Which roles are still up for grabs with the Saints?
The New Orleans Saints close out the preseason versus the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. After this, it's on to the Carolina Panthers in the regular season opener. This will look a little different from previous weeks. Klint Kubiak will call plays from the sidelines. The biggest difference is the amount of starters you'll see on the field.
A significant number of starters will rest this game, but there are still a few key roles still on the table. Some of those players may be Week 1 starters, but they have to fight for their position. Trevor Penning is one of the first players to jump out as someone who meets that criteria. But it doesn't just stop at him.
There are multiple offensive linemen fighting to get into the starting lineup. On both sides of the ball, you have at least one position up for grabs.
Right tackle
You could argue Trevor Penning would be fighting for his job even if Oli Udoh didn’t mix in with the starters this week. Penning simply hasn’t performed well enough to claim the starting right tackle, despite it being his to lose. Penning looked better versus the 49ers but New Orleans could still keep looking outside the building on the table.
Left guard
What once was Nick Saldiveri’s job to lose now belongs to Lucas Patrick. Patrick took advantage of Saldiveri’s injury and has ran with the first team all preseason. The Saints tried Landon Young with the starters in practice this week, though. Patrick still has the lead, but Young is trying to make up ground late.
Strong safety
This appears to be a two-man race between Johnathan Abram and Will Harris. Harris started against San Francisco a week ago. It was a noticeable change from the week prior when Abram and Jordan Howden were neck and neck for this exact role. If Harris makes it two starts in a row, that would speak volumes on his position in the competition.
Fourth wide receiver
Cedrick Wilson Jr. is joining Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed on the sideline for this game, so he's likely won the job as the third man on the depth chart. So who would be behind him? Look for Equanimeous St. Brown, A.T. Perry, and Bub Means to compete with long-shots like Kevin Austin Jr., Samson Nacua, Stanley Morgan and Shaq Davis as the Saints sort out the back half of their depth chart.
Backup quarterback
Okay, this is completely not a starting position, but it’s the biggest position battle. How could we not add it? Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler take center stage in the preseason finale. This race has been tight all training camp, and this will be final test. Both men had a good debut but failed to follow up in the second preseason game.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Which roles are still up for grabs with the Saints?
