The Saints are about to open training camp on Wednesday, July 29, and while plenty of roster spots already feel spoken for, a few jobs are still up for grabs. That’s where the real intrigue lives. For New Orleans, the most interesting battles may come from the players who are not expected to make the 53-man roster - at least not yet.
That’s the definition of a dark-horse contender here: a player projected to miss out, but with a strong enough camp and preseason to force the issue. And for the Saints, three names stand out as legitimate bubble players who could turn heads fast.
Zxavian Harris is one of them, and he brings the kind of profile that can’t be ignored. Signed as an undrafted free agent this offseason, Harris has been held out so far by a foot injury, but he’s expected to be healthy when camp opens.
At 6-foot-8 and 330 pounds, he’s a massive presence in a crowded defensive tackle group, but size alone isn’t what makes him interesting. Harris combines real power with surprising agility, giving him the tools to stay on the field in multiple situations.
He also brings value on special teams, and that matters. Harris blocked six total field goals at Ole Miss, which gives him another path to the roster beyond just defensive snaps. If he puts it all together in camp and the preseason, he has a real shot to stick.
Tanner Brown is in a different kind of fight, but the stakes are just as clear. The Saints brought in the UFL kicker to battle Charlie Smythe, and Brown arrives with a leg that can change the conversation quickly. He went 3/3 on 60+ yard field goals, including a 63-yarder in the playoffs, which gives him the kind of range teams notice immediately.
Still, this one likely comes down to something less flashy than leg strength: consistency. Smythe has a similar big-kick profile, so the winner may simply be the one who proves more dependable day after day. Brown has the chance to make that case.
Then there’s Moliki Matavao, whose rookie year didn’t exactly announce itself, but who still managed to stay in the mix. He appeared in six games last season and bounced between the active roster and the practice squad. He’s not challenging Juwan Johnson, Noah Fant, or Oscar Delp for a major role, but he could push the Saints into carrying four tight ends if he performs well enough.
That’s not a far-fetched outcome, especially since Kellen Moore has done that before. The coaching staff clearly saw enough in Matavao to keep him around, and that alone makes him worth watching once camp gets rolling.
In Other News...
Chargers Fans May Not Love Keenan Allens Latest Team Link
Keenan Allens next stop may not be obvious, but the Saints have emerged as a logical fit for a veteran receiver who still knows how to separate and move an offense. New Orleans already has Chris Olave as its top target, but the rest of the wideout room leans young and unproven, which makes a player with Allens rsum easy to picture as both insurance and a stabilizer.
The appeal goes beyond name value. Allen has already worked with Kellen Moore, and that familiarity matters for a team trying to add reliability without forcing a long ramp-up. For a Saints offense looking to round out its receiver group, the question is whether that connection is enough to make the idea real, or just another sensible link in a crowded free-agent market. [Read more 🡒]
Tyler Shough Just Earned The Kind Of Saints Praise Fans Notice
Offseason workouts can be easy to overread, but when a figure with Todd Durkins Saints ties takes notice, it tends to carry some weight. Durkin, who has long trained Drew Brees, has been around enough winning NFL quarterbacks to know what the position looks like when a player is putting in the right kind of work, and his praise for Tyler Shough during New Orleans summer sessions adds another layer to the buzz already building around the rookie.
What stood out in those workouts was not just Shoughs effort, but the way he handled himself with the group around him, a detail the Saints will appreciate as training camp approaches. Brees presence and influence around the sessions only sharpened the spotlight on Shoughs development, and with New Orleans trying to carry late-season momentum into a new year, the quarterbacks next steps are going to matter a lot more than any offseason compliment. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Fans Are Starting To Feel Better About Their QB Future
Tyler Shoughs first NFL season gave Saints fans a reason to breathe a little easier about the quarterback future. Drafted in the second round, he made an immediate imprint with his accuracy and early production, enough to finish runner-up for Offensive Rookie of the Year after starting nine games and to stand out as one of the most efficient first-year passers in recent memory.
Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus did not place Shough among the 10 players facing the most pressure in Year 2, which says plenty about how his trajectory is viewed compared with some of his draft peers. Even so, the next step is still the same one for any young quarterback in New Orleans: keep stacking consistent starts, because the early promise only matters if it turns into something the Saints can trust long term. [Read more 🡒]