The New Orleans Saints wrapped up the preseason Thursday night with a 16-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Several of the Saints starters were held out to the matchup giving players fighting for rosters spots plenty of snaps to make a final impression on coach Sean Payton and his staff.
Here are five players that took advantage of those reps and helped there chances of making the 53-man roster:
Devine Ozigbo, RB
Heading into this game Ozigbo said he wanted to finish his runs hard and not make any mistakes.
He was able to do both Thursday night as he got to start at running back with most of the first unit sitting out. Ozigbo averaged 5.5 yards per carry Thursday night and caught all three passes thrown at him as he play mostly in the first half. He’s competing to be the Saints third running back and has made a good case that he’d be able to handle the job.
Emmanuel Butler, WR
Butler likely wasn’t in danger of missing the the cut. But his play Thursday night certainly didn’t hurt his cause. Though the rookie out of Northern Arizona dropped the first catchable ball thrown his way, he atoned for the mistake a few plays later by securing a reception that gave the Saints a first down. He hauled in a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Teddy Bridgewater later in the quarter.
Lil’Jordan Humphrey, WR
Humphrey admitted after the game that he didn’t start training camp well but the rookie out of Texas he certainly finished strong. He made an impressive grab in the second quarter when he hauled in a 43-yard pass from Bridgewater that help set up the Saints first touchdown of the night.
Since the first preseason game Humphrey has flashed his ability and has definitely given Payton and his staff something to think about.
Riiiiiiight down the middle --Lil'Jordan Humphrey via @teddyb_h2o | #MIAvsNO pic.twitter.com/I2BEs8vGaL
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 30, 2019Kaden Elliss, LB
Elliss finished the game with seven tackles. The seventh-round draft pick out of Idaho has gotten a lot of run at the middle linebacker position while linebacker Alex Anzalone has missed time and appears to be handling the position well.
Shy Tuttle, DT
Tuttle was disruptive all night. He was credited with two tackles, one QB hit and a pass deflection. He faces an uphill battle to make the roster especially after Sheldon Rankins returned to practice this week, but it never hurts to play a good game.
