It wasn’t the way things were supposed to play out, but they say that things happen for a reason.
On Sunday’s preseason matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers, New Orleans Saints offensive lineman Will Clapp left the game with injury after two snaps, though the injury is believed to have occurred during the Saints’ first offensive rep.
After Clapp was helped off the field and eventually carted back to the locker room, undrafted free agent offensive lineman Torricelli Simpkins III stepped in to play a position he hasn’t had much time adjusting to at the NFL level. That, however, did not stop him from seizing his opportunity.
The center Torricelli Simpkins was NOT playing around on this play 😭
He’s fighting for the backup center spot. Really good pickup for the Saints! pic.twitter.com/ZVk21vYqXh
— Cajun Sports Talk ™️ (@CajunSportsTalk) August 10, 2025
Simpkins played center at NC Central for three years, but was moved to guard when he joined the South Carolina Gamecocks last year. He’s spent most of his time moving about the interior in New Orleans with a heavier recent workload at center in the last few weeks.
Simpkins would go on to handle 97% of the offensive reps at the position for the rest of the game. It was a true “thrown to the wolves” moment, but he rose to the occasion with an impressive performance.
“Awesome,” head coach Kellen Moore said of Simpkins’ performance. “For him to hop in there that quickly and just essentially play the whole game at center… I mean, your first game in the NFL, preseason football and then you get thrown in there just like that. His response was phenomenal, I thought he did an incredible job.”
The undrafted rookie allowed just one pressure on the day which came on a third-and-19 that still resulted in a 10-yard completion from quarterback Spencer Rattler to wideout Brandin Cooks. He also snapped to three different passers without there being many telltale signs of snap exchange issues or errant snaps, which have littered the Saints’ training camp field.
Simpkins was asked to take on a lot in his NFL debut, but handled it all with impressive composure and production. He’s not firmly positioned himself as a roster hopeful when it comes to the 53-man roster cuts which will follow the final preseason game in late August. His name will be one to watch as the exhibition portion of the season continues.
