During yesterday’s New Orleans Saints practice we focused on three players that will benefit from preseason playing time. Of them, hometown product and wide receiver Dai’Jean Dixon had the best day. Today, we’ll focus in on three more players battling for a roster spot with a heavier lens on defense. Here are three players we’re watching in Saints camp Day 14.
1
DT Shy Tuttle
Thursday’s practice will be the final one ahead of the Houston Texans preseason game and will be a padded and likely physical day. That benefits the trench players on both sides of the ball that want to show what they can do. The setup unequivocally benefits a guy like Tuttle.
The former Tennessee volunteer has been with the Saints since the 2019 season where he made the roster as an undrafted rookie. Since then, he’s continuously earned his spot but has more veteran competition this offseason than he’s seen before. With a player like Kentavius Street pushing for his own opportunities, this weekend presents a real chance for Tuttle to prove his value, especially as an interior defender very familiar with the system and the rotation around him.
2
S Jack Koerner
The Iowa Hawkeyes safety returns to the Saints roster after being with the team for offseason team activities and minicamps. Koerner can immediately come in and show his value in a multitude of ways if he can fill the versatile camp role that defensive back Bryce Thompson carved out before his injury. Thompson was waived with an injury designation on Wednesday and will likely revert to injured reserve once he clears waivers.
Unlike Thompson, Koerner didn’t get a ton of experience playing outside of his natural position of free safety in college. There would still be value to his being able to hold down depth in that role along with showing off his special teams acumen as well. So even if he can’t get involved in cornerback and wide receiver 1-on-1s like Thompson did, there’s a chance he can still provide needed depth. However, if he can show a little additional and unexpected versatility on defense, it could go a long way for the 6-foot 204 pound safety.
3
OT Landon Young
While veteran right tackle Ryan Ramczyk continues his ramp up throughout camp, Young continues to play well and see a lot of snaps with the first team offense. He broke down for New Orleans media the value of being able to play on both sides of the line when not a starter and has shown his ability to do so steadily throughout camp so far. Young was a career left tackle while playing for Kentucky where he squared up against elite SEC pass rushing talent.
It’s clear that competition level prepared him well for the NFL. It is clear that Young will see a substantial amount of snaps on Saturday against Houston, and one more padded practice on Thursday could help to settle him in. Last season Young was called upon to fill in at left tackle against the Philadelphia Eagles. A game in which he looked to play well but let up a hit and hurry according to Pro Football Focus and was also flagged twice in the run game. But that was early action for Young. He looks a lot more polished and comfortable out on the field now. He’ll have another chance to put that on display today.
