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Cameron Jordan’s end zone pick-six is the Saints Play of the Day

The Saints’ 2024 regular season is finally here, which means our countdown is almost over. Cameron Jordan’s 0-yard pick-six is the Play of the Day:

The New Orleans Saints’ 2024 regular season is finally here, which means our countdown is over. Well, almost. There haven’t been many 0-yard scoring plays in team history so this touchdown by Cameron Jordan truly stands out.

Jordan got a hand up to tip the pass from Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford in 2017, but he took things a step further by tracking the ball and snatching it away in the end zone. It was the third defensive touchdown of the day for New Orleans, which you can watch here. And this one sealed their 52-38 win.

It was a special play made by a special player. Expect this moment to be featured on Jordan’s highlight reel once his eligibility for the Pro Football Hall of Fame enters discussion, whenever that may be. Jordan has come through for the Saints when they’ve needed him to many times over the years. This is just another example of his consistency and unique style of play.

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Countdown to Kickoff: Willie Gay Jr. is the Saints Player of Day 6

With only six days remaining to the Saints’ Week 1 kickoff, our player of the day is Willie Gay Jr.

We have only six days remaining until the New Orleans Saints Week 1 kickoff against the Carolina Panthers, making today’s player of the day Willie Gay Jr, the current wearer of the No. 6 jersey. With the linebacker core shifting for 2024, the new addition for New Orleans has a chance to take snaps away from Pete Werner, among others.

Let’s take a look at the background of Gay Jr. before looking into what we can expect from him in the 2024 season.

Name (Age): Willie Gay Jr. (26)
Position: Linebacker
Height, weight: 6-foot-1, 243 pounds
Relative Athletic Score: 9.70
2024 salary cap hit: $3,000,000
College: Mississippi State
Drafted: Round 2 Pick 63 (Kansas City Chiefs)
NFL experience: 5th season

The Saints have made a solid few additions this offseason in hopes of solidifying their team both with starters and depth, Willie Gay Jr. is somewhere in the middle. Initially, he was viewed as a starting candidate who would receive significant snaps after a somewhat down season for Pete Werner and a tough start to camp. However, an improvement later in camp and an extension have vaulted Werner back into starting contention, which makes the linebacking unit extremely intriguing as the Saints typically only run two linebackers on the field at one time. Presumably, we can expect both Werner and Gay Jr. to get playing time in different scenarios, which is why both are viewed so highly alongside Demario Davis.

Gay Jr. is coming off a somewhat down season, as well, having only 58 total tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack, four pass deflections and an interception. However, he did also have three fumble recoveries and a career-best 76.4 passer rating allowed when targeted. His success in pass defense as well as impact plays was not noted statistically, but he did receive a career high in defensive snaps with 624 played, as well as a career high 15 games started. We will see what scenarios he plays in come the 2024 season given these scenarios.

Countdown to Kickoff: Taysom Hill is the Saints Player of Day 7

With only seven days remaining to the Saints’ Week 1 kickoff, our player of the day is Taysom Hill

We are down to only seven days remaining until the New Orleans Saints open their 2024 regular season against the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, which makes today’s player of the day Taysom Hill, the current wearer of the No. 7. Hill has been a staple of the Saints’ offense for the past few years, and with the new offensive scheme coming with Klint Kubiak, he may see more touches than ever before.

To start off, here is some background on Hill before we get into what we can expect from him in 2024.

Name (Age): Taysom Hill (34)
Position/s: Running back, Tight end, fullback, quarterback, special teams gunner
Height, weight: 6-foot-2, 220 pounds
Relative Athletic Score: 9.60
2024 salary cap hit: $9,196,500
College: BYU
Drafted: Undrafted in 2017 (Green Bay Packers)
NFL experience: 8th season

Hill has been an extremely critical component to the Saints, playing in 97 games for them across seven seasons, starting 41, and accruing 2,159 rushing yards, 27 rushing touchdowns, 76 receptions for 756 yards and 11 touchdowns, and 191 passing completions for 2,348 yards and 8 touchdowns. On top of all of that, he has had 1,148 snaps on special teams in that span of time.

The part that makes this even more interesting is his usage has been somewhat minimized by Pete Carmichael in recent years, especially in the year since Sean Payton left who utilized him as much as possible. However, now we have Kubiak at OC, and he has been utilizing Hill at fullback throughout training camp on top of his prior obligations. With Kubiak’s experience with Kyle Juszczyk, one of if not the best fullback in the NFL with great utilization, Hill may be in for some fun new play-calls heading his way. With little to no competition for his snaps due to his unique positional value, he will likely be in for another year of quality production.

Countdown to Kickoff: A.T. Perry is the Saints Player of Day 17

Countdown to Kickoff: A.T. Perry is the New Orleans Saints Player of Day 17. What’s his story, and what are realistic expectations for him in 2024?

We’ve got just 17 days left until the New Orleans Saints open up their 2024 regular season against the Carolina Panthers, which makes our player of the day wide receiver A.T. Perry, the current owner of the No. 17 jersey. Perry is currently in a battle for the Saints No. 3 receiver job and is hoping to take that next step to being a legitimate option for his team.

Let’s give a little bit of a background on the second-year pro and what we can expect from Perry in 2024:

Name (Age): A.T. Perry (24)
Position: Wide Receiver
Height, weight: 6-foot-5, 205 pounds
Relative Athletic Score: 9.62
2024 salary cap hit: $959,091
College: Wake Forest
Drafted: 6th Round, No. 195 in 2023 (New Orleans Saints)
NFL experience: 2nd season

A.T. Perry grew up in Lake Worth Beach, Fla. where he was a three-star recruit at Park Vista Community High School. Amongst many collegiate scholarship offers, Perry made the decision to attend Wake Forest where he would spend the next five years developing.

As a freshman in college, Perry was redshirted sitting out the entire season in 2018. In his redshirt freshman season, Perry found himself active in four games totaling 4 receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown. His role would slowly increase in 2020, now catching 15 balls for 211 yards and a touchdown in six games. And finally in his redshirt sophomore season, Perry reached new levels. In 2021, Perry would catch 71 passes for 1,293 yards and a school records 15 touchdowns. Perry was named first-team all-ACC and was regarded as one of the best receivers in the country. Choosing to stay for an additional season, Perry posted another 1,000 yard season but this time surpassing his career-high in catches (81) and scoring double digit touchdowns for the second year in a row.

At the end of his final season at Wake Forest, Perry declared for the 2023 NFL draft where he was projected to go in the mid- to late-rounds. But during the draft, Perry heard his name called at pick No. 195 in the sixth round when the New Orleans Saints traded up for him. Perry was quickly regarded as a steal for the Saints due to his falling stock during the draft. It was reported that there were character concerns tied to this but it was never really discussed or examined further.

In his first season as a Saint, Perry was active in 10 games totaling 246 yards receiving on 12 catches while scoring 4 touchdowns his rookie season. Perry became one of the teams big play threats down the stretch as he averaged 20.5 yards per catch in 2023. It was starting to look like the Saints had potentially a nice, young core at receiver with Olave, Shaheed and Perry.

Going into 2024, Perry had a slow start to training camp and didn’t really asserting his dominance as the team’s third receiver. It took all the way until the first week of preseason for Perry to start consistently making some plays within this new Saints offense. He made a statement during his first preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, making some big catches down the field, but quickly followed that up with a disappointing outing with the San Francisco 49ers.

As of now, there’s still hope for Perry to become the player that many think he can be but he doesn’t have much time to show us as the start of the regular season is just a few weeks away. He needs to step up soon.

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Countdown to Kickoff: Blake Grupe is the Saints Player of Day 19

Our countdown to kickoff continues with Blake Grupe. The second-year kicker is the New Orleans Saints Player of Day 19:

We’ve got just 19 days left until the New Orleans Saints open up their 2024 regular season against the Carolina Panthers, which makes our player of the day kicker Blake Grupe, the current owner of the No. 19 jersey. Grupe has found himself in a kicking battle for the second year in a row, hoping to come out on top once again.

Let’s give a little bit of a background on the second-year pro and what we can expect from Grupe in 2024:

Name (Age): Blake Grupe (25)
Position: Kicker
Height, weight: 5-foot-7, 156 pounds
Relative Athletic Score: N/A
2024 salary cap hit: $915,833
College: Notre Dame
Drafted: Undrafted in 2023 (New Orleans Saints)
NFL experience: 2nd season

Grupe grew up in Missouri, where he attended Smith-Cotton High School in the city of Sedalia. He was a three-sport athlete in soccer, baseball and football where he earned all-state recognition. During his high school football career, Grupe set school records for field goals ultimately earning him an opportunity to play college ball at Arkansas State.

He started out his Arkansas State career earning the kicking job in Week 3 of his redshirt freshman season. In his first year starting, Grupe hit on 14 of his 21 field goal attempts, good for 67%. Grupe would then follow that up with a stellar campaign as a sophomore hitting on 19 of his 22 tries putting him at 86% on the season.

After a down year in 2020, Grupe rebounded in 2021, allowing himself the opportunity to transfer to Notre Dame, one of the most prestigious programs in the country. In his final collegiate season, Grupe knocked down 14 of his 19 field goals with a long of 47, tying the second highest mark of his career.

As the college football season concluded and the NFL draft rolled around, Grupe was regarded as one of the best kicker prospects in the country. After going undrafted in 2023 like most specialists, Grupe signed with the Saints, immediately entering into a kicking battle with former Pro Bowler Wil Lutz. The two competed all through camp until the end of the preseason, where Lutz was traded to the Denver Broncos crowning Grupe as the winner.

In his first season as the Saints’ pllace kicker, Grupe hit on 30 of 37 field goal tries (81%) with his long being 55. Although battling through some inconsistency, Grupe had some special moments in year one. In Week 5, Grupe earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after connecting on two 50-plus yard field goals and hitting on all four of his extra point tries.

Going into the 2024 season, Grupe is in another kicking competition this time with undrafted rookie Charlie Smyth. All throughout training camp the two have been pretty even as far as production which means it will likely go down to the wire when it comes to a decision. This was the case last season when Grupe got his shot, the only difference is now Grupe isn’t the young buck anymore. With one week left in the preseason, the room for error will only narrow meaning Grupe must do everything in his power to hold onto his job.

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Countdown to Kickoff: Pete Werner is the Saints Player of Day 20

Countdown to Kickoff: Pete Werner is the New Orleans Saints Player of Day 20. Expectations are higher for the veteran linebacker in 2024.

Our countdown to kickoff continues with Day 20, which means Pete Werner is the New Orleans Saints Player of the Day. Expectations are higher for the veteran linebacker in 2024 now that he’s signed aa long-term contract extension. But what’s his story? Let’s break it down.

Name (Age): Pete Werner (25)
Position: Linebacker
Height, weight: 6-foot-3, 242 pounds
Relative Athletic Score: 9.52
2024 salary cap hit: $2,908,763
College: Ohio State
Drafted: Round 2 in 2021 (New Orleans Saints)
NFL experience: 4 seasons

Werner went to high school in Indianapolis and initially committed to Notre Dame before flipping to Ohio State. He gained a ton of experience with the Buckeyes, initially playing on special teams before he earned more opportunities on defense. The Saints drafted him at No. 60 overall and he didn’t take long to work his way into the starting lineup.

And he’s done well for himself this summer. The Saints signed Willie Gay Jr. as competition for Werner’s starting job, and he did so well in training camp that the team offered him a three-year extension. And because Werner was already under contract for 2024, he’s now tied to the team through 2027. That’s valuable long-term security that gives the Saints a viable option in the middle of their defense once Demario Davis decides to call it a career, whether that happens next year or in two or three years.

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Countdown to Kickoff: Rashid Shaheed is the Saints Player of Day 22

Countdown to Kickoff: Rashid Shaheed is the Saints Player of Day 22. The third-year pro is looking to take a big leap forward in a new offense

We’ve got just 22 days left until the New Orleans Saints open up their 2024 regular season against the Carolina Panthers, which means the current owner of the No. 22 jersey is our Saints Player of the Day. Rashid Shaheed is going into 2024 with a ton of momentum, having earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro recognition for his skills in the return game while breaking out as one of Derek Carr’s favorite receivers last season — and then he signed a contract extension to stay with the Saints through 2025.

But what’s his story? What are realistic expectations for Shaheed in 2024? Let’s dig in.

Name (Age): Rashid Shaheed (25)
Position: Wide receiver/returns specialist
Height, weight: 6-foot, 180 pounds
Relative Athletic Score: N/A
2024 salary cap hit: $1,235,000
College: Weber State
Drafted: Undrafted in 2022 (New Orleans Saints)
NFL experience: 3rd season

Shaheed grew up in San Diego (where he happened to cross paths with Drew Brees once as an elementary school student) and played high school football at Mt. Carmel, where he was recruited to Weber State in Utah. He earned All-American honors four times in college and finished with the third-most all-purpose yards in school history, which helped put him on the Saints’ radar as an undrafted free agent despite suffering a serious knee injury in his senior year.

Still, the Saints took a patient approach with Shaheed’s recovery, and it paid off. He made some exciting plays as a rookie in 2022 (while wearing the No. 89 jersey), ripping off a 44-yard touchdown run with his first touch and a 53-yard touchdown catch with his first reception. Then he switched to No. 22 before the 2023 season and truly broke out after getting in a full offseason of work.

He totaled 719 receiving yards along with 384 kick return yards and 339 punt return yards last season (plus 37 rushing yards), scoring five touchdown catches and a punt return touchdown. Shaheed was the only player in the NFL to have 300-plus return yards on both punts and kickoffs while also gaining more than 500 yards of offense. Look at the runners-up:

Rashid Shaheed (Saints): 756 scrimmage yards, 384 KR yards, 339 PR yards. 1,479 all-purpose yards
Xavier Gipson (Jets): 297 scrimmage yards, 511 KR yards, 319 PR yards. 1,127 all-purpose yards
Marvin Mims (Broncos): 407 scrimmage yards, 397 KR yards, 312 PR yards. 1,116 all-purpose yards
Derius Davis (Chargers): 167 scrimmage yards, 374 KR yards, 385 PR yards. 926 all-purpose yards

The hope is for Shaheed to take another step forward with Klint Kubiak calling plays instead of Pete Carmichael. Finding new, creative ways to get Shaheed involved and taking full advantage of his athleticism is a high priority. At the same time, he needs to prove he’s a more well-rounded player. Last season he was rotated out of games in favor of guys like Keith Kirkwood and Lynn Bowden Jr. because Shaheed couldn’t throw his weight around as well blocking for his teammates. He’s currently dealing with a toe or foot injury, so we’ll have to wait and see whether it’s severe, but the expectation is for Shaheed to be a big player for the team this year.

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Countdown To Kickoff: Johnathan Abram is the Saints Player of Day 24

Countdown To Kickoff: Johnathan Abram is the New Orleans Saints Player of Day 24. He’s competing with Jordan Howden to start next to Tyrann Mathieu

Just 24 days are left until the New Orleans Saints officially kick off their 2024 season. The player of the day lies in the defensive back room with safety Johnathan Abram, who the Saints first signed in the 2023 offseason.

Here’s everything to know about Abram, who wears the No. 24 for the Saints:

Name (Age): Johnathan Abram (24)
Position: Running back
Height, weight: 5-foot-11, 205 pounds
Relative Athletic Score: 7.02
2024 salary cap hit: $1,065,000
College: Mississippi State
Drafted: First round in 2019 (Oakland Raiders)
NFL experience: 6th season

Abram is a player the Saints added to fill some depth in the safety room behind Tyrann Mathieu and co. Abram began his career as a highly coveted player out of Texas A&M. After a slow start to his career, Abram came on to the scene in 2020 playing in 13 games for the now-Las Vegas Raiders. During that span Abram totaled 86 tackles and a career-high 6 pass deflections and two interceptions. Abram followed that up hitting another career-high with 116 tackles in 2021 before getting released by the Raiders in 2022. Abram would make two more stops to Green Bay and Seattle before heading to New Orleans in 2023.

With the Saints, Abram has spent most of his time playing a pivotal role on special teams while also providing needed depth in the backend. In his limited role, Abram was able to come up with 26 tackles in 9 games in 2023. His best performance came in Week 17 when he was given the start over rookie Jordan Howden against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In that matchup, Abram caught an interception and forced a fumble to keep the Saints playoff hopes alive going into the last week of the season.

In 2024, Abram is currently in a position battle with safety Jordan Howden for a starting role this season. Head coach Dennis Allen spoke recently about the position, acknowledging that they’re “not set” at that spot. With these comments and the teams visit with Justin Simmons, it doesn’t look like Abram has the inside track to a starting role on this defense. With that being said, Abram provides a fiery, energetic personality that the team can rally around, while also making an impact on teams as well.

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Countdown to Kickoff: Rejzohn Wright is the Saints Player of Day 28

Countdown to Kickoff: Rejzohn Wright is the New Orleans Saints Player of Day 28. He’s fighting for snaps at the team’s best position group.

We’re continuing our countdown to kickoff with the current owner of the No. 28 jersey. Rejzohn Wright is the New Orleans Saints Player of Day 28, and he could have an opportunity to play against the team that brought him to the NFL when the Saints square off with the Carolina Panthers in a month.

But Smith is fighting for snaps at the team’s best position group. Here’s his story:

Name (Age): Rejzohn Wright (23)
Position: Defensive back
Height, weight: 6-foot-2, 193 pounds
Relative Athletic Score: N/A
2024 salary cap hit: $795,000
College: Oregon State
Drafted: Undrafted in 2023 (Carolina Panthers)
NFL experience: 1 season

Wright is from the San Francisco Bay Area, having grown up in East Palo Alto and gone to high school in Union City. His college football career started at Laney College in Oakland before he transferred to Oregon State. The Panthers signed him as an undrafted free agent after the 2023 NFL draft but waived him during roster cuts that August. He spent a week on the Las Vegas Raiders’ practice squad last October and signed with the Saints in January.

And he’s done well for himself this summer. Wright has fought hard to establish himself at a crowded position group that only got deeper when the Saints drafted Kool-Aid McKinstry. He’s in the hunt for a spot on the practice squad since the Saints typically roster just four corners and they already have their four best options. It’s vital that Wright continue to use his size to his advantage and compete with receivers at the catch point. Pro Football Focus charting found that he was targeted four times in Saturday night’s preseason game but yielded just one catch for 22 yards. He needs to keep it up and prove to his coaches that he’s deserving of more time to develop his craft.

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Countdown to Kickoff: Paulson Adebo is the Saints Player of Day 29

We continue our kickoff to the regular season with Paulson Adebo, as only 29 days remain to the Saints’ Week 1 kickoff:

The 2024 NFL season is now less than 30 days away, with 29 days remaining until the New Orleans Saints kickoff their Week 1 matchup against the Carolina Panthers. As we continue to count down the days until that matchup, we take a look at the corresponding jersey number, which today is No. 29 — Paulson Adebo.

With players like Sammy Knight, Chris Ivory, Mo Spencer, and Josh Bullocks previously wearing 29, it is no foreign number to Saints fans. With that said, let’s take a look at Paulson Adebo’s background through this point in his career, as well as what we could expect from him this upcoming season.

Name (Age): Paulson Adebo (25)
Position: Cornerback
Height, weight: 6-foot-1, 192 pounds
Relative Athletic Score: 9.55
2024 salary cap hit: $3,623,274
College: Stanford
Drafted: Round 3, Pick 76 (New Orleans Saints)
NFL experience: 3 seasons

The cornerback position for the Saints is set to have some changes for the 2024 season, as things have flipped around a bit. Marshon Lattimore is currently dealing with a hip flexor injury, so we will see how that impacts his playing time early on. Additionally, the Saints added Kool-Aid McKinstry in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft as well, who should be competing for a large sum of snaps at the position.

Adebo has been a quality starter for the Saints however, and stands to continue improving over time in what is now a contract year. He ended last season with career highs in interceptions (4), pass deflections (18 – third in the league), and total tackles (76). Additionally, he set career best numbers in completion percentage allowed (55%), touchdowns allowed (1), and passer rating allowed (62.7) despite seeing a career high in targets (100). Adebo already receives a huge role in the defense due to this success, as he saw 99% of defensive snaps in 2023, and could stand to see a similar role in 2024 with that level of elite play.

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