Canal Street Chronicles
The New Orleans Saints lost their preseason opener to the Los Angeles Chargers 27-13. The Chargers took an early lead, and the Saints trailed ever since. While the loss for New Orleans is disappointing, the preseason is about evaluating the talent on the roster and seeing who deserves more time/a spot on the 53-man roster.
I’m expecting a bit of pushback for having Tyler Shough as a positive for the Saints in their loss. The second-round pick threw a questionable interception that the Chargers would take for a touchdown, furthering the gap between the two teams. However, Shough showed the ability to respond and, on the next drive, threw a 54-yard bomb to second-year wide receiver Mason Tipton.
Head coach Kellen Moore has emphasized that the young quarterbacks will make mistakes, and it’s all about how they respond. Moore’s choice to continue to let his rookie quarterback gunsling paid off. Tipton ran a double move, and the defensive back bit on it, allowing the second-year wideout to run free in the secondary. The route concept was similar to a play the team had run earlier with receiver Kevin Austin Jr, but ended in an incompletion as Shough’s throw was slightly out of reach for the 6-foot-2 wideout. This time, however, Shough made a great throw and hit Tipton in stride to score the only touchdown for New Orleans on the day.
The rookie signal-caller also showed the ability to work in crunch time. Shough’s first appearance in the game was with 1:38 remaining in the first half as he orchestrated the Saints offense to the opposing 13-yard line, where the team would ultimately have to settle for a field goal. While having to settle for a field goal within 15 yards of the Chargers’ endzone, Shough was able to put points on the board, something current projected starter Spencer Rattler failed to do in his almost two quarters of reps. Shough didn’t outright win the starting job on Sunday, but he sure made it tighter than it was entering the day.
It’s never a guarantee for a seventh-round selection to make the roster, but rookie pass rusher Fadil Diggs will make it hard for the Saints to overlook him. Diggs’ name was constantly being called during the broadcast as the 6-foot-4 edge rusher consistently caused havoc in the backfield for Los Angeles. Diggs ended the day with a sack, 4 tackles, and 2 tackles for loss.
Diggs was electric off the line and secure in his tackles. There were plenty of disappointing performances from the Saints’ defensive line in their preseason loss, but Diggs stood out and could easily be considered the best defensive player of the day for the Saints.
The Saints currently have seven running backs on their roster and will have to cut down significantly when final roster cuts are made. It won’t be an easy decision for New Orleans, with well-established veterans such...
