The New Orleans Saints training camp is right around the corner, and with it comes roster battles that will ultimately determine the trajectory of the 2023 season. The 2023 iteration of the Saints will look dramatically different than the 2022 team, and all these newcomers will battle for their spot on the roster.
The 5 Most Interesting New Orleans Saints Training Camp Battles
1. Edge Defender
The New Orleans Saints defense line underwent a ton of changes over the past few months, and they’ll need every last second of training camp to fill all those vacant roles. With Marcus Davenport departed, the Saints will need somebody to step up opposite Cameron Jordan. While Carl Granderson will likely win the second starting job, you need three reliable edge rushers in today’s pass-heavy NFL. Second-round rookie Isaiah Foskey will battle it out with former first-round pick Payton Turner as the first man off the bench in clear passing situations.
Turner has yet to play up to his draft billing, thanks in large part to injuries. The Houston product has played in just a combined 13 games over his two-year career, recording just three sacks and 28 tackles. If Isaiah Foskey can hit the ground running, then he could put Turner out of a job.
2. Wide Receiver
Chris Olave is locked in as the top option in the New Orleans Saints passing attack. However, the Saints now have all of training camp to figure out who’s going to be second fiddle. In a perfect world, Michael Thomas would step right in and form one of the best duos in football. However, the wide receiver hasn’t played with any sort of consistency since 2019, and the long string of injuries might have taken away a part of what made him so special. If he’s not the player he once was, then Rashid Shaheed could take the starting job. Shaheed played remarkably well in a small sample and could be the long-awaited deep threat this passing attack so desperately needs.
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3. Running Back
Alvin Kamara pled no contest to a misdemeanor, rather than a felony, but that doesn’t mean he’ll escape NFL punishment. The league invokes suspensions with seemingly no consistency, so there is a very real chance that Kamara misses a decent chunk of the season. If that happen, Jamaal Williams and rookie Kendre Miller will battle for the starting job. Williams is coming off a 17-touchdown season, but that was something of a fluke. A lot of those scores came from one or two yards out, and his previous career-high in touchdowns was four. There is a very real shot that Miller steals this job if he can impress his coaches during the Saints training camp.
4. Backup Quarterback
Derek Carr is locked in as the Saints starting quarterback, but the battle for the backup isn’t quite as clear. On paper, Jameis Winston will handle primary clipboard duties, but we shouldn’t write off Jake Haener. Winston is at his best chucking the ball downfield, which isn’t the type of offense Dennis Allen wants to run. If Haener can prove to be an adequate pitching machine, then perhaps the team could chose to save $500,000 in cap space and roll with the rookie.
5. Guard
The New Orleans Saints had one of the worst interior offensive lines in football last year. Cesar Ruiz might currently be atop the depth chart, but he should not feel comfortable in his starting spot. The former first-round pick has been an active liability on the field and could lose his job to a Day 3 rookie. New Orleans traded up to select Nick Saldiveri with the first pick in fourth round, and they wouldn’t have done that if they didn’t think he could compete to start. With a strong training camp, the Saints might decide to trust the rookie to keep Derek Carr upright.
Main Photo: Greg Swiercz – USA Today Sports
