The Saints got a brutal reminder in Inglewood that preseason depth is a fragile thing.
With nearly all of the top names parked on the sideline at SoFi Stadium, Saturday was supposed to be about evaluation, not survival. New Orleans had already put in three demanding joint practices over eight days in Southern California, including Thursday’s controlled scrimmage against the Rams in Woodland Hills, so the staff had seen enough of the starters. What they got instead was a hard look at the bottom half of the 90-man roster - and it was ugly.
New Orleans was shut out 34-0 by Los Angeles in its second preseason game, undone by three turnovers, 12 penalties and an offense that never found a steady rhythm. For Mickey Loomis and Brandon Staley, the tape now comes with a clear to-do list before final cuts.
At quarterback, the battle didn’t exactly sharpen. Tyler Shough stayed on the sideline while veteran Zach Wilson opened the game and struggled to get anything going against the Rams’ depth in the secondary. Wilson finished 6 of 12 for 55 yards with an interception, and the Saints’ first-half offense could only muster three points’ worth of momentum before Tanner Brown’s 39-yard field-goal try missed wide right.
Spencer Rattler took over after halftime and gave New Orleans a brief jolt. He pushed the Saints deep into Los Angeles territory, only to see the drive die on a third-down goal-line pass that Rams defensive back Alex Cook intercepted and returned 100 yards for a pick-six. On the very next possession, Ty Chandler fumbled at the Rams’ 2-yard line, and another scoring chance vanished.
Rattler’s final line was 14 of 23 for 141 yards, plus 21 rushing yards on five scrambles. But the bigger issue was everything around him.
The Saints were flagged 12 times for 96 yards, and twice they were penalized for having 12 men on the field. That kind of pre-snap mess is exactly the sort of thing that gets coaches’ attention in August.
The quarterback race, rather than clearing up, looks more complicated now. A backup doesn’t need to light up the stat sheet; he needs to keep the football clean, keep the operation organized and give the team a chance. Saturday, neither Wilson nor Rattler did enough to separate.
There were a few positives buried in the loss. Christen Miller made his NFL preseason debut and flashed immediately, posting three defensive stops on just eight run-defense snaps.
Kendre Miller handled six early carries for 22 yards and also chipped in a 29-yard kickoff return, a small but useful sign that his physical health is moving in the right direction. Rookie C.J.
Donaldson added 61 total yards, with 15 on the ground and 46 more through the air on three catches.
The Saints also took more injury hits. Rookie running back Devin Neal and tight end Moliki Matavao both left in the first half, adding to the strain on already thin position groups.
New Orleans is now 0-2 in the preseason and heading back to Louisiana to prepare for its final exhibition game against the Dallas Cowboys on Friday, August 28. Before that, the Saints will hold a special open practice for fans at Tulane University’s Yulman Stadium on Wednesday night, August 26, as Kellen Moore tries to clean up the penalties and sort out the lower end of the 53-man roster.
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White arrives after recently signing with San Francisco as a free agent, while Jones brings a long league rsum that includes stops with multiple teams and contract restructures along the way. For New Orleans, the deal is less about the defensive side of the exchange and more about shoring up a position that has become more fragile with Kamaras status hanging over the offense. [Read more 🡒]