Saints vs. Jaguars, 5 players to watch in preseason Week 2

By Ross Jackson

Some players head into the preseason clawing for a roster spot. Others use it to cement their rise. For the New Orleans Saints, Sunday’s matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars will be about both, the desperate and the dominant. It’s the kind of game where roles get defined, jobs get secured, and surprise names can turn into September starters.

DT Khristian Boyd

Nose tackle isn’t a position that gets a lot of shine or coverage, but when you make plays like Boyd did against the Los Angeles Chargers last weekend, the attention arrives quickly. After a near-safety, Boyd continued to put some great things on tape, from his effort to his impressive movement ability. 

This week, Boyd could add more positive play to his resume as he looks to re-earn his roster spot and boost his playing time in 2025.

DE Fadil Diggs

The edge rushers have been particularly impressive throughout camp and Diggs, the seventh-round rookie, has shown a ton of promise. 

He picked up steam quite a bit over the last couple of weeks. Now, he’ll get a chance to follow up on a strong preseason showing against the Chargers with another opportunity against the Jaguars. Expect him, Isaiah Foskey and Jeremiah Martin to see a lot of snaps Sunday.

RB Kendre Miller

The third-year rusher showed burst and physicality throughout his first exhibition exposure. While he had only 14 rushing yards on the day, he totaled 20 yards after contact. He was met in the backfield quite a bit against the Chargers. 

The Saints’ offensive line needs to open more lanes for its backs this weekend after averaging only 0.55 yards before contact per rush, according to Pro Football Focus. 

Miller has the potential to break big runs if given the blocking and lanes to exploit, and against Jacksonville he’ll be eager to capitalize as he pushes for a spot near the top of the rushing rotation.

WR Mason Tipton

Last year’s camp star has repeated his stand out performance this offseason. He added to that reputation with a 54-yard deep ball from rookie quarterback Tyler Shough in last week’s game. 

Tipton missed the chance to impress in the preseason last year, and has already started to take full advantage of his availability this year. If he sees extended action, as someone that seems like a lock in the wide receiver room already, he should be fun to watch.

Literally Any Linebacker

Pick anyone. 

Starters Demario Davis and Pete Werner are likely to see limited time, if any time at all. But the linebackers behind them have been remarkably impressive this offseason. With a unique blend of multi-year institution experience and young first or second-year players, this room has massively outperformed expectations and is going to be one of the hardest position groups to cut down once that time comes. 

Enjoy this competition while it’s ongoing.