Saints 53-man roster outlook: What we learned in preseason finale

Undrafted rookie wideouts Emmanuel Butler and Lil’Jordan Humphrey made 53-man roster cases on the same touchdown drive.

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton in the second half against the Miami Dolphins at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

NEW ORLEANS -- There’s no telling what in a final preseason game can help a player make a 53-man roster.

Sean Payton said during the week the game is a small part of the bigger picture. After weeks of workouts and joint practices and games, nothing will solely be decided by what anybody did Thursday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Still, on a night when the Saints put zero starting players on the field against the Miami Dolphins, some moments stood out from a game the Saints lost 16-13.

• Taysom Hill sure makes the second halves of preseason games fun. The do-it-all quarterback led one late touchdown drive and had the Saints on the doorstep of another one with less than a minute left. He completed 13 of 17 passes, with three incomplete passes hitting receivers in the hands. His fourth-down pass to the end zone got knocked down by a defensive back.

• Undrafted rookie wideouts Emmanuel Butler and Lil’Jordan Humphrey made 53-man roster cases on the same touchdown drive. First, Humphrey ran a seam route for a 43-yard gain that put the Saints in scoring range, and Butler followed soon after with a back-shoulder catch in the end zone on a well-placed ball by Teddy Bridgewater. Both are 6-foot-4. Could the athletic grabs Butler made early in camp be enough to help him earn what could be the final roster spot at that position? Or will the two notable dropped passes in games cloud his chances?

• Ken Crawley’s reaching, one-handed breakup of a slant to the end zone early in the second quarter served as some reminder that he once was a full-season starter for New Orleans. Crawley and Patrick Robinson were the more notable names on a starting defense largely filled with less-experienced players. Crawley had limited playtime after the Saints acquired Eli Apple in a midseason trade with the New York Giants.

• What the Saints do with the reserve offensive line spots bears watching. Usual backup center Cameron Tom didn’t play after missing practice during the week. In his place Thursday was veteran Nick Easton, who signed in the offseason as a free agent from the Vikings. If the Saints keep eight offensive linemen on the initial 53-man roster, could they decide between Easton and former LSU interior lineman Will Clapp? Clapp played right guard Thursday, as he has for much of the preseason.

• Could the injury that caused Will Compton to leave in the first quarter have the Saints looking for another linebacker? The Saints added Compton soon after Craig Robertson left the second preseason game with an injury against the Chargers. Robertson has not practiced since that game. Both veteran players have extensive experience on special teams, something that surely has helped each have careers in the NFL. Compton briskly walked off with team athletic trainers and went into the sideline medical tent.

• Dan Arnold’s second holding penalty in as many weeks isn’t what the Saints want from the tight end. Still, the second-year former wideout from Division III Wisconsin-Platteville seems to have some pass-catching upside that could keep him on the final 53 with Jared Cook and Josh Hill as the other tight ends.

• Patrick Robinson came out of the game late in the first half with an injury that wasn’t serious enough for him to enter the sideline medical tent.

Related: 'An uneasy time.' How Saints, players get ready for league-wide roster cuts.