Saints share unofficial depth chart for first preseason game vs. Chiefs: Analyzing offense
The New Orleans Saints shared their first unofficial depth chart of the 2023 season, ahead of their upcoming preseason game with the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. We’ve already made some observations in light of the various listings, but let’s take a deeper dive and break it down by position groups. Here’s how the team laid out their roster on offense:
Quarterback
No. 4 Derek Carr
No. 2 Jameis Winston
No. 14 Jake Haener (rookie)
No surprises here. Expect a lot of Haener in the first exhibition game with Carr and Winston only playing the first quarter or two.
Running back
No. 41 Alvin Kamara
No. 30 Jamaal Williams
No. 25 Kendre Miller (rookie)
No. 33 Kirk Merritt
No. 35 Ellis Merriweather (rookie)
The Saints are looking to add more depth here after Eno Benjamin was lost with an Achilles injury, but the Chiefs game is a great opportunity for Merritt and Merriweather to make a name for themselves. Merritt has missed practice time with hamstring issues.
Fullback
No. 46 Adam Prentice
No. 47 Jake Bargas
This is a good competition to monitor, but Bargas has his work cut out for him unseating an established pro.
Tight end
No. 83 Juwan Johnson OR No. 7 Taysom Hill
No. 82 Foster Moreau
No. 80 Jimmy Graham
No. 81 Jesse James
No. 87 Lucas Krull
No. 86 J.P. Holtz
Holtz was brought back after injuries sidelined James (groin) and Krull (tailbone). Graham has been given several veteran rest days in training camp and appears to have a secure roster spot.
Wide receiver
No. 13 Michael Thomas
No. 22 Rashid Shaheed
No. 18 Keith Kirkwood
No. 11 Bryan Edwards
No. 17 A.T. Perry (rookie)
No. 88 Shaq Davis (rookie)
Thomas was given a day of veteran’s rest but he’s otherwise been a full participant at camp. Shaheed isn’t expected to play against Kansas City while recovering from a groin injury. The Saints need one of those rookies to step up.
Wide receiver
No. 12 Chris Olave
No. 10 Tre’Quan Smith
No. 89 James Washington
No. 15 Kawaan Baker
No. 84 Lynn Bowden Jr.
No. 16 Keke Coutee
No. 85 Jontre Kirklin
Olave has been wildly impressive throughout camp and has greatly improved on contested catches, which were a problem for him last season and in college. There isn’t much to write home about in the rest of the group based off their performance so far.
Left tackle
No. 70 Trevor Penning
No. 67 Landon Young
No. 66 Lewis Kidd
James Hurst will start if Penning isn’t healthy, but he’s only missed two practices (one prescribed for rest/load management) and is well on his way to locking down the left tackle job.
Left guard
No. 76 Andrus Peat OR No. 74 James Hurst
No. 64 Nick Saldiveri (rookie)
No. 62 Tommy Kraemer
Peat and Hurst are competing for this job — or they would be, if Peat wasn’t still out of commission with an injury. Hurst is the starting guard until Peat is available to push him. Saldiveri played on the right side in college (and most often at tackle, not guard) so this is a big change for him.
Center
No. 78 Erik McCoy
No. 73 Max Garcia
No. 65 Alex Pihlstrom (rookie)
No big changes here.
Right guard
No. 51 Cesar Ruiz
No. 76 Calvin Throckmorton
No. 68 Mark Evans II (rookie)
No. 61 Chuck Filiaga (rookie)
Ruiz is continuing to improve after his much-needed growth in 2022. Evans was a college left tackle so he’s dealing with a lot of changes early on.
Right tackle
No. 71 Ryan Ramczyk
No. 72 Storm Norton
Landon Young has also cross-trained at right tackle before, but Norton could be a better option to back up Ramczyk given his greater pro experience.