The New Orleans Saints finished their preseason on a good note, taking down the Dallas Cowboys 27-24, and that result offered a much cleaner snapshot than the mess that came before it. After two rough outings to open the preseason, the finale gave the Saints something to feel better about heading into the regular season.
Still, one issue from August isn’t going away just because the last game looked sharper: penalties.
Across three preseason games, New Orleans was flagged for 24 accepted penalties for 201 yards. That breaks down to eight penalties and 67 yards per game, and the early part of the preseason was where the damage really piled up.
In the opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Saints had eight accepted penalties for 66 yards in a loss. The next week was even uglier. Against the Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans was penalized 12 times for 96 yards in a 34-0 defeat.
That kind of self-inflicted damage is hard to ignore, especially for a team trying to build consistency before the games count.
The encouraging part is that the Saints did show real improvement against Dallas. They were hit with just four accepted penalties for 39 yards, a noticeable drop from the first two preseason games. That makes the issue feel more like a warning light than a full alarm.
There are also reasons not to overstate preseason numbers. Young players are seeing extended action, lineups keep changing, and mistakes tend to show up more often than they do once the regular season starts and the core group is on the field together.
Even so, New Orleans can’t let this become a habit. Penalties that kill drives, wipe out gains or hand the other side extra chances can swing a game fast.
The Saints proved against Dallas that they can play cleaner football. The challenge now is making that the norm.
So yes, concern might be a little premature for now. But with 24 accepted penalties in three preseason games, it’s definitely something worth watching once the games start counting.
In Other News...
Saints Cornerback Shakeup Just Took Another Veteran Off The Board
Isaac Yiadoms second run with the Saints ended in the final roster cuts, and the veteran cornerback has already landed a new opportunity with the Washington Commanders practice squad. Yiadom had been back in New Orleans after previously spending time with the club, and he managed to appear in 14 games last season before the Saints moved in a younger direction at the position.
For a defense that has spent the offseason reshaping its cornerback room, Yiadoms departure fits the broader trend of leaning into youth and competition. The Saints are clearly moving forward with a different mix on the back end, and his quick next stop only underscores how many teams still view experienced defensive backs as useful depth even if they are no longer part of the immediate plan in New Orleans. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Have A Quiet Post-Cut Battle Fans Should Watch
With the initial 53-man roster in place, the Saints are now moving into the next quiet but important phase of roster building: sorting out who might circle back on the practice squad. The club is also keeping an eye on a possible extra spot through the International Player Pathway program, which adds another layer to a process that often ends up shaping depth as much as the roster cuts themselves.
A handful of players stand out as possible priorities if they make it through waivers, including Zamir White, Charlie Smyth and Hunter Dekkers. The group is a mix of useful depth pieces and developmental bets, the kind of names that can disappear in the cutdown rush but still matter once injuries, special teams needs and long-season attrition start to hit. For the Saints, the next move is less about headlines than about making sure the right pieces are still available when the practice squad comes together. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Just Added Two New Line Options Before Week 1
The Saints added a little late-August insurance after the NFL roster cuts deadline, claiming offensive tackle Mason Murphy from the Bears and defensive lineman Colby Wooden from the Colts. It gives New Orleans another chance to reshape both the offensive line and the interior front as the team turns its attention toward Week 1, and it also brings in two players who already have some NFL experience and a shared college background at Auburn.
Murphy and Wooden are expected to factor into a roster picture that is still being sorted out, because the Saints now have to clear two spots to make the claims official. Whether that comes through additional cuts or by moving players to injured reserve, the move signals that New Orleans is still looking for answers in the trenches before the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]