The New Orleans Saints are preparing for their second preseason matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. Some fans might shrug off a preseason game, but for some of these players its one of their last chances to make their case and accomplish their dreams of making an NFL roster.
The Saints walked away from the Kansas City Chiefs with a victory in last weeks matchup, in large part due to some great rookie performances. That wasn’t the case for all of the rookies, however. Here are some of the rookies on the roster that really could use a solid performance against the Chargers if they hope to stick around, some aren’t in danger of getting cut but rather just some confidence heading into their first season:
1
OL Nick Saldiveri
While Saldiveri isn’t likely in any real danger of getting cut, as a fourth round draft pick, having a good performance will go a long way in easing a lot of uncertainty about the offensive line depth.
2
DE Isaiah Foskey
Foskey also isn’t in danger of getting cut, but having a bounce back game certainly wouldn’t hurt. He didn’t make his presence known really at all during the last game against the Chiefs, so pretty much anything would be an improvement. The Saints need Foskey to be able to produce fairly quickly in an overhauled defensive line. Foskey has also had an improved week of practice, which could mean good things.
3
LB Nick Anderson
Anderson is fighting an uphill battle as an undersized linebacker, so an underwhelming preseason game against the Chiefs didn’t do a ton to help his case. He had two assisted tackles in limited play, so it would be more of a matter of wanting him to find the field more. It’s not really in his control whenever they put him out there, but if he earned some more playing time he’ll really need to make the most of it.
4
OL Mark Evans II
Evans found the field on about 30 snaps at right guard and underperformed while he was there. He allowed two hurries in 20 pass blocking snaps and got called for a penalty while he was at it. Almost the entire offensive line depth underperformed, so it’s not all on him, but he has to do better when he finds the field if he wants to fight his way onto the roster.
5
DL Jerron Cage
Cage’s only logged stat in his preseason debut was being called for a penalty. The Saints are a franchise that have historically kept undrafted free agents on the defensive line around more than normal, so he realistically could work his way into staying around. He’ll have more chances as the preseason goes on, but he has to make somewhat of a positive impact.
6
OL Alex Pihlstrom
Unlike the rest of the players on this list, Pihlstrom actually had a fairly good debut. The reason that he would need to follow it up with another good performance is that he could actually battle for a spot on the roster. There are a lot of questions surrounding the offensive line depth for the Saints and if a rookie impresses them enough, there could be a legitimate chance they keep him around.
