One final preseason game for the New Orleans Saints, and it's against that pesky Cowboys squad that we last saw in a tense joint practice. Things should look a lot different this time around.
The Saints made sure to hand a heavy workload to their starters in their three joint practices, and for the third time those starters will sit and watch during a preseason game. This time they'll come out in full pads to go through warmups, but it'll be the backups taking on the action. It's also unlikely we see much, if anything, from the Cowboys' starters.
But that doesn't mean there's nothing on the line, with a host of players on both sides fighting for roster spots ahead of cutdown day on Sunday.
THE GAME | Saints (0-2) at Cowboys (2-0)
- When: 7 p.m., Friday, Aug. 28
- Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
- TV: FOX
- Listen: WWL AM-870; FM-105.3 & the Audacy app
- Pregame: First Take with Steve Geller & Charlie Long, 3-5 p.m.; Countdown to Kickoff with Steve Geller & Bobby Hebert, 5-7 p.m.
With all that in mind scroll below to see the top three things I'm watching for when the Saints and Cowboys face off Friday evening.
Brought to you by TRANESOUTH: It's hard to stop a Tranewww.audacy.com1. STAMPING THE QB2 BATTLE
It's tough to say exactly where the QB2 competition stands between Spencer Rattler and Zach Wilson heading into the preseason finale. I was more forgiving of Rattler's performance against the Rams than most. Both guys had interceptions in the game, and both were ugly. One was returned for a pick-six.
If those plays cancel out, the rest of the day was heavily in Rattler's favor, with a pair of red zone drives ending without points due to a RB fumble inside the 5 yard line, a WR drop on third down and a missed 38-yard field goal. None of those really go against the QB. On the other hand, the Zach Wilson offense generated just four first downs, with multiple drives admittedly undone by unfortunate penalties.
Wilson was the definitive winner in Week 1 and drew the start in Week 2. My bet is that flips back and an effective performance by Rattler will win him the job. He's had the inside track this whole time, and that's just how it works. If he stumbles again, that opens the door for Wilson, who needs to look a lot more like he did against the Jaguars to make this conversation interesting.
Without starters, that question is easily the most intriguing thing to watch in this game. My money is on Rattler, with the team making a strong push to get Wilson to the practice squad.
2. WHO MAKES AN IMPRESSION?
This is going to be a catchall item because it's all the same idea. There are a host of players with a chance to make the roster, and even who want to make the best impression possible to stick around on the practice squad. Here are the guys with the most on the line:
- WR Bub Means ... I think he makes the roster, but a strong performance here would stamp that after a sketchy outing vs the Rams
- CB TJ Hall Jr. ... Teams prefer to keep their draft picks but he's close to the line. He'll get an extended opportunity today due to injuries. Show me something.
- TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden ... Moliki Matavao is done for the year and I don't expect the top three TEs to play. So let's see it Zaire, can you show me something that makes me think it's worth keeping a 4th tight end?
- OL Easton Kilty ... I still feel like the Saints need to swing a trade for interior line depth. It's Easton's job to change that opinion.
- OL Will Sherman ... He'll draw another start at center with Torricelli Simpkins out hurt. He'll probably play the whole game. Same deal as Easton above.
- RB Zamir White ... I think it's highly unlikely he can do enough in two practices and a preseason game to make the roster outright, but if he cam impress coaches, there could be a role for him down the line.
- DT Khristian Boyd ... He was one of the toughest cuts in the my final roster projection. His job is to play well enough that he'll be tough to sneak through waivers.
3. WHO WANTS TO KICK?
We saw all three of Daniel Carlson, Tanner Brown and Charlie Smyth kick on Wednesday. I feel pretty comfortable saying this is down to one of Carlson and Brown, though I think it's Brown who sticks around regardless. He's still the IPP player and the Saints can keep him in a 17th practice spot that only he can occupy. The concern with Brown is his lack of experience and his struggles from short range. Carlson, meanwhile, banged in 7 of 8 kicks on Wednesday, including one from 55, and has 8 years of experience that should assuage a lot of concerns.
The Saints wouldn't have brought in Carlson unless they were hoping he'd end the conversation. All he has to do is look comfortable and confident in this game and I think the job is his. If things go haywire, that'd open the door for Brown, who I think does have a future as an NFL kicker, even if it's not right now.
We'll have to wait and see exactly how this plays out. My bet is Carlson gets the first shot in this one.
Lagniappe
Kellen Moore said "most" of the starters would not be playing, so that leaves some question of whether we'll see some fringe guys like LB Danny Stutsman, WR Barion Brown and DE Anfernee Jennings. None of those guys saw action against the Rams. ... The last time we saw these two teams face off there were at least 10 different fights. That made for a costly joint practice, with the NFL handing down $500,000 fines for both teams. Does that energy carry over to a game setting? My guess is no, because a lot of the starters involved in those fights won't be playing anyway. Still, I'm sure it's something both coaches have emphasized keeping a lid on. ... The Saints are still yet to win a preseason game in the Kellen Moore era. To this point his Saints teams are 0-4-1. Not that it means anything, but after last week's performance it'd be nice to see a winning day. ... Not really a note for the game, but it's important to remember the compressed schedule this year. Teams will have to make their cuts by Sunday at 3 p.m. The Saints will get home well after midnight and into Saturday morning. There won't be a ton of time to debate over keeps/cuts. Most impressions have already been made, so it'll take something really special in this one to change much.
