Saints Release SURPRISE Depth Chart Ahead Of NFL Preseason Week 1 vs. Cardinals

[Music] Saints now coming at you on a Tuesday afternoon welcome into Today's show my name is Trace Gerard and for as for what we're diving into And discussing on the program the New Orleans Saints released their first unofficial depth chart so we're going to go through step by step and we're going to react at each one of these but before I show you what the depth chart looks like just keep one thing in mind this is an un official depth chart it's a depth chart leading up to the preseason week one matchup against the Cardinals so a lot is going to change and a lot should change but here is the depth chart now obviously it's kind of hard to read this so if you need to take a screenshot Zoom it in whatever but we are going to go through step by step and position by position just one note I want to make here those three red lines you see on your screen those are injury designations for Joan Johnson Tano pasino and nephie Su so again if you need to screenshot it please feel free to do so I also tweeted it out on my social media pages so go ahead and check it out if you want to see it again but let's dive into the Saints roster and before I go position by position I need you to grade the team for me A B C D or F it's about to be school season for those of you who have kids or who are still in school classes are about to get going but we're going to get into school today here at Saints now get in the comments section and grade the roster so so here is the quarterback room no surprising changes yet I will add this I do think that Spencer Rattler and Jake haer have a lot to prove in terms of the qb2 battle but right now the coaching staff is rolling with the more veteran player it's only a season but the more veteran player in Jake Kanner over Rattler and I will say this the qb2 battle is far from over something to kind of keep in mind is that the last offensive coaching staff is is who drafted Jake Hanner the current coaching staff under Clint kubak and Andrew janoko is the regime that drafted Spencer Rattler so there could be a lot to figure out it's nothing against Jake Hanner it's nothing against Spencer Rattler there's just still a lot to figure out and right now the main thing for haer is get back on the field after his cancer procedure which right now everything's looking like he will be back ASAP but we will have you guys notified with more updates as things continue to progress now let's dive into the running backs room you're starting to are Alvin chimra and Jamal Williams with kendre Miller being the rb3 followed by Jordan Mims James Robinson the veteran who at one point had an a thousand- yard rushing season and Jacob kabot and then with the starting fullback it's actually going to be Adam Prentice but don't sleep on Xander Horvath because he has been getting a lot of work he hasn't been present because turns out he actually just had a kid he's been dealing with some other stuff nothing injury related just off the field personal matters nothing to be concerned about I do think Horvath could unseed Adam Apprentice as he did struggle a lot at times last year with fumbling the ball with carrying and not really being much of a pass catcher now I want to add this note to the what running back group injuries could absolutely decimate the running back unit for New Orleans if Alvin chimra goes down not really jazzed about having Jamal Williams be my running back one kendre Miller is already striking and injury prone title dare I say I mean he's been hurt twice and he's only been around for two off Seasons so it's kind of not ideal right there but in terms of the fullback position Adam Apprentice he is going to be your starting fullback with uh Xander Horvath making a strong case to eventually unseat him again we got to see how things progress in the preseason and I think that's one of the fun things about the preseason is the Die Hard fans get to see all the guys at the bottom of the dep chart or in the middle of the dep chart either fighting for a roster spot or trying to win a position battle so I think that it's a really exciting battle not just in terms of the fullbacks not just in terms of uh quarterbacks but across the board there's going to be a lot of interesting things to watch at training camp or not at training camp at the preseason excuse me subscribe for more Saints videos every single day we gave you two videos yesterday and we also gave you a short form video about a Rashid Shahed kickoff return it was absolutely electric but we have news rumors live shows and a whole lot more all throughout the week all throughout the year and we do not stop no matter what time of the season it is and here's a quick update in our August sub battle right now we're kicking the teeth out of Falcons today trying to go for two months in a row where we win our sub battle right now we're at 83 those frauds are at 57 so let's keep the steam rolling let's stay hot and keep subscribing so we can beat the Falcons now the wide receiver group I want to say this has a lot has a lot of upside however again with the running backs if injuries start to play this group it could be dangerous I mean I really like at Perry but he's been kind of quiet at training camp nothing to be concerned about it just I I expected to hear his name a little bit more rashid's going to be great dealing with the minor injury but I think he's going to be phenomenal this season equinus St Brown has been missing some time so is bub means but I do think that Cedric Wilson will have a big role and on top of that don't sleep on Marquez Callaway and Mason Tipton to make this roster and I will add that the wide receivers and the upside of that unit is absolutely nuts Chris is a proven 10,00 yard receiver he's only been done it twice but he's only been in the league twice for two seasons rashed Shahed I really do believe he could be one of the best wide receiver twos in the National Football League dare I say he has an a thousand yard season who knows I will add this that in terms of the NFL he was number two in yards per Target over the past couple of Seasons so rasid Shahed with more opportunity could be really really good I'm excited about this wide receiver group I do have my concerns but I think that there's a lot of upside and I think there's a lot of high-end Talent there now the tight end depth chart is where you start to see a little bit of a surprise here D Hulker listed as tight end three obviously Joan Johnson he had that injury designation so right now he's not listed on the tight end depth chart outside of an injury Bost Morrow would take over his tight end one Michael Jacobson tight end two who has been impressive at training camp thus far and then you have a couple other guys on the roster as well but when it comes to D Hulker I do think that he will inevitably take over as tight and three and on top of that I think with d Hulker he is a player who has just shown how valuable he can be and the fact that the Saints gave him a lot of guaranteed money as an undrafted free agent to me says hey we like this player we have faith in this player and the end of the day we're willing to make a small investment on a guy like d Hulker and I think that Hulker he's been doing a lot of really good things at training camp he's been working with the ones it's just a matter of him putting together everything not just as a pass catcher but as a blocker as well now let's get into the trenches because this is where things really get concerning for me Lucas Patrick he unseated Nick Sal D to be the starting guard Caesar Ruiz is going to be your starting Right Guard but then the two tackles rookie draft pick tiis fanga and then rookie Draft pick from a few years ago Trevor Penning who was a first-rounder as well and then Eric McCoy we all know what he's capable of I think he is one of the more underrated centers in the league now I got a few takeaways for the offensive line for you uh Lucas Patrick like I said he unseated Nick Sal D who is dealing with an injury I honestly expected Sal de to be a little bit further along and not hurt to be quite honest the Saints if you forgot trade it up to go and get salivar with the first pick in day three last year in the 20123 draft so hopefully he's a guy who can make it onto who can you know work out and make it on the roster uh as a contributor Kyle hgle a udfa offensive lineman he was the backup for I believe it was Caesar Ruiz and I think that that's really really good news because when it comes down to him he's a UDF out of Boston College who has been really really exciting thus far and I think he has a real opportunity to make this roster especially at a spot where there's not a lot of high-end depth to fua he looks the part going to keep it short and sweet for him he looks Stellar I think he's going to be excellent as a left tackle Trevor Penning he needs to build confidence we're going to talk about that here in a second but my biggest takeaway is that this wi or this uh offensive line group really makes me nervous now I want to dive into what Trevor Penning said because over at nola.com Rod Walker had a really really cool write up I highly encourage you to go check it out and it was discussing Trevor Penning working with teron Armstead former Saints Legend um as an offensive tackle he worked within this off season and was able to pick his brain get some coaching get some advice and all that kind of stuff and I think that this quote right here is extremely telling for Trevor Penning I feel like I'm not afraid to make a mistake obviously you don't want to make mistakes but I feel like mistakes are how you learn the previous two years making mistakes kind of bothered me now it's kind of a l excuse me a learning measure now if it comes down to Trevor Penning or when it comes down to Trevor Penning if he can succeed and he can show the growth and the development and he can put everything together season I think that the offensive line is in a much much much better position than we all right now think I do not blame you for having your concerns I do not blame you for being cautiously optimistic when it comes to the offense because of how how many questions and how many question marks there are around the offensive line but if Trevor Penning can put things together this could be a really solid unit doesn't have to be great but solid that would be much better than I think a lot of our expectations so if you want Trevor Penny to put it together in year three type his jersey number down below I want to see everyone type number 70 in the comment section nobody wants to see the Saints waste a first round pick that they traded up to go and get I mean c l but nobody wants to see the Saints waste a first round pick on Trevor Penning nobody wants to see this kid absolutely fail in a perfect world this K or this guy can put it together and can be a phenomenal offensive tackle and live up to the hype that he had coming out of college a few seasons ago so typ 70 down in the comments sections and hey whoever types the most might get a special shout out so let's talk about the defensive line because this was also kind of a surprise for me they didn't differentiate at the defensive end position whether or not Chase young or Carl Granderson would be the starting defensive end and I'm going to keep it real with you I hate when teams do this it's so ticky tacky it's so lazy just pick one just just pick a player because in my opinion it's hard to to take Carl Granderson out of the mix when he led the team in Sachs last year but it's also damn near impossible to not list Chase young as a starter so I can understand where they're coming from but in my opinion I do believe that it's going to be Chase young and Carl Granderson as a starting defensive end Cam Jordan being very very much so rotated into the mix and to be quite honest with you guys I don't think that this defensive line group is exactly what that looks like you're going to see Cam Jordan line up as a defensive tackle you're going to see Brian bre get extremely active Colin Saunders and Nathan Shepard I have very high hopes for those two players in their second season with New Orleans and to be honest I'm just excited to see how Dennis Allen rotates this defensive line in different situations and different scenarios I think different personnels make a lot of sense and there's no question about it the Saints have a lot of good players on the defensive line it's just a matter of scheming them up correctly using or playing into their strengths and utilizing them in the correct situations now let's take a step back back and let's go to the linebacker group because I think that this is a really really underrated Squad right here Pete Warner I want to see him tear things up this season he's a great tackler but come on let's let's let's see you put everything together and let's be a great linebacker Pete Demario Davis one of the best linebackers in the National Football League and Willie gay oh I'm excited about him this season but I I do want to add the Saints did sign Mike Rose out of the UFL as a recent roster move he is now a part of the saint step chart so we'll see if he ends up making the roster I doubt he does but you know when you have guys like Jaylen Ford who you drafted this season uh or this past NFL draft you have Kiki udson who you signed I think it's going to be an uphill battle for Rose but I want to talk about Willie gay because I think he is one of the most if not the most underrated Edition that the New Orleans Saints or any team for that matter made this offseason Willie gay plays with a lot of energy he plays with a lot of confidence he plays with a very High motor a ton of speed and a lot of athleticism and I think that that is exactly what the saints were missing with Zack Bond because he was more of a pass rusher the Saints should have let Zack Bond stick his hand in the dirt and rush to passer but with Willie gay he's won multiple Super Bowls he knows how to do these kind of things at a high level I think that the Saints got a big time steal at a very affordable cost in Willie gay I got a lot to discuss in just a few more minutes but I got to take a quick second to say thank you to game time for SP sponsoring Today's Show and if you're like me and you like going to Live Events such as concerts comedy shows and sports you have to check out the game time app with killer last minute deals all in prices and views from your seat and their lowest price guarantee game time takes the guest work out of buying MLB tickets when you download the game time app and create an account and use code chat sports you will get $20 off your first purchase use those savings to go watch LSU take on USC in Las Vegas or you can use these savings to buy yourself tickets to any MLB any con any MLB game any concert any comedy show or any live event in your area if you aren't in the New Orleans City there's all sorts of fun live events going on across the country and I know that Saints fans are spread out from sea to shining sea so if you want to save $20 off your first purchase download the game time app and redeem code chat sports terms apply one more time create an account redeem code c h a TS p o r Ts for $20 off all that information is in the comment section and description of this video Let's dive into the defensive backs and in my opinion this is the best defensive back unit in the league like I I I can sit here and listen to arguments I can listen to somebody trying to convince me otherwise but at the end of the day every single one of these starters would be a starter at any single team across the league hell I would even argue that some of these backups could take over a starting positions in the league Marshall ladimore is one of the best corners in the league when he's healthy deal with the hit flexor injury but he is one of the best when he's healthy Paulson adbo I hope to God that the Saints can find a way to keep him around in the long term Jordan Howen he is a starter next to Tyron Matthew going to dive into that in a second but elante Taylor being the starter at the slot nickel or slot quarterback position with Ugo amadi backing him up now let's talk about the defensive back takeaways here like I said Jordan next to tyon Matthew you know traditionally it's interesting to see a team or excuse me traditionally teams like to lean into the vets and put them as the starter over the younger player but I think that's just a testament to how far Jordan Howen has come thus far he is the starter he is above Jonathan Abram which I think is going to be an excellent tandem between uh Jordan Howen and Tyron Matthew I'm still team joh sign Justin Simmons but hey I think this is a really really good sign the depth this unit is absolutely phenomenal like I just said a few minutes ago I truly do think any one of those players could go start on anyone any of the other 31 teams and some of the backups could even be big time contributors and on top of that I just want to take a quick second and show some love to elante Taylor because he's really turned things up at training camp he is starting to look and feel like a quality slot cornerback in the league he's good on the outside but he needs to learn how to be great as a slot and right now we're seeing all arrows pointing up for elante Taylor I'm excited to see number one suit up this year because I think he's got a lot to prove now special teams special plays special players these guys you know it's kind of actually an interesting group right here so Lou Hedley is a starting punter Blake groupy the starting kicker Zack wood no changes to Long Snapper there he is your Long Snapper wouldn't it be crazy if the Saints made a Long Snapper trade or something like that that would be nuts anyway long story short Rasheed Shahed is gonna be your starting Return Man but don't forget that with kick returns you get two players back so Jamal Williams being the backup kick returner oh boy we got some takeaways to discuss the kicker competition is very very close Dennis Allen saying in the most recent press conferences and the most recent practices that right now there is no diff there is no true leader in the kicker competition it's very even they're both being inconsistent they're both showing strong legs it's just a matter of who can be more consistent in my opinion I also want to add this uh Jamal Williams as a kick returner I think is going to be extremely exciting um and then Mason Tipton is really proving his worth he's the backup punt returner behind Rashid Shahed I truly do think Mason Tipton has done enough to earn himself a spot on the roster it's just a matter of staying consistent and locking in that spot very firmly now let's talk about the kickoff rule here because I think Rasheed Shahed is going to absolutely cook he's going to look like Gordon Ramsey out out there chefing things up in the kickoff rule but really quick you see the return zone or the landing zone right there so you see two players one my hand gets cut off one over here and then one a little bit closer down to the uh 10 yard marker so one of those in theory would be Rashid Shahed the other in theory could be Jamal Williams and I can understand the people who are like I don't like Jamal Williams I don't think he's a great running back but I can't I can't sit here and say this he is a bowling ball and when we saw the the new kickoff rule in action at the Hall of Fame game it was pretty apparent you get past one wave I got to figure out how to do this one wave of players you're taking this to the house so with speed and with the bowling ball you get the boom you get the zoom I think it's an excellent excellent uh kick return group and on top of that don't count out taes Hill or Alvin chimra returning kickoffs in late game situations I think it's gonna be a really fun thing to see and I absolutely think rashed Shahed is going to cook the NFL this year so sound out for me Saints fans predict the record for New Orleans this season down in the comment section I can't wait to see what you have to say and if you made it to the end of the video don't forget to hit that sub button y'all stay golden we'll see you next time [Music]