Three joint practice sessions and a preseason game in eight days have left the New Orleans Saints thoroughly calloused ahead of Saturday’s matchup with the Los Angeles Rams.
Rather than risking headline stars in a preseason game, Kellen Moore is handing the keys to his second- and third-string units after treating Thursday’s practice as the team’s true game-speed dress rehearsal.
Since the 1s already took most of the heavy reps on Thursday, Friday will be all about the second-string fighting for initial roster spots.
“It’ll be a similar structure (to Tuesday’s joint practice),” Kellen Moore said after the Saints had a walkthrough at Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village.
“Those guys will not be going on Saturday, so priority really is the 1s (on Thursday). Maybe there’ll be a few less reps for the 2s.”
Saints Don’t Have a QB2 Yet
GettyNew Orleans Saints HC Kellen Moore reveals starter availability for Saints in preseason game
More than a preseason game, Friday night is officially the audition for the Saints QB2 battle. Both Spencer Rattler and Zach Wilson are battling it out for the backup spot behind Tyler Shough, and how they play tonight decides who gets it.
So far, Moore hasn’t made the decision, or at least hasn’t made it public. But with Week 1 merely days away, it’s coming soon.
“We’re close,” Moore said. “We’re real close. We’ll get there. These guys are doing awesome…It’s been really balanced. It’s been a really balanced offseason for those guys. I think they have had great moments. They all have lessons to be learned and that’s part of being a young quarterback in this league. They’ve done a nice job. We’re excited to let it play out,” Moore said, still leaving room out for both of them to convince him.
The Saints head coach’s criteria for selecting the quarterback is also pretty simple. Just one factor, in fact.
“I think it’s just going to come down to consistency. I think it’s about the command of the offense. I think all of these guys can make the throws that they need. I think it will come down to consistency and doing it week in and week out.”
Saints Coming off a Tough Stretch
GettyNew Orleans Saints HC Kellen Moore reveals starter availability for Saints in preseason game
However, three back-to-back joint practices in three days have undoubtedly taken a toll on the roster, so that might also play a part in how Rattler and Wilson perform tonight.
“I thought it was good,” Moore said. “Jacksonville’s work (on Aug. 13) was excellent. We had to navigate a few things on Tuesday (against Dallas on Aug. 18 in Oxnard, Calif.) and today was really, really good work. I thought we accomplished a lot of it. That was some tough days, to go a Tuesday joint to a Thursday joint – that’s a lot of workload in a matter of just three days.”
The running back battle is another big concern for New Orleans. Alvin Kamara and Travis Etienne are at minimum reps, and Kendre Miller and rookie Devin Neal are locked in for an RB3 spot battle.
So, a very important positional battle day for the Saints, besides, of course, a preseason game.
“This is going to be a hard group to sort out,” Moore said. “They’re all talented, they all can play on Sundays at a really high level. Love this group. There’s going to be some more opportunities through these joint practices and these games, which will be great for them.”
Saints’ Reveal Starter Availability Ahead of Preseason Matchup With Rams