Three whole practices. That's all we've gotten to see of the 2023 New Orleans Saints thus far.
And even those practices are just a sliver of the amount of work that'll take place in the full training camp later this summer. But first impressions matter, and we've definitely made some.
So this week on Inside Black & Gold, myself and Steve Geller dive into our Saints stock report, breaking down which players have seen their stock climb, which players have missed opportunities, and which will have to step up if they hope to see their names on the roster (or practice squad) this upcoming season.
Listen to the full breakdown in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
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STOCK UP
Steve's pick: LB D'Marco Jackson
Why: If it wasn't clear that the 2022 5th round pick was getting ready for an increased role, we've seen that play out early in OTAs. D'Marco Jackson spent his entire rookie season on IR, but he's goint o get his change in 2023. So far he's looked ready to take advantage.
Jeff's pick: K Blake Grupe
Why: No, really. It's easy to say Wil Lutz is the guy, but he was anything but steady in 2022. He'll get every chance to keep that job with a bounce-back season, but what if he doesn't? The Saints have to be prepared for that possibility, and UDFA Blake Grupe has put his best foot forward. The former Notre Dame kicker made all 5 kicks as the media looked on last week, including one from 58 yards. Not too shabby.
Honorable mention: WR Tre'Quan Smith
Why: I can already hear the groans from Saints fans lamenting Tre'Quan's inconsistencies as a pass-catcher, but there's no denying he stood out on Tuesday. He caught three TD passes, two from rookie Jake Haener, and Dennis Allen spoke highly of the veteran, dirty-work-doing wide receiver. If he looks the way he did at OTAs throughout camp, there's no question he makes this roster again.
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MISSED CHANCE
WR Keith Kirkwood
Why: Keith Kirkwood is a name everybody knows, but also one with pretty low expectations. That said, he's gotten a lot of looks from Derek Carr early on in practices. He was targeted twice in red zone drills and didn't come down with either ball. They might not necessarily been his fault, but it was an opportunity for Keith to get out ahead in terms of potentially stealing himself a roster spot, and it didn't pan out for him.
RB Eno Benjamin
Why: He didn't look good or bad. In fact, he didn't look like anything at all, as he missed all three weeks with injuries. It won't be held against him, but the fact is Eno will face an uphill climb to make this roster, and an opportunity to work alongside Jamaal Williams with Alvin Kamara absent and Kendre Miller still unavailable due to injury would've been an important one to take advantage of.
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STOCK DOWN
Steve's pick: WR A.T. Perry
Why: The 6th round pick out of Wake Forest has a skill set that helped him get to the NFL, but he hasn't shown it thus far. That skill set is the ability to go up for balls and make contested catches. That's exactly where he's struggled thus far. He's got a ton of time to change that narrative, but there's no other way to look at it than a bit of a disappointing start for a player a lot of people were excited to see work.
Jeff's pick: LB Nick Anderson
Why: This might be a bit unfair for a UDFA after three light practices, but to make the roster as a UDFA, you've got to take advantage of opportunities. The issue that will continue to dog Nick Anderson is that he's an undersized linebacker. You can make up for that in two ways: Standing out on special teams and as a cover linebacker. It's the latter where he struggled on Tuesday's practice, getting beat twice in coverage, including on a TD pass to Jesse James, who was in his first practice with a new team. The Saints won't keep Nick around for the fun storyline. He's got plenty of time to earn some standout moments, but they didn't come at OTAs.
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