It's been a long time since we got to prepare for a New Orleans Saints game week, and their depth chart looks a little different because of it. The Saints released their first unofficial depth chart ahead of Saturday's preseason opener with the Arizona Cardinals, and we've broken it down position-by-position to highlight some quirks and interesting choices up and down the roster.

Remember, this isn't an official depth chart assembled by the coaching staff. It's more of a reference tool for keeping track of new numbers in the preseason. But it does give us an opportunity to check in on various training camp battles and who should be watched most closely in the preseason:

Quarterback

No surprises here, though Rattler has made up a lot of ground with Haener compared to where he started at minicamp in the spring. The preseason games will give each passer a great opportunity to prove why they should be QB2. Hill has rarely lined up at quarterback or thrown passes in training camp but the Saints need to list him at the position to take advantage of NFL rules for dressing an extra quarterback on game days.

Running back

Miller hasn't practiced since the first day of camp, but he's still ahead of Mims, who has had some good moments in practice. He needs to get healthy and get back out there to fully assert himself. Robinson has also run hard and he could shine in the preseason games.

Fullback

Horvath was ahead for most of training camp but it's been reported that Prentice is beginning to work ahead of him at practice. We'll see how this shakes out, but the Saints ask a lot of their fullbacks; they need to run routes and catch passes just as well as they block for their teammates. Prentice struggled in that phase last season.

Tight end

Johnson is still working his way back from foot surgery but he'll be on top of the depth chart once he's cleared. Jacobson versus Holker might be a seniority thing; the undrafted rookie has gotten more looks on the first- and second-team offenses lately, but we'll see. Rader and Fairchild both signed only recently.

Wide receiver

It's tough to get a read on this group given all of the injuries -- Shaheed has missed several days of practice while Means and St. Brown have also been banged up, and Wilson only recently returned from his own injury. Callaway and Nacua signed a few days ago. Tipton has been the star of camp so we're watching him closely in the preseason games.

Offensive line

It's unusual to see the Saints list at rookie in the starting lineup but there's no point in hiding their plans for Fuaga. Patrick moved ahead of Saldiveri at left guard, which is interesting. Saldiveri's been injured and Patrick has impressed his coaches at both guard and center, so it's not crazy to believe he could be starting. Saldiveri's injury history keeps growing. Hergel has dominated reps at right guard on the second-team offense and gotten some looks on the left side with the first team, and he's in great position to make the roster. Udoh and Young have lined up at tackle on both sides of the line but, for now, the Saints are listing them as the primary backups on either end.

Special teams

Few surprises here but for Williams on the kick return team -- you don't see many 225-pound running backs bringing it out of the end zone. We'll see if that remains the case on Saturday against the Cardinals. The Saints have tried out almost a dozen different players in this role so he might be their preferred choice next to Shaheed. Remember, the NFL's new dynamic kickoff rules allow teams to keep two returners deep this year.

Defensive line

The Saints often use the "or" tag for camp battles, but it's tough to believe Granderson would be losing reps to Young when Jordan is the player in decline who should be seeing a lower snap count. We'll see how this develops. Nothing unusual jumps out at defensive tackle, but it's good to see Boyd (the rookie draft pick from Northern Iowa) ahead of other backups already.

Linebacker

Gay is listed on the strong side, which is the best path for him to get on the field with both Werner and Davis when they're all healthy and available. Werner has enjoyed a strong camp and he's fended off Gay's campaign for his starting job, even though he's missed a couple of practices with an injury. This is arguably the deepest position group at Saints training camp. Orji, Jackson, and Hudson have all had their moments and the coaches love Ford's upside. Sewell was a key role player last year before he suffered a serious knee injury but he's been working to return this summer. Some good players aren't going to make the cut.

Safety

There are some wrinkles here (Ugo Amadi is listed with the corners, even if he's more of a safety) but for the most part it checks out based off what's been seen at practice. Except for Howden starting ahead of Abram. The second-year pro badly needs to win that job outright but he's been much closer than you'd like to see. He needs to step up in preseason. Harris sounds like someone who is making the team from how Dennis Allen talks about him.

Cornerback

This doesn't perfectly match what the Saints have done during training camp. Jean-Charles and Wright have practiced ahead of McKinstry at times, and Amadi only covers the slot when he isn't lining up at safety. Maybe they've planned on easing McKinstry into the first-team defense with Lattimore out of action while he recovers from his own injury.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Quick takeaways from the Saints' first unofficial depth chart