Article Underhill: Locks, near locks, on the fence, long shots: How Saints roster looks heading into preseason (1 Viewer)

[Nightshade]

Locks, near locks, on the fence, long shots: How Saints roster looks heading into preseason

This is a different team.

In each of the last four seasons, the Saints roster had a lot of spots that were in flux. The middle class was lacking, which meant that just about anything was possible. Sometimes players came in from out of nowhere and won meaningful jobs.

That isn’t the case this season. The roster is stacked at the top. You can go through and pick about 17 players on offense who are either locks or near locks to make the team, 18 on defense, and three on special teams. That leaves about 15 spots up for grabs. Guys are running ahead of the pack at the back of the roster, but most of the candidates are still clumped tightly together ahead of Thursday’s preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

 

[Rdanderson91]

Kinda surprised to see him say Leonard is probably safe. By all accounts he’s struggled massively in camp

 

[Nightshade]

Kinda surprised to see him say Leonard is probably safe. By all accounts he’s struggled massively in camp

Probably basing it off him being a 4th round pick. Antonio Pittman and Al Woods were both 4th rounder that go cut.

 

[TruSaint]

Kinda surprised to see him say Leonard is probably safe. By all accounts he’s struggled massively in camp

I think that was expected, he’s raw and new to the position. Struggling in camp means nothing, it’s more of improving. He was terrible to start but I’ve seen some posts of him winning reps meaning he’s getting better

 

[Rdanderson91]

I think that was expected, he’s raw and new to the position. Struggling in camp means nothing, it’s more of improving. He was terrible to start but I’ve seen some posts of him winning reps meaning he’s getting better

That’s great news! I like his versatility

 

[Whodat GT]

Kind of disappointed by this article. It doesn't shed much light on the roster battles, except he mentions that a lot of players are on the fence besides the obvious starters. I was surprised to read that some people were saying Te´o might not make the team, since he seems to be firmly in the first team rotation. I don't see why Te´o and Robertson shouldn´t be considered locks.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Underhill is not a fan \practitioner of hot takes, so he's not going to wildly speculate about rosters before the first preseason game

he also frequently mentions that since they're on the sidelines, it's hard to get a sense of oline and RBs

 

[Saint Kamara]

I think Hill and Hooman should be one category higher than the rest of these TEs trying to make the team. They've never played on an NFL field before, so why would their status be the same as the vets?

 

[Ediddy7023]

I like his take on the wrs. Floyd is a long shot in spite what some people think. In my opinion he has been in the league awhile now, bounced around and never lived up to his hype or potential.

 

[bobad]

I think Hill and Hooman should be one category higher than the rest of these TEs trying to make the team. They've never played on an NFL field before, so why would their status be the same as the vets?

Every rookie comes into the NFL with no experience. Sometimes you have to replace a decent player with one who has a higher ceiling. We probably should keep 1 experienced TE, but 1 or 2 can be replaced.

 

[BooBirdSaint]

Quite frankly these are excellent problems to have. This is as talented a team (especially on D) as we've ever had. There will be some players that get cut who will be starting for other teams this season.

 

[texasjefe]

It's an excellent article. It gives a clear, broad overview on every position, and is a great snaphot for those of us who do not have the time to track the sausage being made.