The rejuvenated XFL has sold itself as a spring league where players on the fringe of NFL rosters can hone their craft and develop themselves for future pro opportunities, and it’s tough to argue with the results that New Orleans Saints defensive linemen Niko Lalos and Jack Heflin have found.
Both young players had starring roles in the XFL last season — Lalos with the Seattle Sea Dragons, Heflin on the Houston Roughnecks — and now they’re making compelling cases as the Saints look ahead to roster cuts on Aug. 29. Saints head coach Dennis Allen was very complimentary of the growth he’s seen from Lalos in particular when asked about his progress.
“He’s a guy that’s worked extremely hard, he was on the practice squad last year,” Allen recounted. “He went and played in the XFL this year. I think that was good experience for him to get out there and play. He’s been putting some good stuff on tape. It’s a position that we’re pretty deep at so there’s a lot of competition there. We’ll evaluate where that tape was, but he did do some good things tonight.”
Lalos just bagged 3 sacks and a few other pressures against the Los Angeles Chargers. Heflin has consistently generated pressure in both of their preseason games. Their arrows are trending up. So how can they make the roster?
It’s going to be very difficult for Lalos to unseat anyone at defensive end, but he’s done everything possible to try it. Cameron Jordan, Carl Granderson, Payton Turner, and Isaiah Foskey are locks for the roster, barring an unforeseen injury or trade. Tanoh Kpassagnon signed an extension earlier this offseason. He may have some trade value but it’s not likely any of the top five players will be moved. The Saints typically keep five defensive ends on the active roster and often one of them is a healthy scratch on game days. Lalos needs to make Kpassagnon look expendable. It’s too soon to say whether he’s accomplished that.
What about Heflin? His chief competition is Malcolm Roach, a longtime Saints backup who has steadily developed and climbed the depth chart. Nathan Shepherd, Khalen Saunders, and Bryan Bresee are roster locks. The team rarely keeps more than four of them on the 53-man lineup at a time with another interior lineman or two stashed on the practice squad. Roach has had a productive summer too, so Heflin needs to keep it up while pushing him.
Odds are good that both guys will end up on the practice squad. We tend to overrate players we watch every day and each week compared to others around the league, and all 32 teams have players like Lalos and Heflin they’re hoping to sneak through the waiver wire so they can return to the practice squad. It’s always possible one or both of them gets claimed. At the same time, one or both of them could clear waivers and stay in New Orleans.
But it would be easier if they won roster spots outright. Continuing to fight off competition like Kyle Phillips, Prince Emili, and Jerron Cage while pressuring Roach and Kpassagnon will do a lot of good. Iron sharpens iron, and the Saints have a nice competition brewing at the bottom of their depth chart. Maybe that energy can continue to rise to the top.
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