Breaking down the New Orleans Saints training camp battles to watch heading into 2024.
We are back for another NFC South training camp preview! As stated last week, every team will have important positional battles this summer. For the New Orleans Saints, training camp signifies the beginning of multiple battles as the team looks to make a playoff push. And heading into 2024, these are the training camp battles Saints fans will be watching.
Offense
The Saints used their first pick in the 2024 NFL draft on an offensive tackle. After news that Ryan Ramczyk may miss a good chunk of the season, selecting Taliese Fuaga was a wise decision. However, the Saints’ biggest training camp battles will be the backup positions, where quarterback, running back, and wide receiver are major questions that will need to be answered.
Wide Receivers
The Saints WR room has so many questions! The current backup group contains Cedrick Wilson Jr., A.T. Perry, Bub Means, Stanley Morgan, and Kyle Sheets for the Saints. How many of NFL fans even knew there were NFL players named Stanley Morgan and Kyle Sheets? These players are so far under the radar that the link for Kyle Sheets leads to a search error page on Pro Football Statistics. He has no stats!
After Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, the Saints have a bunch of bodies. That’s why they took A.T. Perry last year and Bub Means this year. Both of these fifth round picks have a chance to make the lineup. This is where the camp battle will be. Who will be the Saints WR3 through WR5?
Running Backs
The Saints took Kendre Miller in last year’s draft. After an injury plagued season, the Saints will hopefully have all three backs ready for this season. The battle for the backup will be between Miller and the ol’ reliable, Jamaal Williams.
Everyone knows that Alvin Kamara will be the lead back, but I believe the RB2 role will be Kendre’s. Though his workload was small, Miller averaged 3.8 yards per carry and had a 90.9% catch success rate. He was drafted to be the future after Kamara’s gone. It’s time to let him become the RB2 and get the workload.
Quarter Backs
Obviously, Derek Carr will be the starter this year. While he’s not elite, he’s been good his entire career. Should he go down with injury or is benched for sucking in a game, the backup role will be important.
Spencer Rattler. That’s the name to remember. He was a former five-star recruit coming into college. Though he had a rough college career, this past year was great. And, let’s not forget that he was also the Saints’ third pick of this draft. I believe that he will win the battle for the backup and should the Saints either miss the playoffs or lock in a spot early, Rattle should see some playing time.
Defense
When it comes to the defensive side of the ball, the Saints should be looking at their depth pieces. Should there be any positions that will be a camp battle on defense, it will be at the cornerback.
Cornerback
The Saints traded up for the No. 41 pick in the 2024 NFL draft in order to select cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry. McKinstry was a three-year starter at Alabama. He should quickly see starter reps, but as of right now, he’s listed as a backup behind Paulsen Adebo.
Adebo has been a solid CB for the Saints, but he’s not flashy. He’s only had one game with multiple interceptions. He has no touchdowns, two games with three pass deflections, and no games with double digit tackles. The Saints made the pick for Kool-Aid in hopes that he can do all those things and more!
Hunter Greene
Hunter started writing for The League Winners in the summer of 2021. Hunter has been playing fantasy football for about a decade, starting in middle school. Now he’s a professional landscaper and avid Colts and Purdue fan.