The Jacksonville Jaguars are about to get their first live preseason look of 2026, and the New Orleans Saints bring plenty of questions and a few obvious pressure points into Saturday afternoon’s opener.
To sort through the Saints’ side of the matchup, we checked in with Grant Chachere of Saints On SI, who pointed to a busy night ahead for a handful of New Orleans players fighting for roles.
One of the biggest names in the backfield is Travis Etienne, and Chachere said the Saints have gotten more than they expected from him.
"Travis Etienne has been everything the Saints have hoped for and more. He and Alvin Kamara will share first team snaps of course by Etienne will receive most of the carries as he is fresher and younger than Kamara."
He added that the key is health, because if both backs are right, they remain a dangerous tandem.
"Hopefully, both are fully healthy because when they are they are two of the mist dynamic running backs in the league."
There’s also real roster tension at receiver and beyond. Chachere said Bub Means and Brock Rechsteiner are both under the microscope, with rookies Barrion Brown and Bryce Lance standing out in camp and pushing Means to hang onto his spot. Rechsteiner’s situation is even tougher, Chachere noted, because he was suspended for the first six games of the 2026 season.
Edge rusher Tyree Wilson is another player trying to change his story in New Orleans after not making much of an impact with the Raiders. And in the kicking competition, Charlye Smith and Tanner Brown are still locked in a battle, with Brown kicking better lately and the next three preseason games set to decide who stays and who goes.
Chachere also highlighted just how much trouble the Saints’ defense can still cause. He said Jacksonville’s offensive line struggled against New Orleans, but the Saints’ front seven is among the league’s best.
"While the performance of the Jags’ O-line was subpar against the Saints, their front seven is just as good as any in the league. Chase Young is coming off a 10-sack season and is back to his form from his rookie season.
He had four confirmed sacks during the joint practice. Carl Granderson had six sacks in a rotational role, and its interior is just as good as anybody’s in the league."
Cam Jordan was part of that picture too, though he was not available after dealing with an injury suffered last week. Chachere said Jordan posted a renaissance season at 36, finishing with a team-high 10.5 sacks.
In Other News...
Jaguars Are Getting Real AFC Buzz And Fans Will Have Opinions
The Jaguars have been leaning into the idea that being overlooked can be a useful edge, and head coach Liam Coen has made clear that the teams sense of being disrespected around the NFL is part of what fuels the locker room. After an offseason that still left them with more questions than some of the leagues top contenders, Jacksonville has kept its coaching staff intact and continues to project a steady front heading toward the 2026 season.
That stability is showing up in the national conversation, too. NFL.coms Nick Shook bumped the Jaguars up to No. 7 in his latest power rankings, pointing to the offenses progress and the continuity on the sideline as reasons for the rise despite the roster losses elsewhere. It is the kind of outside approval that usually brings fresh scrutiny along with it, and for a team that has built some of its identity around proving people wrong, the buzz may be arriving just as the real expectations start to change. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Fans Are Finally Getting A Break At EverBank Stadium
EverBank Stadium is getting a pricing reset for the 2026 season, and for Jaguars fans who have long grumbled about game-day costs, it could make a noticeable difference. The team announced a new value menu that will put popular concession items at $4.99 in select areas, part of a broader effort to make the stadium experience feel more manageable without stripping away the local flavor that has become part of the game-day routine.
Club ticket holders will also see another layer of added value, with free packaged snacks that will vary from game to game. Jacksonville says the plan is built around a new food and drink model that leans into local offerings while keeping pricing in line with the market, a shift that suggests the Jaguars are trying to make EverBank a little easier on the wallet as well as more appealing on the plate. [Read more 🡒]