Tag: snaps count

WATCH: Jon Gruden raves about Saints QB/TE/football player Taysom Hill

Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden is a big fan of his Monday Night Football opponent, New Orleans Saints backup quarterback Taysom Hill.

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Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden just loves football, man. When previewing his team’s Week 2 matchup, Gruden waxed poetic on New Orleans Saints backup quarterback Taysom Hill as the epitome of a position-less “football player” who puts as much enthusiasm into the game as Gruden feels himself.

“I don’t remember a quarterback who can throw and run read options, and then line up at tight end,” Gruden said, grinning. “This guy’s a weapon, he’s a special teams demon, he can be the personal protector on the punt team. He’s a great football player.”

Hill lined up at ten different spots in 2019 (up from nine positions in 2018) and caught the first pass thrown in the 2020 season for a 14-yard gain. And Gruden is right to point out Hill’s proficiency in the kicking game, even if his snaps count fell to just 12 plays after he averaged 23 special teams snaps per game in 2019 (not counting the games Drew Brees missed to injury, totaling 31 snaps in those five contests).

Beyond his own stats on returning kickoffs (with a career average of 24.0 yards per return, and a personal-best of 47 yards), Hill has blocked a pair of punts against the division-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers (in 2018) and Atlanta Falcons (in 2019) while collecting 13 combined tackles in the kicking game. He’s a force, and the Saints clearly want to keep him in positions to thrive. And that’s keeping Gruden’s attention.

“You know a lot of guys call it, ‘He’s a football player?'” Gruden continued, pantomiming quotation marks. “This guy’s a ‘football player.’ He can play anywhere on the ‘football’ field. And you gotta be aware of No. 7, because he can ruin the game. And they have a great package to keep us off his scent. You know you just can’t prepare for him, [you have to prepare] for anything. He’s just a ‘football player.'”

We’ll see what sort of heroics Hill has in store for Gruden’s Raiders very soon. In Week 1, he ran three times to pick up 13 yards on the ground and connected with Alvin Kamara on a 38-yard completion, in addition to his opening-drive 14-yard reception. He’s already padding out his impressive highlight reel, and from the sound of it, Gruden is as eager to see the finished product as anyone else.

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Saints rookies Cesar Ruiz, Zack Baun to make their 2020 debut

The New Orleans Saints are expected to play the Las Vegas Raiders with G Cesar Ruiz and LB Zack Baun, their top picks in the 2020 NFL Draft.

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Last week, just two rookies got on the field for the New Orleans Saints: tight end Adam Trautman (who played  7 snaps on offense and 9 on special teams) and defensive tackle Malcolm Roach (23 snaps on defense). But that’s going to change in a big way in Week 2.

The Saints are expected to have their first-round draft pick in the lineup, with former Michigan center Cesar Ruiz filling in at right guard. Ruiz missed the season opener while recovering from a training camp ankle injury, but he turned in two full days of practice and should dress out for this kickoff against the Las Vegas Raiders.

We won’t know for certain until the Saints begin their pre-game warmups at Allegiant Stadium, but it makes more sense to slot Ruiz in at right guard where he can continue to pick up the cadence from second-year center Erik McCoy. But the offensive line should play better as a whole wherever he ends up starting.

And Ruiz will be joined by the other top Saints draft pick, Wisconsin linebacker Zack Baun. Baun missed time in training camp with a tweaked hamstring, so the Saints gave him an extra week of practice to get up to speed before deciding he was game ready. But New Orleans played just three snaps in a base defense with three linebackers in Week 1, so Baun’s contributions will likely come on special teams.

Saints coach Sean Payton said as much in his Sept. 19 conference call: “He is going to be up in this game. A lot of it had to do with just a decision in regards to the kicking game. He’s doing well, he is healthy. He’s had a good week of work. You will see him a lot in special teams. No specific reason.”

The Saints ruled out second-year linebacker Chase Hansen after he suffered a hip injury in practice, and Hansen played 13 special teams snaps (as many as punter Thomas Morstead and tight end Josh Hill) in Week 1. So Hansen’s absence opens an immediate vacancy for Baun in the game’s third phase, but it’s unclear how often he’ll run with the defense. For now, he’s behind starting strong side linebacker Kaden Elliss on the depth chart.

New Orleans could play more base looks against the run-based Raiders offense and star running back Josh Jacobs, and Baun has more positional flexibility than Elliss or Hansen (he often played on the line of scrimmage at Wisconsin). So there may be more opportunities for him outside the kicking game than it appears at first glance, but if that’s the case Payton is keeping it to himself. Would he do that?

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PFF charted Malcolm Jenkins from 5 different alignments in Week 1

The analysts at Pro Football Focus charted New Orleans Saints DB Malcolm Jenkins as playing five different positions against the Buccaneers.

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Malcolm Jenkins was one of a handful of New Orelans Saints starters to stay on the field for all 70 defensive snaps against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he turned in some impressive tape in his first game back in black and gold after six years with the Philadelphia Eagles. While he may be listed as a strong safety, he really plays a brand of positionless football more like what you’d expect to see from Tyrann Mathieu, Jamal Adams, or another one of the young stars making a name for themselves.

Pro Football Focus took notice, grading Jenkins with a top-two rating in every category for New Orleans: run defense (70.9), pass rushing (82.5), and pass coverage (68.5), as well as overall defense (76.9). That’s a great return on investment for the priciest Saints free agent acquisition. Here’s what PFF analyst Sam Monson had to say of Jenkins’ second Saints debut:

Malcolm Jenkins’ triumphant return to New Orleans couldn’t have got off to a better start. Jenkins was used all over the Saints’ defense and had an impact in seemingly every role. He spent snaps as a deep-lying free safety (22) in the box (20), crowding the line of scrimmage as a threat to blitz (17), covering the slot (7) and even split wide as a perimeter corner to match up with Bucs’ receivers (4). He even played special teams to add to his contributions. Jenkins had two total pressures from six pass-rushing snaps on the blitz, recorded two defensive stops and didn’t give up a catch during the game as the Saints defense frustrated Tom Brady and the Bucs.

And here’s a simple pie chart reflecting all the different alignments Jenkins saw against Tampa Bay:

That versatility explains why the Saints were so eager to bring Jenkins back into the fold after letting him walk away back in 2013. He developed into a great player with a well-rounded skills set in Philadelphia, and his ability to wear so many hats was on full display. Being able to ask him to switch spots from one play to the next relieves a lot of pressure from other players, and we should expect to see more of this as the season continues.

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Consistency is key: Saints returning plenty of snaps in 2020

The New Orleans Saints are returning more starting players and more snaps played than most of their competition in the 2020 NFL season.

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The NFL has been shaken up by the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic, with summer practice sessions canceled and training camp taking on an entirely new structure. With so much disruption to manage, teams that are returning less-experienced players from last year’s roster face a steeper climb in 2020 than those squads with less roster turnover.

One of those teams in good standing would be the New Orleans Saints. The analysts at Over The Cap measured turnover by snaps played in 2019 by players still on the 2020 roster, and the Saints rank high on both offense and defense.

On offense, every starter is returning except for right guard Larry Warford (970 snaps played) and wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. (607). On the other side of the ball, the same crew is back from last season with the exceptions of cornerback Eli Apple (932), safety Vonn Bell (871), and linebacker A.J. Klein (753).

Now, that doesn’t count part-time players like backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (400) and fullback Zach Line (215). But by and large, this Saints team looks awful similar to the squads that won 13 games in each of the last two years. And that’s quantified in OTC’s research.

In their breakdown, OTC has the Saints returning 81.0% of their snaps played on offense last year and 79.8% of their plays run on defense — an overall figure of 80.4%. That’s good enough to rank 9th-best in the league, behind just one other NFC playoff team from last season: the San Francisco 49ers (81.0% overall).

In fact, the only other NFC team ranked ahead of those two is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (81.3%), but there’s an important catch there. Tom Brady is taking snaps from under center now, and coach Bruce Arians is having to radically change his “no risk it, no biscuit” philosophy on offense to accommodate him. So the transition there will be more difficult than these numbers might suggest.

At the other end of the spectrum is the NFC South-rival Carolina Panthers, who are introducing first-year head coach Matt Rhule with both Cam Newton and Luke Kuechley, longtime faces of the franchise, having moved on. The Panthers are returning just 46.9% of snaps played last year, including a league-worst 35.2% on defense. They’re in for a rough time, especially with so little time to practice together.

So don’t take it for granted that the Saints have assembled such a veteran team that’s used to working together. They’re relying less on their rookies than most squads around the NFL, and have a wealth of leadership to rely on between Drew Brees, Demario Davis, Malcolm Jenkins, Craig Robertson, and other respected voices in the locker room. That makes for a world of difference on the uneven playing field we’re approaching in 2020.

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Saints re-sign special teams ace, backup running back Dwayne Washington

The New Orleans Saints re-signed backup running back Dwayne Washington, one of their core free agents in playing special teams coverage.

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The New Orleans Saints brought back another one of their own Thursday, with ESPN’s Field Yates reporting that the team re-signed running back Dwayne Washington. It’s a good depth move considering that the only other Saints running backs under contract for 2020 were Alvin Kamara, Latavius Murray, and former practice squad call-up Taquan Mizzell (not counting fullbacks Michael Burton and Ricky Ortiz, of course).

Washington should be penciled in to resume his place on this year’s 53-man roster based off his special teams work alone. Only two of his Saints teammates saw more snaps in the kicking game last year, with cornerback Justin Hardee (363 snaps) and linebacker Craig Robertson (325) paving the way. Washington’s 295 snaps on special teams were more than Taysom Hill (273) and second-team All-Pro J.T. Gray (285). With Washington’s return, all five of the Saints leaders in special teams snaps played are back in the fold for 2020.

In his limited opportunities on offense — largely in mop-up efforts at the end of blowout victories — Washington has recorded 35 carries for 214 rushing yards in New Orleans. He first entered the NFL as a Detroit Lions seventh-round pick back in 2016, logging 110 rushing attempts to gain 309 yards while catching 12 of 17 targets for 76 receiving yards. While the sample sizes are vastly different, it’s notable that his yards per attempt in New Orleans (6.1) has more than doubled what he averaged on the ground in Detroit (2.8).

Still, expect the Saints to bring in some competition. They’ll want to add a player to compete with Washington in training camp and the preseason, making him earn that coveted spot on the 53-man roster. And with the uncertainty surrounding Kamara’s future with the team, it shouldn’t shock anyone if the Saints end up making an even bigger investment to their offensive backfield than bringing back Washington alone.

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Is Shy Tuttle ready to step up if the Saints don’t re-sign David Onyemata?

The New Orleans Saints may not be able to re-sign David Onyemata, a pending free agent. Shy Tuttle should be seen as an in-house replacement

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The New Orleans Saints are facing a tough decision with David Onyemata, a co-starter at defensive tackle the last few years. Onyemata is a pending free agent who will entertain offers from other teams beginning March 16 (though he can’t sign anything until March 18), and it’s unclear whether the Saints will bring him back.

That’s troubling because Onyemata led his position in snaps played per game last season. Here’s how that hierarchy shook out, per Pro Football Reference:

  • David Onyemata, 37.7 snaps per game (15 games)
  • Sheldon Rankins, 32.2 snaps per game (10 games)
  • Malcom Brown, 30.4 snaps per game (16 games)
  • Taylor Stallworth, 23.3 snaps per game (4 games)
  • Shy Tuttle, 21.3 snaps per game (16 games)
  • Mario Edwards Jr., 20.9 snaps per game (14 games)

The Saints have already paid out veteran contracts to teammates like Brown ($6 million salary cap hit in 2020) and Edwards ($3.24 million), with Rankins set to play out his fifth year with the team on a team option valued at $7.69 million. That’s a combined $16.93 million in cap commitments to the defensive tackle position. Even if Onyemata signs a deal comparable to what Brown earned (three years, $15 million), it’ll be tough to fit in another contract for Onyemata.

However, the Saints may already have replacement waiting in the wings. While Rankins would be the logical choice, he’s recovering from another lower-leg injury and isn’t a sure thing to be ready for the season-opener (at least until we get an update from the Saints). That puts Tuttle, the second-year pro, squarely in the driver’s seat to start next to Brown.

But is Tuttle ready for that? He played well for the Saints on a limited basis in 2019, registering two sacks, a knockdown, and two hurries per Pro Football Reference. Tuttle was active at the line of scrimmage, creating four tackles for loss and deflecting six passes (including the playoffs). He was also credited with just one missed tackle on 19 attempts, a rate of 5.3%. And we’d be remiss to not mention his interception of Matt Ryan on Thanksgiving, followed by the most iconic stiff arm in recent Saints history. Tuttle’s a playmaker.

That all projects well to an increased role in 2020, but what may be more encouraging are Tuttle’s grades from the analysts at Pro Football Focus. He was the team’s highest-graded interior lineman in both run defense (73.2) and pass rush (70.5), finishing second in coverage (54.9, not bad for a 300-pounder). His overall grade (75.9) was also the highest on the team. In fact, Tuttle received the 20th-best overall grade among all NFL defensive tackles.

Does this mean that he’s ready to double his workload and play 40-plus snaps per game? Maybe, maybe not. That’s up for the coaches to decide. But Tuttle was a real success story as an undrafted signing out of Tennessee, and he’s been someone Saints coach Sean Payton has been quick to recognize when discussing last year’s rookie class. It’s a safe bet that we’ll see more of Tuttle in 2020, but it’s too soon to guess the extent of his upgraded playing-time.

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