Over the course of training camp and the preseason, it isn’t unlikely to see roster battles have a clear and defined favorite or frontrunner.
For the New Orleans Saints, however, that isn’t the case with two major competitions remaining wide open.
The Saints’ backup quarterback battle and kicker competition are both open for the taking with two candidates vying for each role.
Backup Quarterback Battle
Quarterbacks Spencer Rattler and Zach Wilson began camp with Rattler clearly ahead through the installation process and leading into the first preseason game.
However, that exhibition matchup allowed Wilson a chance to narrow the gap, which he did convincingly.
With a chance to step into the lead, he underperformed along with the entire team in its second preseason loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
In that game, he went just 6-for-12 for 55 passing yards, an interception and a passer rating of only 28.1.
Wilson didn’t get the jump in the battle he may have expected in the performance and the Saints are left with their QB2 role unclaimed with only a week left before roster cuts.
The decision may, instead of on field performances and consistency, come down to what the team values most. Rattler brings the most familiarity and institutional knowledge while Wilson brings the most NFL experience.
Kicker Battle
The competition between incumbent kicker Charlie Smyth and challenger Tanner Brown took a similar turn against the Rams.
Against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team’s first preseason opponent, Smyth missed a field goal attempt from 52 yards out.
The miss made it feel that Brown, who had made kicks from 29 and 49 yards out, had a chance to take the lead in conversation over the following week.
During training camp practices leading up to the Rams, neither kicker received field goal drills, but did get kicks away from the media and warm-ups.
That all led to Saturday’s game against the Rams, in which Brown had a chip shot chance to drill a kick that would have narrowed the scoring deficit from 34-0 to 34-3 and missed.
The miss ended up encapsulating a forgettable performance by the team as a whole, in a game that felt more like an exercise in Murphy’s Law than a football game.
It also left the door wide open for Smyth to turn the corner just like he did last year upon the team’s trip to the West Coast and take his chance to keep his spot as the starting kicker.
The interesting note here is that Smyth still qualifies until the NFL’s International Player Pathway, making him a player exempt from the roster count unless he’s on the active roster, which isn’t set until 6:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 30.
So if Brown wins the role, Smyth could hang around as a 17th practice squad player again, waiting for his next opportunity.
But with Brown failing to take the lead in the conversation, Smyth’s chances remain much larger than an exempt practice squad spot. In the contrary, the Irish kicker has the raw talent and opportunity still needed to hold on to his role as an NFL starter.
