There's no question as to whether Jameis Winston wants to play in the preseason finale, which would be his first live action since Halloween 2021.
Winston got back into practice fully this week after missing time with a foot issue, and he was asked that question directly.
“I would love to play, just in terms of if I could get out there where the bullets are really flying and get out there and compete with the guys," Winston said.
But the biggest reason why might surprise you, because it wasn't about execution or gaining comfortability back in regard to full contact. It was the team-building moments.
"I love the pregame experience," he went on, "just to get a chance to look in everybody’s eyes, dap people up and really get that whole, holistic team-bonding part in the beginning of the game. That’s one of my favorite parts of football, just that pre-battle moment. So I would love to experience that before we really kick things off.”
Dennis Allen wouldn't budge on an answer, so we'll have to wait until things kick off at 7 p.m. against the L.A. Chargers at the Caesars Superdome.
Including Jameis' status, here are the top five things I'm watching in the preseason finale:
JAMEIS, JAMEIS, JAMEIS
Does the starting quarterback play? I'd bet he does. In the past two weeks the head coach wasn't shy about declaring Winston out, and the fact that he won't say yay or nay indicates to me that it's a close call.
Jameis' foot doesn't seem to be an issue. He wants to be out there. So I think he does play. And if that's the case, how does he look? Is there rust? Is the game moving too quickly around him? Can he take a hit and bounce back?
I'm not worried about offensive execution, that will come. What we want to see is confidence and comfortability. If he can display that on Friday, it's one fewer question to answer in Week 1.
KIRK MERRITT AT RB
If the preseason ended with just two games like it did last year, I'd probably have Tony Jones Jr. on the active roster as the final running back. But there's one more game to play and one very intriguing option to see at a new position.
That's Kirk Merritt, who was switched from WR to RB after the Packers game and has been working with the running backs all week. Merritt played running back at Destrehan and is comfortable in the role, and he's shown it. If I hadn't known any better I'd believe he'd been working in that room all camp.
I didn't think Kirk had much of a road at WR, but if he can display some burst at the RB position as well, that might be really attractive to an organization that clearly puts a premium on positional versatility.
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TREVOR PENNING'S FINISH
If I had to pick a player who exceeded my expectations the most throughout camp, it'd probably be Trevor. It's possible my expectations were simply too low, but I expected it to be a struggle as he built out his skillset and technique to an NFL level.
That's gone a lot more smoothly than I expected it to. There were obviously breakdowns in the opener against the Texans, and that's reasonable for a young player, but he bounced back against the Packers and I didn't see many egregious breakdowns in pass pro.
That was a step in the right direction, and if he can follow that up this week you'll be feeling very comfortable about the LT position heading into the season. James Hurst has been battling injury, but it doesn't appear to be significant considering he was out spectating at practice on Wednesday. Still, if Penning is forced to start Week 1, it might not be the nightmare scenario I was envisioning.
BACKUP BACKER BATTLE
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The good news is that the top two positions on the linebacker depth chart are well manned with Demario Davis and Pete Werner, despite the latter's minimal practice involvement to this point.
The bad news is that if there was a game tomorrow and either player couldn't suit up, I honestly have no idea who would be the best option to fill in behind them. Nephi Sewell and Eric Wilson have gotten the lion's share of first-team reps this week and both have impressed. They seem to be the logical choices and that's who I went with on this week's roster projection, but it still feels like a very wide-open race.
I think any of Sewell, Wilson, Chase Hansen, Kaden Elliss, Jon Bostic and Zack Baun have a chance to make or miss the roster. The only players I'm confident about at LB will be Davis, Werner and Andrew Dowell due to his contribution on special teams.
Wilson has forced a pair of turnovers. Bostic led the team in tackles Week 2. Hansen led the team in tackles Week 1. The closing performances might end up being the determining factor in roster cuts come Tuesday.
CAN THE SAINTS WIN ONE OF THESE?
We can start with: I know the results are meaningless. That said, I think this team would benefit from a positive result in its final preseason action and the lone home game before a week off and the regular season.
There's a point where losing doesn't feel unusual, and there have just been way too many weeks that ended with a losing atmosphere over the last year. I think finding a way to win this one would strike a positive chord at a time you really want to be gelling.
It'd also be nice if that included a solid Ian Book performance. I expect he'll land on the Saints practice squad and some positive vibes never hurt anybody. Hopefully he can walk away with those this week (but hey, I'd settle for zero fumbled snaps, if I'm being honest).
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