The Saints finished their preseason on a high note with a win over the Dallas Cowboys, and Friday’s game offered a cleaner read on where a few roster battles stand. After a rougher showing against the Los Angeles Rams last week, this one tilted the other way. Several players helped their case, and a couple areas still looked shaky heading into the regular season.
Spencer Rattler made the clearest statement of the night. The backup quarterback job no longer feels like a discussion after he efficiently guided the offense and scored on three of his four drives.
Rattler finished 8/10 for 79 passing yards and added a rushing touchdown, showing the kind of poise that had been missing in earlier weeks. He didn’t just play well; he looked like a player who handled adversity and came out stronger for it.
Barrion Brown also gave the Saints something to build on. Even without a catch, the sixth-round pick flashed the burst and explosiveness that stood out in camp.
He turned two jet sweeps into 19 yards and a touchdown, giving the offense a jolt of speed and a glimpse of the role he can fill. Brown looks like the dynamic yards-after-catch piece Kellen Moore’s offense has been missing since the team traded Rashid Shaheed last season.
Zamir White kept his momentum going as well. The Saints essentially paid very little to bring him in, sending Deion Jones in a deal that cost them almost nothing, and White already looks like useful depth.
He’s not projected to be a major part of the offense, but he can matter if injuries hit at running back. At this point, that’s not a small concern.
Daniel Carlson gave the Saints exactly what they needed from the kicker spot. Tanner Brown and Charlie Smyth had struggled through the offseason, and Carlson was brought in to steady things.
On Friday, he looked like the answer. The former two-time All-Pro hit both of his field goal attempts, including a go-ahead 53-yarder, and locked down his place on the roster.
The downside for New Orleans came from the injury report, which has been a constant theme all offseason. Michael Heldman, Audric Estime, and Jaylan Ford all left the game and did not finish, and the extent of their injuries is still unknown. It’s another worrying chapter in a stretch that has already tested the roster.
Depth on defense remains another question mark. The Saints’ first-half unit held up well and gave up only nine points, but the Cowboys pushed late and scored 15 in the fourth quarter while nearly completing a comeback.
With injuries piling up, Brandon Staley is going to need reliable depth during the season. Right now, it’s not clear the Saints have enough of it.
In Other News...
Saints Make A Surprising Secondary Cut Fans Didn't See Coming
The Saints trimmed their roster to 53 by waiving safety Terrell Burgess, a move that stood out because he had been part of the defense throughout the season and appeared in all 16 games last year. Burgess brought veteran depth to the secondary, and his release fit a larger picture in New Orleans as the team continues reshaping the back end of the defense.
Burgess is reportedly a candidate to return on the practice squad, which would keep him in the building if the Saints want his experience available. Even so, the decision points to a clear youth movement in the defensive backfield, with younger players expected to handle bigger roles as the team settles its roster. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Roster Cuts Begin As Familiar Depth Faces Uncertain Future
The roster trimming has begun in New Orleans, and the Saints have started making the hard calls that come with getting down to the NFLs 53-man limit. On Monday, the team waived 10 players as part of the cutdown process, with most of the moves affecting familiar names who had either spent time on the practice squad or had only limited exposure with the club.
For a team trying to sort out the bottom of the roster, these decisions are rarely final in the way they first appear. The players now enter the waiver process and still have a path back to the Saints practice squad if they go unclaimed, which keeps a small window open as the deadline approaches and the last pieces of the roster picture come into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Fans Can Now See What That Deion Jones Trade Really Was
What looked like a small late-summer move between the Saints and 49ers has already turned into one of those preseason transactions that says more about roster juggling than long-term plans. New Orleans sent linebacker Deion Jones to San Francisco for running back Zamir White, a swap made to help each team cover a need for the final exhibition games rather than a deal built around a permanent fit.
Neither side ended up carrying the move beyond the preseason finale, with both players released by their new teams afterward. For Saints fans, the more interesting part may be what comes next for Jones, who could still circle back to the 49ers through the practice squad if San Francisco wants to keep him in the building a little longer. [Read more 🡒]