The New Orleans Saints get one more live-action look at their 90-man roster, so who can find a way to stand out against the Houston Texans?
There will be a handful of legitimate battles to keep watching, particularly at wide receiver and cornerback, any they'll get plenty of time to shine with multiple starters expected not to be in action.
So what should you be keeping an eye out for?
THE GAME
- Who: Texans (1-1) at Saints (2-0)
- Where: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- When: 7 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 27
- TV: Fox
- Listen: WWL AM-870; FM-105.3 & the Audacy app
- Pregame: First Take with Steve Geller & Jeff Nowak, 3-5 p.m.; Countdown to kickoff with Bobby Hebert & Steve Geller, 5-7 p.m.
Scroll below for the top three things I'm watching when the Saints meet up with the Texans on Sunday evening at the Superdome.
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1. SHAQ OR A.T.?
There's a universe where you could sneak both big-bodied rookie WRs onto the roster in A.T. Perry and Shaq Davis, but it feels far more likely that you'll have to make a decision between who to keep on the active roster and who to stash on the practice squad.
So who's it gonna be? Perry has the credentials on his side as a 6th round pick. Teams never want to cut draft picks if they can avoid it, for obvious reasons. But if you strip that away, this competition feels a lot closer. Perry has the biggest performance to his credit with 6 catches for 70 yards and a touchdown in the preseason opener. He's stacked a few more high-quality days in the meantime and I thought he held up well in the joint practices. Still, there's too many points where I don't see him take advantage of his size as well as he could, and there are way too many bobbles. His confidence is growing, but I need to see it continue to grow this weekend.
On the other hand, Davis has been impossible to ignore over the past few weeks as he's gotten more comfortable at the NFL level. He was coming out of S.C. State and a steeper learning curve should've been expected. I don't think his route-running is as crisp as A.T., but his hands are like vice grips. We saw that on a ball from Jake Haener in Week 2 when he went up over multiple defenders to make the catch. When you're 6-5 -- as both these guys are -- I tend to value the hands above route-running, because you're going to be able to go get balls in areas that other guys can't reach. I also saw him open things up on a jet sweep in practice on Friday (I'd wager we see that in the game on Sunday), and he can gallop in the open field.
If I had to make the choice today, it'd be A.T. Perry making the roster. A.T. has a chance to solidify that against the Texans. Shaq has a chance to change my mind.
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2. MORE PENNING STEPS
One of the few OL starters I expect to see this week is LT Trevor Penning, and for good reason: He's still learning on the job. That's just the nature of the beast when you turn to an unproven, young player -- and it's why the Saints make clear efforts to avoid that in key roles whenever possible. Welp, there's no way around it this year, and with that comes growing pains.
We saw the play where Tuli Tuipulotu caught him leaning outside and feasted on a Kendre Miller run in the backfield. Sometimes he'll get beat. Mistakes will happen. The important thing is making sure you understand why they happened, and don't make them the same way again.
That's been a big focal point from the coaching staff as it pertains to Penning this offseason. Perfection is great, but you only get there by learning from your mistakes. In a perfect world we'd be going into this season with a lot of those mistakes ironed out in live action. Injuries made that impossible.
So how does Penning hold up in his final dress rehearsal? Is he constantly chasing? Is he able to get downhill and make his presence felt on run downs? An unreliable LT can torpedo even the best of gameplans. I've got to see a progression.
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3. TAKE A LONG LOOK AT TEAMS
I wouldn't say this is targeted at a specific player, rather all the players who are making a push for a roster spot based on special teams contributions. These tend to be the players that land on the roster despite maybe not standing out at their natural positions all that often (think J.T. Gray or Dwayne Washington). Being a special teams ace is more about willingness and effort than anything else, and you can't fake that in a game setting.
So who are some of those players? Linebacker Jaylon Smith is a guy I'm sure the Saints would love to keep around, but it won't happen unless the special teams willingness is there. He's said all the right things and despite him not doing much special teams work throughout his career, I don't doubt his ability for a second. But let's see him prove it.
Who stands out as a jammer or gunner? Alontae Taylor will be a factor here, though he's certainly not in question for the roster. Could he be an option at returner? He's certainly got the athleticism, and with Rashid Shaheed still working back from a groin injury, I'd sure love to have his backup be a guy I'm keeping on the roster anyway. If not, how about a Jontre Kirklin?
One way or another, this is probably the game you'll get the most value out of closely watching the special teams units. Keep track of the players getting downfield on punts, making tackles on kickoffs, etc. Some of these positions are very close, and those things matter.
LAGNIAPPE ...
To me the CB2 battle feels over, though Dennis Allen won't budge on whether it'll be Paulson Adebo or Alontae Taylor starting across from Marshon Lattimore. I've been in the Adebo camp all offseason, and that hasn't changed, but this is Taylor's last chance to put a stamp on why he should take the job over -- or at the very least shorten Adebo's leash for struggles. ... If you end up keeping Jaylon Smith, I still think there's a need for a backup Will linebacker, and the options seem to be Nephi Sewell or Anfernee Orji. To me the second-year pro will have the edge, but I think that's still an open competition. ... Can Jake Haener continue to command the offense and build on an impressive start? Barring catastrophe (injuries) or immense good fortune (a game to rest late in the year), these will be his last live reps til next offseason. This is where he can either put his stamp on being a piece for the future, or add question marks. ... Paging Isaiah Foskey. Where y'at? It's not a must that I see him have a big game against the Texans this week, but it sure would be nice to build some momentum heading into the regular season.
