Welcome to the Week 1 edition of the New Orleans Saints rookie report! A quick preview before we start: this will be a bit different from last year because of injuries and playing time. The Saints relied on their rookies early last season, and although it took time for other players to start, nearly the entire class was important to this team. To start this year, many of these players likely won’t play. But I’ll talk about scenarios where they can start and what happens if they are brought into the lineup.
Health-wise, I’ll list the injured players at the end.
DT Christen Miller
For our first player, his playing time will be interesting to watch in Week 1. The Saints clearly view Christen Miller as a nose tackle, and from what we saw in preseason, he looks really good in that spot. Davon Godchaux is the starter, and the expectation is that he can play better as the Saints try to run a 3-4 defense more than last season. But with his age, the Saints may need to sub him out throughout the game, and Miller can step in when that happens.
This becomes even more of a focus due to the Saints’ opponent. Detroit Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs is one of the best RBs in the NFL, and he is about to give the Saints defensive line arguably their biggest test of the season. So much effort will go into stopping Gibbs, and that could be why we see Miller more in this game.
TE Oscar Delp
As of now, it seems Oscar Delp will play despite a hamstring issue. Personally, I would not rush the young TE, especially after seeing other hamstring issues plague the roster and because Delp is the third-string TE. Still, if he does play, it’s going to be really exciting to see him on the field.
The Saints want to use the TE position more in 2026, so all three TEs will get to see the field throughout games. Also, in the run game, Delp is a really good blocker. Again, rushing him should never be in the cards, but if all is good, Delp could have some winning moments against the Lions.
OG Jeremiah Wright
For our first rookie that will likely not play, Wright is going to be behind Cesar Ruiz for game 1. He’s likely not going to play, but Ruiz has not had the healthiest time in the NFL, so if an injury does happen, Wright would likely step in.
Regarding Ruiz’s play on the field, even if he does struggle (which may not happen), I doubt the Saints will make the change.
WR Barion Brown
Although Bryce Lance was selected before Barion Brown, which is how I determine the order of the rookie report, I wanted to talk about Brown first. Going into game 1, due to Jordyn Tyson’s injury and Brown just flat-out being impressive all offseason, the former LSU Tiger will be in the WR3 spot against Detroit. Also, as the punt and kick returner, Brown is going to have a chance to significantly help the Saints on special teams.
On offense, Brown’s presence will bring really nice flexibility to the WR group. While the Lions may put most of their focus on stopping the run or Chris Olave, Brown will have a better chance of beating Detroit deep with his speed. Also, the Lions are missing both of their starting safeties due to injury. Brown is more of a WR than just a deep ball specialist, but I would not be surprised to see Kellen Moore try and get a big play early.
WRs Bryce Lance
With Brown being WR3, Lance is slotted right into that WR4 spot, and he should still see a good role in Week 1. Lance’s blocking is too good to overlook, and he also has that serious deep threat that Moore could utilize. Also, Lance’s ability after the catch could make him a really good WR on screens.
OT Mason Murphy
On the depth chart, Mason Murphy is listed as the backup to Taliese Fuaga, and as we saw last year, that is a very important role. Fuaga has dealt with lingering injuries, so having a competent backup will be important for the Saints. As with Ruiz, hopefully no injury occurs, but if it does, Murphy will likely be called upon.
Injured players:
- WR Jordyn Tyson
- DB Lorenzo Styles Jr.
