If it were up to him, Derek Carr would be leading the New Orleans Saints offense onto the field for their first possession in Saturday night's preseason game with the Arizona Cardinals. And the second drive. And the third. It's no surprise that players want to play, but at a time when more and more NFL teams are cutting down reps for their starters in these preseason exhibition games, it's refreshing to find some who want that opportunity.

"Yeah, I think I would like to," Carr said when asked whether he'd like to get on the field this Saturday. And the Saints need the extra work. Carr needs those snaps and that time on the headset with Klint Kubiak in a real game situation. He only played a single series last summer before sitting out the rest of the preseason, and the Saints were hard to watch in almost every game that followed.

"Now, it's just more like the operational stuff. It is a new offense, right?" Carr said after Thursday's practice. He pointed to his chemistry and experience with Jon Gruden as an established play caller in cutting down on how much ramp-up time he needed with the Raiders. He took just 19 snaps between the 2018 and 2019 preseasons and didn't play at all in 2021 or 2022. The 2020 preseason was canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now he's in a new situation with a new coach: "I think just getting out there and hearing Klint's voice in the helmet, calling plays, getting substitutions in and out. I think that'd be good for us as an offense."

Did Carr's limited preseason action make a difference? Would a couple dozen more reps have hurried up the process with Pete Carmichael calling plays? Would Carr have thrown a better football? It's tough to say. The Saints struggled to move the ball with a porous offensive line, ineffective run game, and sloppy routes from the receivers, to say nothing of Carmichael being predictable and Carr being inadequate.

But it wouldn't hurt. Of course there's risk of injury in the preseason. But that's true of training camp practices and regular season games, too. With Kubiak installing a new offense and giving Carr another new voice on the radio it's important that everyone get on the same page. We need to see the offense moving well and efficiently. Limit the penalties, get players in position, and run the play. There's no time to waste and even if Carr only plays a quarter (or less), that's still giving him and his coaches plenty of learning opportunities.

So will he get his wish? We'll have to wait and see. Dennis Allen hasn't said whether he'll play his starters or not in the preseason opener, and it's ultimately up to the head coach to decide. But at least Carr is eager for some action if Allen gives him the green light.

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This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Derek Carr says he wants to play in Saints' first preseason game