Position battles will never be won or lost in minicamp, plain and simple.
What players can accomplish at minicamp? Giving the best first impression possible so as coaches mull the outlook up and down the roster, they're left with positive vibes. Not all position battles are for starting roles, either. Battles for depth roles can often be just as important, and in many cases it's also a battle to stay on an NFL roster altogether.
"It is really a backup league," Saints head coach Dennis Allen said this week. "The backup players are going to have to play in our league and they’re going to have to play at a high level."
With that in mind, we'll take a look at the top 3 true position battles that we began to see at minicamp, starting with the obvious:
LEFT TACKLE
WHO: James Hurst and Trevor Penning
I've talked about this pair a lot already, and that won't change anytime soon. Left tackle is a massively important position in any season. It's particularly important in a year where the team is betting on a quarterback in Jameis Winston coming off a knee injury. If his mobility is hindered at all by the brace he'll be wearing, that'll put even more of an onus on the protection in front of him. And for the first time in a decade the Saints don't enter the season with a guaranteed name slotted in on the QB's blind side.
The good news is that with Terron Armstead missing nine games in the 2021 season, the Saints already have a picture of what Hurst can do in that role. He played 941 snaps and allowed 3 sacks, 36 pressures and drew four penalties. All of those numbers are a bit higher than you'd hope to see, but there's reason to think with a full offseason ramp-up there's more quality to be had there. Hurst's ceiling won't be as high as a first-round rookie's, but the baseline and consistency of an 8-year NFL veteran can't be overlooked.
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Penning, meanwhile, is a player that will get on the field eventually. The question is whether that happens sooner or later. There's a learning curve he'll have to overcome, particularly with the technique necessary at the NFL level. He's said himself there are a lot of elements he simply didn't have to know to win his matchups at Northern Iowa. Coaches have described him as a hard worker, and the question is more about how quickly he can refine that technique. Penning said he feels he's already come a long way after the OTA sessions and minicamp, but we'll really start to get a better picture once training camp comes around.
Who has the inside track to start Week 1?
Right now I'd have to say Hurst, because if the games started today, it'd be a no-brainer. It'll be up to Penning to take steps forward throughout the offseason to make it a more difficult decision.
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CB2
WHO: Bradley Roby or Paulson Adebo
THE DARK HORSE: Alontae Taylor
The Saints truly are stacked at cornerback right now, and in today's NFL that's one of the best things you can say about a defense. There's no question where superstar Marshon Lattimore stands in that pecking order, but who starts across from him is a much more interesting discussion.
It's easy to forget that the Saints swung a trade late in the last offseason for Bradley Roby, and he's a veteran player who does a lot of things well. Cornerback was a "must" for the Saints at that point, something that felt like a distant memory after third-round pick Paulson Adebo got on the field and held up as well as anyone could hope for a rookie. He started all 17 games, one of the few Saints players not hampered by injuries, nabbing 3 interceptions with 8 passes defensed and 66 tackles. If he can take a leap in Year 2, an already stout defensive group gets even scarier.
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But don't sleep on Roby. The Saints could've moved on from the 30-year-old for savings in an offseason where the front office was clearly trying to smooth out the cap table. Instead they extended him on a 3-year, $31 million deal. The team clearly thinks highly of what he can do, and he'll battle for that position.
As far as Taylor, he'll have some work to do to legitimately force his way into that conversation. That said, he's been impressive throughout camp and looks every bit the part of a starting outside corner. Allen went so far as to tell reporters that the former Tennessee Vol is already farther ahead than he was expected to be, high praise after just a dozen practices.
WHO HAS THE INSIDE TRACK TO START WEEK 1?
I'll have to go with Adebo here. He's just a more physically imposing player and looks to have bulked up a bit after his rookie campaign. This defense will continue to ask its outside corners to lock up in man often, and he profiles to do that as well as anyone. I also think Roby profiles as a player who can shift inside and cover the slot when needed, something he did reasonably well when CJ Gardner-Johnson missed time a year ago. Taylor will continue to refine his game, and is another player whose time will inevitably come if the hard work continues. Early on he'll be a key member of special teams and a rotational defender. Regardless of how it shakes out, the Saints have incredible depth at arguably the second-most important position on the field after QB.
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TE 1/2/3/4 ... 5?
WHO: Adam Trautman, Nick Vannett, Taysom Hill, Juwan Johnson, Lucal Krull
I was tempted to look at wide receiver and running back here, but both positions have pretty locked-in top options and the only question is who serves in the depth roles. But tight end is a bit more wide-open. Possibly the biggest question is just how many are kept at the position.
That number could depend on exactly how we define Taysom Hill. Last year the Saints carried three active quarterbacks on gamedays, including Hill, while this year they might be able to get away with just two if Hill is listed at TE. The team carried four TEs onto its final roster a year ago. Could that number be five this time around if you include Taysom, whom Allen has said will be a "weapon" and continue to be used in multiple roles? Regardless of what you call Taysom, he's still someone who could serve the role of emergency QB if that situation arises.
It's important because we'll have to watch throughout camp to see just how the Saints intend to deploy their TE group. Due to various injuries, we never really got to see the vision of Nick Vannett and Adam Trautman in action at the same time. Based on their skill sets it's likely Vannett is deployed heavily in the blocking game. Does that mean Trautman gets involved down field more often? Can he take advantage of those opportunities when they arise? Year 3 will be an important one to prove he can do exactly that.
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And how about Juwan Johnson? He said he's more confident in his role heading into Year 2 as a TE after converting from WR, and he's bulked up to 250 pounds which he expects to help him hold up as a blocker. The extra bulk is noticeable, and it could translate better in full-contact practices. But if that extra comfort exists, it hasn't shown itself in several opportunities for contested catches. If he can demonstrate a greater ability to use his physicality as a pass-catcher, he still feels like a safe bet to make the roster.
But if there are only four TEs kept including Taysom, the difficult decision will be between Johnson or UDFA Lucas Krull. The former Pitt Panther has an intriguing blend of speed and size, but like any rookie he'll have a steep learning curve heading into Year 1. If the Saints can swing it, they'd probably like to keep all five. It'll be a question of how the positions stack up elsewhere.
WHO HAS THE INSIDE TRACK TO START WEEK 1?
This is a tougher question to answer because there are multiple roles at TE, but gets talked about as if it's a one-off. I'd say Trautman is still the man to earn those first-run duties as the most well-rounded in the group. Vannett profiles as a high-end blocking TE with sneaky athleticism. Johnson and Taysom offer intriguing options in the move role, and Krull feels like a want to keep on the roster, but is also a player who would likely be of high interest to stash on the practice squad if the team can sneak him there. This is a group with a bit of a chip on its shoulder to prove that last year's down numbers were more about injury struggles and constant offseason changes than anything else, and I can see that happening.