3 underrated New Orleans Saints we were hoping to watch in finale
The New Orleans Saints take on the Arizona Cardinals in their preseason finale on Saturday afternoon and these three underrated players were guys that I was going to be keeping an eye on. Now with the canceled game, however, that won’t be happening.
These three Saints haven’t drawn a ton of attention, at least not prior to the preseason but for one reason or another, were going to be players to watch during the Saints/Cardinals matchup. All three players were fringe-roster guys and needed Saturday’s game to try and make the team. That’s what made them intriguing.
Let’s take a look at each of these three players and how the canceled game impacts their stock.
New Orleans Saints we wanted to see – No. 3: Wynton McManis
Not many Saints fans would have predicted that they’d be bummed at the possibility of Wynton McManis getting cut but the young man has been impressive this summer. The Saints went from their linebacker position one of the weakest in the league to suddenly being the toughest position to make cuts at.
It's wild that Saints LB Wynton McManis is out here intercepting a pass, breaking up a pass, starting on the kick return unit for the second straight week -- and I still have him unofficially 8TH among LBs while trying to make my cut down to 53.
— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) August 24, 2021
Mike Triplett’s tweet above discusses how talented McManis looked during the Saints’ win over Jacksonville on Monday. He made a huge splash in that game yet could still be on his way out of New Orleans when the preseason comes to a close.
With how stiff of competition there is at linebacker, McManis needed every chance he could get to earn a spot on the final roster. With only two preseason outings to go off of, McManis might find himself on the outside looking in when the final roster cutdowns take place.
McManis deserved another chance to battle it out for a roster spot but he won’t have that opportunity, unfortunately. It really sucks for the young man out of Memphis but hopefully, he’s made a big enough impression the coaching staff and slides into a roster spot.