Coming out of the bye week, the New Orleans Saints made some needed changes, and now they have to show that a real impact was made. The rookies can make that happen.
WR Jordyn Tyson
Finally, it’s time for Tyson’s debut. Right away, Tyson’s addition to the team will massively help the offense. It takes pressure away from Chris Olave, allows Tyler Shough to have yet another incredible weapon, adds the threat of a dynamic player after the catch, and could open up the run game. The issue is it won’t solve the run game issues.
The Saints will have a lot of work to do on the offensive side of the ball, and although Tyson’s addition helps, it will be for nothing if the rushing attack and offensive line continue with their struggles.
DT Christen Miller
Out of the bye week, there is absolutely no reason for Christen Miller to be benched. He is the future at the Saints’ defensive tackle spot; he should be the best run defender as well. He will develop with reps. Even if the Saints end up not starting him, he should be playing way more snaps than he has so far. It’s time to see what the Saints have in their second-round pick.
TE Oscar Delp
Similar to Miller, Delp must be elevated to a larger role in the offense. He has primarily been utilized as a blocker, which has created a tell in the offense. Trying to play on that and trick the Browns could be reallt smart, and a way to do that is by using Delp as a receiver more. Noah Fant hasn’t been bad this season, but Delp should be TE2 moving forward.
OG Jeremiah Wright
News on Cesar Ruiz’s injury has not been released yet, so it’s unknown if Wright is going play, but if he does, good luck to him. The Browns defensive line is very good and it’s going to be his biggest test yet. He wasn’t horrible against the Steelers, but it was also not good and he looked like a rookie out there. That’s the expectation, but the Saints will need to see more from him against the Browns.
WR Bryce Lance
With Tyson’s return, it’s going to be interesting to see how the Saints use Lance. He will now be WR4/5 with Barion Brown, and although his involvement in the passing game will likely drop, his blocking is too important to not use. Also, special teams may be an option for him.
WR Barion Brown
Recently, Brown has been more involved in the offense, and it has had a positive impact. Like with Lance, Brown’s role will likely be reduced in the passing game, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see him utilized as a deep play threat throughout games. Then on special teams, he has been better recently, which is definitely nice to see for New Orleans.
RB CJ Donaldson
CJ Donaldson is in a weird situation. He has had some good runs and great blocks, but not consistently, and although Kendre Miller may be traded soon, the Saints signed Audric Estime. Estime is very similar to Donaldson so that’s bad news for the rookie.
OT Mason Murphy
It seems like Kelvin Banks Jr. is on his way back, so Murphy’s chances of starting become even lower.
DB Lorenzo Styles Jr.
Similar as always, Styles will likely stick with the special teams unit, but it will be interesting to see what happens if Justin Reid gets traded.
