Tag: roster battle

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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