Top Position Battles For The Saints At Training Camp

The Saints may not have nearly as many position battles as they did last year in training camp, but the ones they do have are very important.

Aug 1, 2023; Metairie, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (12) catches passes during training camp at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

July is rolling along across the NFL, and we're counting down the days until Saints training camp in Southern California. The rookies will report on July 16 and the veterans come in the following week on July 23. UC-Irvine will play host for the New Orleans practices this year, as renovations continue at their facility.

There's undoubtedly a lot of things that we're going to be paying close attention to in camp, and we looked at the biggest questions we wanted to see answered by the Saints over the duration of camp leading up to Week 1 of the regular season.

As we do every year, we look at the biggest position battles of training camp ahead for the black and gold. There may not be as many prominent ones as there have been in past years, but they are absolutely important ones. Here's what we see, based on the structure of the roster and all of the OTAs and minicamp sessions.

The Top Position Battles of Saints Training Camp

May 11, 2024; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (18) runs passing drills during the rookie minicamp at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive Line

Considering the uncertainty outside of Erik McCoy at center and Cesar Ruiz at right guard, there's three spots that are up for grabs on the Saints offensive line. Now, we'd expect Trevor Penning and rookie Taliese Fuaga to start somewhere, but their exact positions are not set in stone. The left guard spot is also a question mark, as Nick Saldiveri had the early favorable look there, but we should keep tabs on veterans Oli Udoh and Lucas Patrick.

In order for this Klint Kubiak offense to work, New Orleans has to have a strong offensive line. Training camp should give us a better idea of who distances themselves, and as history has taught us, will also show us the best contenders for the 'next man up' roles.

Backup Quarterback

It's Jake Haener vs. Spencer Rattler in a battle for who backs up Derek Carr. Unlike previous seasons, New Orleans opted not to go with a more expensive veteran for this role. Should anything happen to Carr, the duties would presumably fall on either a second-year player or a rookie. We're not completely discounting Nathan Peterman, but the Saints have somewhat made it clear who is in the running for No. 2. The Kubiak offense is designed to help Carr take less hits than what he did last year, so in theory that should help him be available more. Regardless, this is one of the top battles to watch.

Top Saints Questions We Want To See Answered In Training Camp

Wide Receiver

Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed are the top threats at receiver right now for the Saints offense, and then everything else is up for grabs. A.T. Perry enters his second year and looks to build upon the back-half of last season, while veterans Cedrick Wilson Jr. and Equanimeous St. Brown look to carve out a role for themselves. In particular, Wilson Jr. has been the featured slot guy during the early process, so we should keep looking for that. Rookie Bub Means should only make more impacts as we get into training camp, which would include special teams.

We haven't seen Stanley Morgan Jr. in action yet, and undrafted rookies Mason Tipton and Jermaine Jackson could make things interesting. At worst case, you're looking at potential practice squad players. The big questions for New Orleans are how many receivers they end up carrying and if they add to the room at all.

Not To Be Overlooked

• Kicker/Punter - The punter battle looks to be the bigger one of the two spots, as Matt Hayball could legitimately challenge Lou Hedley. However, Hedley looked pretty good during OTAs and minicamp, so he has the leg up right now. Charlie Smyth isn't necessarily under any pressure to challenge Blake Grupe immediately, as the IPP status grants the team a roster exemption, but his natural desire is to start. He has the strong leg, but needs to work on the accuracy. If that happens in camp, it could make the decision a bit more interesting.
• Strong Safety - With Marcus Maye out of the picture, the Saints have to figure out who ends up starting alongside Tyrann Mathieu on the back end. For now, Johnathan Abram looks to be the frontrunner there, but don't count Jordan Howden out. There's also something to be said for New Orleans in possibly looking at adding a veteran there like a Justin Simmons. We'll see if that actually happens, as the camp wave free agent market hasn't hit yet.
• Defensive Line - Specifically, we're looking the interior spot on who the final guy will be in the rotation with Khalen Saunders, Nathan Shepherd and Bryan Bresee. Khristian Boyd seems like the natural choice, but we will have to see how things play out. Off the edge, does anyone challenge Isaiah Foskey and Payton Turner and does New Orleans add there?
• Fullback - Adam Prentice vs. Zander Horvath isn't going to get a ton of headlines, but one of them will end up getting the job. It wouldn't be that surprising if neither makes the final roster for number purposes, but the Saints offense is going to use this spot, so someone has to step up and claim it.
• Special Teams - The new kickoff rule will certainly impact the way the final roster is constructed, but we're not exactly sure how that will look. Core special teams players from last year are out of the mix, which leaves a few openings for the Saints. While it might not be that appealing to watch, it absolutely matters and will be an area to keep an eye on.