he's at in his development. Can you trust him to be the backup next season? Does he have starting upside, or should you be ID'ing rookies again when the draft rolls around? Those are the answers I'd like to start figuring out.
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LAGNIAPPE ...
There are a few players who I think are very close to cementing a roster spot, and this could be a game where that happens. I'd put DBs Ugo Amadi and Lonnie Johnson Jr. in that category. Both have been making plays and offer the type of versatility this defense loves. They're already in my roster projection, another strong performance could set that in stone. ... The Tre'Quan Smith question is very frustrating, because where is he? I have no question about his skillset being one the Saints love, but he's missed so much time with a groin injury (and maybe this is some recency bias) that I'm getting really close to replacing him on my roster projection with Keith Kirkwood, and it's not hard to justify. Kirkwood has clear chemistry with Carr, and while he might not be as effective of a blocker, the willingness is there and he's got the size to do it. I'm not even sure what I need to see from him in the preseason game, I just wanted to get that out into the universe. ... How about Darrel Williams? We haven't seem much of him yet, but he's going to have a chance to make this roster for depth behind Jamaal Williams in Weeks 1-3. I don't know how much of a role he'll have after that, but I'd like him to show this week that he can be trusted. ... Who's the backup returner? We still don't have Rashid Shaheed, so guys like Lynn Bowden Jr., Jontre Kirklin and likely a few others will get a look. There's probably a route to the roster, or at least the practice squad, for whomever lands the No. 2 spot on the returning depth chart. It's hard to simulate actual return situations in practice, which is why that's such an important thing in these preseason games.
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