New Orleans Saints 2022 Training Camp Preview
The New Orleans Saints are officially in a new era, entering their second year without Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees and their first year without head coach Sean Payton. Their new head coach is Dennis Allen, who was the defensive coordinator of the team for the last seven seasons. The Saints are looking to bounce back after a 9-8 campaign last year and missing the playoffs. They started improving by acquiring safety Marcus Maye, wide receiver Jarvis Landry, and safety Tyrann Mathieu over the offseason. Importantly, they re-signed quarterback Jameis Winston who had the Saints at 5-2 before his injury in week 8. Finally, the team should have a better wide receiver group this year because All-Pro receiver Michael Thomas will be available again and they drafted rookie Chris Olave. These are things to watch for as the New Orleans Saints start their 2022 training camp.
3 Position Battles to Watch:
Left Tackle: James Hurst, Trevor Penning
The Saints’ offensive line only has one position up for grabs and that is at left tackle. James Hurst is an eight-year veteran who can play any position on the offensive line. He played tackle for the Saints last year and as of right now he is the starter on the depth chart. However, the Saints spent a first-round pick on rookie tackle Trevor Penning in the 2022 NFL draft. He is an aggressive and strong offensive tackle from Northern Iowa. Penning is raw and unpolished, but his size and strength will give him the ability to win the job over Hurst.
Wide receiver: Marquez Callaway, Tre’Quan Smith
The Saints’ wide receiver room has seen an enormous upgrade heading into 2022. Their starting group consists of the aforementioned Thomas, Landry, and Olave. This means last year’s starters Marquez Callaway and Tre’Quan Smith are now battling for the fourth wide receiver spot. Callaway has been a strong option for the Saints for two years now since he went undrafted in 2020. He was the lead wide receiver for the Saints’ depleted wide receiver room last year. On the other hand, Tre’Quan Smith is heading into his fifth year with the Saints. He has produced every year, but has not been able to stay healthy for a full season. Both players are solid backups and are more than capable of stepping up if any of the starters go down with an injury.
Cornerback: Alontae Taylor, Bradley Roby
The New Orleans Saints secondary is one of the best and deepest defensive back rooms in the entire NFL. Cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo, and P.J. Williams have three positions locked up. This leaves a backup position behind Adebo open. Bradley Roby is an eight-year veteran that played his first season with the Saints last year. He lost the starting job last year, but he still had a role playing in 14 games. However, the Saints drafted Alontae Taylor in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft. He is an athletic cornerback with good size from the University of Tennessee. It will be interesting to see if Taylor can step up as a rookie and take the backup job away from Roby.
Ready To Breakout: Paulson Adebo
Paulson Adebo was a rookie last year that had an outstanding season. He was a third-round draft pick from Stanford that won the job during training camp and then proceeded to perform during the season. He possesses the desired size for a cornerback with his 6-foot-1, 192-pound frame. Also, he has phenomenal ball skills and strong hands to break up passes. I think he will take a big leap in his second year and his name will be talked about more in top young cornerback conversations. The Saints secondary as a whole is an impressive unit but the cornerback duo of Lattimore and Adebo will be electric in 2022.
Rookie To Watch: Chris Olave
Chris Olave is the clear rookie to watch for the Saints. He was my favorite wide receiver in the 2022 NFL draft to watch in college. He is in an amazing situation with an offense that is capable of putting a lot of points. Olave has top-notch speed and is a smooth route runner. He can do damage at all three levels of the defense and is an incredible red zone threat. Olave can learn from extremely talented veteran wide receivers such as Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry while adding to his own game. Finally, he can be a strong target for Winston who is not shy about airing it out on the field.
Fantasy Sleeper: Jameis Winston
Quarterback Jameis Winston is my fantasy sleeper as he is seen as a backup quarterback or streaming option. I think he has high upside with the Saints’ new weapons on offense this year. He is still coming back from a concerning ACL injury that is lingering over to the beginning of this season. However, Winston can lead a high-powered offense which he showed in 2019 when he threw for 5,109 yards and 33 touchdowns. He has one of the better receiving corps in the league with Thomas, Landry, and Olave. Also, Winston has Alvin Kamara in the backfield who is one of the best pass-catching running backs in the league. I think Winston is capable of putting up a lot of fantasy points. He possesses great value as a late-round quarterback with the potential to lead a high-scoring offense.
