The New Orleans Saints pre-training camp two-deep depth

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Oct 4, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints punter Thomas Morstead (6) against the Dallas Cowboys during the first half of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

Special Teams

Kicker: Connor Barth

Punter: Thomas Morstead

Long Snapper: Justin Drescher

Kick Returner: Marcus Murphy

Punt Returner: Marcus Murphy

Kai Forbath might have been the hero for two of the seven Saints victories in 2016, but does that make up for the fact that he went 9-for-13 and missed an extra point? Kicker is certainly a sore spot for the Saints, who have a collective accuracy of 79.3 percent in 10 seasons (214-for-270). Connor Barth will push Forbath for the starting job, and as we’ve witnessed year after year, Payton goes with the guy he can trust. My money is on Barth.

The Saints need healthy Thomas Morstead this season. A punter isn’t exactly that well-respected across the league, but Morstead doubles as the team’s kickoff specialist. He was sorely missed last season, as Forbath couldn’t even muster half of the touchback production of Morstead’s. Kickoffs take its toll on Morstead, but he should be 100 percent this season.

The only thing I’ll mention about long snapper Justin Drescher is that the Saints added Air Force tight end Garrett Griffin, who had backup duties in college. Drescher has played in all games for the Saints since 2011.

As for the return specialist, I think it’s a wide open competition, and Marcus Murphy is on the roster bubble. He’s out to prove that he can do more for the Saints, but there’s outside competition in the way of Tommylee Lewis and running back Travaris Cadet.