Tag: roster battle

Matthew Hayball showcased leg talent, consistency to win punter battle

Matthew Hayball defeated Lou Hedley in the Saints’ punter battle. Dennis Allen listed three key factors in that decision:

The New Orleans Saints had the potential of major special teams changes going into this season. Lou Hedley and Blake Grupe were both competing for their jobs after questionable first seasons in the Black and Gold.

New Orleans brought two undrafted free agents. Matthew Hayball was brought in to challenge Hedley at punter and Grupe had to contend with Charlie Smyth at kicker. Grupe held on to his spot, but Hayball looked good enough in Saints training camp for the team to make a change at punter.

Dennis Allen explained the decision as coming down these three factors: age, ability and consistency. “Hayball is younger. I think he’s got a little bit more leg talent. Over the course of the last couple weeks of practice, (Hayball) was a little bit more consistent than Lou.”

Through the preseason, Hayball had a better averages in yards per punt and net yardage, which subtracts return yardage from the punt yardage. Hayball also had a longest punt of the preseason.

Most importantly, Allen called the rookie the more consistent player. Allen still believes Hedley is talented and will be “punting in our league again,” but consistency can’t be understated. If you’re more talented and more reliable, the job is typically yours.

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Will Harris elbows his way into Saints’ competition at safety

The New Orleans Saints started Will Harris opposite Tyrann Mathieu on Sunday. Here’s an update on their search for a starting safety:

The New Orleans Saints’ strong safety battle was believed to be between Johnathan Abram and Jordan Howden. At one point that may have been true, but it would be irresponsible to not insert Will Harris into the conversation after Sunday’s game with the San Francisco 49ers. Harris got the nod ahead of both players when the starting defense took the field.

With Dennis Allen’s lack of commitment to any player, this shouldn’t come as a surprise that players could make a late push to start next to Tyrann Mathieu.

There’s an argument to be made that Harris should be considered the frontrunner. He started the second preseason game, an honor that previously belonged to Abram the week before. Reports from camp have been that Harris was in the mix, and that was on full display on Sunday.

Howden looks to be firmly in last place, and he always felt like the odd man out. Howden is best suited to line up deep downfield, but that’s  a role manned by Mathieu. Howden played at free safety next to Abram with the second unit, a clear display of where he stands in the pecking order at strong safety.

Howden’s missed tackle against Joshua Dobbs at the goal line was the exact mistake he couldn’t afford to make. It was a miscue in tackling and physicality. These are two traits Allen specified he is looking for from the position.

With one preseason game to go, Harris and Abram seem to be the most likely starters. It’ll be interesting to see who gets the nod against the Tennessee Titans next Sunday. All of this uncertainty makes missing out on Justin Simmons sting just a little bit more.

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Saints’ safety battle next to Tyrann Mathieu remains wide open

Dennis Allen is still waiting for Johnathan Abram or Jordan Howden to jump up and claim the starting job next to Tyrann Mathieu at safety:

Johnathan Abram and Jordan Howden are in a tight battle for starting at  safety next to Tyrann Mathieu. But in Dennis Allen’s eyes, neither one of them have jumped up and taken that position as a starter yet at New Orleans Saints training camp.

Want a sign of how tight this race is? Howden was the leader on the unofficial depth chart, but Abram walked out with the starting unit versus the Arizona Cardinals in their first preseason game.

“I haven’t seen anything from any one of those safeties yet where someone has just jumped out at me and said ‘This is my job,'” Allen said Wednesday.

It’s not a full indictment of the position. Allen likes what he’s seen from the safeties, but the way he puts it, no one has “taken the bull by the horns and said ‘This is my job.'”

So what is Allen looking for out of the position? He wants a player that make plays, has production, and displays physicality. When asked about Howden’s lessened playing time at the end of his rookie year, Allen pointed to those three things as areas he needed to improve on.

Allen views this as a position that’s in a place to rack up interceptions, pass breakups and tackles because of how they use their defense. At its peak, this position should be a playmaker. That’s why they worked to recruit Justin Simmons last week, and why they’re waiting to see what move he makes on his free agency tour.

This is likely why the team has continued its pursuit for Justin Simmons this offseason. Simmons could put Mathieu in this role, and he’d check every box.

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A.T. Perry trending upward at the right time in Saints preseason

A.T. Perry was a star of the preseason opener. Is he beginning to hit his stride after a slow start to Saints training camp?

A.T. Perry’s arrow is trending upward for the New Orleans Saints at the right time. The second-year Perry stole the show versus the Arizona Cardinals in their first preseason game on Saturday night. At Sunday’s training camp practice, Perry came back and had a strong practice.

That’s back-to-back good performances for a player who struggled at the start of training camp. Conversations about the third receiving option haven’t included Perry. This is why he needed a good performance in the first preseason game of the year. He delivered.

Dennis Allen acknowledging Perry as a willing blocker may be the most positive statement he’s made about Perry since the game. In Klint Kubiak’s offensive system, blocking is important for receivers out in space, and earning reliability in the role could help Perry hold onto his position on the depth chart behind Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed.

Perry entered the offseason on an upward trajectory. He became a part of the offense in the last eight games of his rookie year after Michael Thomas went down with an injury, and capped his debut with two touchdown catches  in the season finale. It was expected he’d be a big factor in the Saints offense.

He offered a frame the Saints lacked (at a listed 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds), but the beginning of camp put those expectations in doubt. After a strong preseason debut and a follow up practice the next day, he could be trending back to the A.T. Perry we saw at the end of 2023.

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Jake Haener is rising to the occasion in Saints’ QB2 battle

He may not get as many headlines, but Jake Haener has performed well this training camp and in the Saints’ preseason opener:

Spencer Rattler is a New Orleans Saints fan favorite, and it’s led to Jake Haener flying under the radar. The Saints’ preseason matchup with the Arizona Cardinals was a perfect example of this. By the end of the night, the talk around the battle focused on Rattler’s touchdown run and game-winning drive.

Haener’s 58-yard bomb to A.T. Perry at the end of the first half was a highlight that faded to the background in conversation. That’s partially because Rattler was the last quarterback to see the field, and people tend to talk about what they saw most recently. The sentiment isn’t isolated to the game.

Haener has performed well throughout practice but maybe hasn’t had the same splash plays. The second year quarterback has been steady throughout practice and that translated into the first preseason game.

When Haener entered the game, you saw the offense begin to get the quarterback moving. He rolled out after a play action fake and lofted a pass to rookie tight end Dallin Holker. The defender’s placement made it a tougher throw, but it’s a simple play.

Jake Haener went 9 for 13 with 107 passing yards. This included multiple smart plays and one explosive play. Haener may not receive as many headlines, but there’s a reason the battle between him and Rattler is tightly contested.

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Jordan Mims can put more pressure on Kendre Miller vs. Cardinals

Kendre Miller’s absence presents Jordan Mims with a golden opportunity in the Saints’ preseason opener. He needs a big game against the Cardinals:

Jordan Mims has started strong in New Orleans Saints training camp. If he can continue his momentum, Mims can make a stronger claim for third on the depth chart.

Normally, Mim and Kendre Miller would share reps against the Arizona Cardinals. That won’t be the case in the debut. Miller is out with an injury which opens up a huge opportunity. He hurt his hamstring on the first day of training camp and hasn’t returned to practice in two and a half weeks.

Alvin Kamara is at the top of the depth chart, and he’ll handle most of the snaps with the starters. Jamaal Williams will likely take snaps with the second team, and this is where Mims will mix in. Miller’s absence takes him out of the rotation. There have been no signs Miller will return soon. Even if it’s just for a game, however, these are valuable reps.

Expect Mims to be supplanted by James Robinson and Jacob Kibodi at the end of the game. This is after he has the opportunity to put distance between him and Miller, though.

Dennis Allen has expressed his frustration with Miller’s inability to stay healthy over the beginning of his career. It caused him to publicly question Miller’s security on the final roster. Combine that with a strong camp by Mims. This is Mims’ opportunity to showcase he availability and capabilities make him the best candidate behind Kamara and Williams.

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Spencer Rattler vs. Jake Haener is the preseason’s main attraction

There’s no Saints roster battle that will grab more eyes than Spencer Rattler vs. Jake Haener. Saturday night’s Cardinals preseason game is Round 1:

All eyes will be on Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener when the New Orleans Saints open their preseason versus the Arizona Cardinals. There is no roster battle that’ll command the attention from the fans as this pairing, and this is just Round 1 in the three-game exhibition series.

The battle has the mixture of high stakes and and fan investment. Haener and Rattler are fighting to be the Saints’ backup quarterback. It’s the first time in a long time the Saints have had two young quarterbacks on the team at once. The stakes at hand aren’t the only reason the competition is the main event of the evening.

Rattler has captivated the Who Dat Nation since he was drafted in April. At one point, he was viewed as a first overall draft prospect. The fifth-round pick also stepped into a situation where fans were frustrated about quarterback play from the previous year. For many, Rattler represents a potential quarterback of the future should  Derek Carr continue to struggle.

It’s not just the situation around him. Rattler has justified the hype about his ability in training camp. It is all irrelevant without a good preseason, and that begins tonight.

Haener isn’t going away easily, though. He’s also looked good in camp, and he isn’t going into his first preseason. Where Rattler is seeing NFL defenses for the first time, Haener is not.

If the team’s unofficial depth chart is to be believed, Haener is ahead. This likely is purely due to seniority, but it means Haener will get the second team reps in Week 1. The depth chart will be one to watch in this battle as the preseason unfolds.

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Sean Payton updates the training camp battle between Cesar Ruiz, Erik McCoy

The New Orleans Saints are trying out top draft pick Cesar Ruiz at both center and right guard in training camp, along with Erik McCoy.

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The biggest battle of New Orleans Saints training camp is happening in the trenches. Cesar Ruiz, the team’s top draft pick, is hoping to win the starting job and stay at his natural position at center. But he’ll have to unseat the incumbent starter, Erik McCoy, who put up very good game tape during his 2019 rookie season.

For now, Saints coach Sean Payton is just focused on getting them used to working together. Whoever doesn’t remain at center will shift over to the right guard spot, replacing three-time Pro Bowl alternate Larry Warford. And while it’s too early to call the competition after the first day of practice in pads, Payton has been encouraged by where things started.

He spoke about the training camp competition in his Monday conference call after practice: “We’re evaluating both of them, they’re both getting plenty of work. McCoy’s getting work at center, Ruiz is at right guard. And probably every second or third day we’ll evaluate and flip them around. We’re rotating both of those guys with Nick Easton inside. We feel like, obviously, all of those reps are important and I think overall (Ruiz is) a pretty quick study.”

It shouldn’t panic anyone that Ruiz isn’t taking every snap at center right away. The Saints often train players at different positions (defensive back P.J. Williams had a great day of practice at safety), and there’s a good chance Ruiz ends up playing at guard rather than center for much of his rookie year. It’s best for him to get some familiarity with it now.

For the curious: Ruiz started 26 of 31 games at center with Michigan, spending the remaining 5 starts at right guard. At Texas A&M, Erik McCoy logged 37 starts at center and 2 at guard. That won’t factor much into who starts where in 2020 with the Saints, but it does give some context on where each player’s background lies.

Also, Easton has also been filling in for left guard Andrus Peat. While early reports out of Saints training camp were positive for Peat, he wasn’t in attendance at Monday’s practice session, and Payton offered no explanation. It’s unknown whether Peat is dealing with an injury, personal matter, or the NFL’s COVID-19 protocol, but we’ll keep you posted.

In the meantime, this is what Easton is here for. It’s good to see that he’s also part of the training camp battle to start along the interior, justifying the big contract the Saints signed him to last summer. While Ruiz should be a favorite to get the starting nod, having a vested veteran like Easton involved will make sure the rookie earns his opportunity.

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