Saints vs. Titans: Defensive Battles To Be Decided

Some positions on a deep New Orleans defense bear close watching during the preseason finale against the Titans.

New Orleans Saints cornerback Rejzohn Wright (28) breaks up a pass against the San Francisco 49ers / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The New Orleans Saints wrap up their preseason schedule with a home matchup against the Tennessee Titans. It's the only home game of the preseason for the Saints, who held training camp in Irvine, California this offseason.

Most starters on both sides of the ball won't see action, as each squad is set to open the regular season on September 8. With NFL teams required to trim their active rosters to 53 players by this Tuesday, there are still several jobs up for grabs.

New Orleans has had a strong training camp defensively. It's a unit that's expected to be one of the better in the league. While most of the first-team defenders for the Saints won't see the field this afternoon, there are still some position battles on this side of the ball to be decided.

LINEBACKER

• Anfernee Orji
• D'Marco Jackson
• Khaleke Hudson
• Monty Rice
• Isaiah Stalbird
• Jaylan Ford
• Mike Rose

New Orleans Saints linebacker Anfernee Orji (58) / neworleanssaints.com

This unit has played very good ball throughout training camp and preseason. With an outstanding trio of Demario Davis, Willie Gay Jr., and Pete Werner, however, there are only two or three spots left available.

Orji, a second-year undrafted defender from Vanderbilt, could have already locked down one of those jobs with a standout camp. Jackson and Hudson have been the next two consistent by a narrow margin, but are getting pushed hard.

Undrafted rookie Stalbird was a standout in mini-camp and early training camp but has been sidelined by injury recently. Ford, a rookie fifth-round choice, has never been able to show what he can do because of injuries. Both promising players could be candidates for injured reserve.

The dark horse here could be Rice. The four-year veteran has been consistently steady throughout camp and every bit as effective as Hudson and Jackson. This position bears a close watch against the Titans, as at least a couple of talented linebackers seem sure to be on the outside looking in for the roster.

CORNERBACK

• Rico Payton
• Rejzohn Wright
• Shemar Jean-Charles

New Orleans Saints cornerback Rico Payton (36) breaks up a pass for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Danny Gray (6) / Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

As if the Saints didn't already have the deepest cornerback unit in the league, the surprising emergence of Payton, Wright, and Jean-Charles add even more. New Orleans has an outstanding trio with Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo, and Alontae Taylor. Rookie second-round choice Kool-Aid McKinstry also comes in with high expectations.

Payton, an undrafted rookie from Pittsburg State, has been one of training camp's major surprises. Over two preseason games, he's credited with five passes broken up and has allowed just three completions in 13 targets.

Wright has been Payton's equal and has actually seen more reps with the first and second teams. Both corners have flown around the field aggressively and have shown impressive man coverage skills.

Jean-Charles hasn't been quite the coverage standout as the other two, but has flashed nice upside. All three players have shown the capability to play special teams, an absolute must to be able to grab a roster spot.

SAFETY

• Jordan Howden
• Will Harris
• Johnathan Abram
• J.T. Gray
• Ugo Amadi
• Roderic Teamer
• Millard Bradford

New Orleans Saints safety Will Harris (5) / neworleanssaints.com

Linebacker and cornerback appear to be the two deepest positions on the New Orleans roster. The same cannot be said at safety, which is full of uncertainty outside of veteran Tyrann Mathieu.

The competition to start alongside Mathieu is still wide open between Harris and Howden. Harris has played slightly better during both preseason contests, but neither have inspired a heavy dose of confidence. Abram, a veteran extremely limited in coverage, could also be in the mix. All three should make the roster, but it also wouldn't be shocking if the Saints moved on from one of them.

Gray, Teamer, and Amadi are special teams specialists. However, at least one of them may also need to show that they can make plays on defense to stick around. Amadi did just that a year ago, but has missed some time this summer with injuries.

In recent seasons, the Saints have kept six safeties over an extra cornerback. With the depth at corner, this seems less likely to happen this season. The entire defensive backfield is worth watching closely this afternoon against the Titans.

New Orleans safeties, corners, and linebackers are all in a close battle that could come down to their performance against Tennessee. Some are battling for a potential starting job or significant defensive role. Others could be fighting just to earn a job altogether on the Saints roster.