New Orleans Saints fans won’t have to wait much longer to see their new quarterback. Derek Carr will hit the field at the Caesars Superdome on Sunday against a familiar opponent — the same Kansas City Chiefs he dueled for years in the AFC West while leading the Las Vegas Raiders.
And this is going to be Carr’s first preseason snaps since 2019. The 2020 preseason was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s not uncommon to see teams limit their starters’ reps in these exhibition games in an attempt to protect them from unnecessary injury, but it’s been years since Carr took any snaps in preseason.
When asked about the last time he was active for a preseason game after Friday’s training camp practice, Carr was befuddled; turning to his longtime teammate Foster Moreau, he asked whether they had played in preseason last summer.
“I did,” Moreau replied, prompting a round of laughter.
Carr was on the field for just six snaps in one exhibition game in 2019, his most recent appearance; before that he played 13 snaps in two games in 2018, but he hasn’t seen a (relatively) heavy workload since the 2017 season, which was Alvin Kamara and Marshon Lattimore’s rookie year, for context.
Earlier this week Saints coach Dennis Allen said he expected the first-string offense and defense to each play about 15 scripted snaps, so that gives us an idea of what’s ahead for Carr. He’s played well in training camp but live reps against a real opponent moving at full speed is going to be good for him as he continues to settle into a new offense.
