New Orleans Saints: 4 snap count observations from Week 3

The New Orleans Saints beat the Patriots and did so in fairly dominating fashion with a 28-13 victory in Foxborough. Along the way, there was plenty to note with the snap count so let’s take a look at four of the biggest observations.

Werner over Baun

The Saints spent a second-round pick on Pete Werner out of Ohio State and it was unfortunate when he missed the first two weeks due to injury. Werner was back this week, however, and he looked good, recording two tackles in his NFL debut.

The notable part of Werner’s debut, however, was that he was present in nearly half of the defensive snaps (49%) while Zack Baun, a former third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, was only on the field for 10% of the defensive snaps.

It’s no secret that Baun has struggled so far and NOLA clearly wants to give Werner a chance to start on a regular basis. He looked better than Baun in round one, that’s for sure.

Adebo over Roby

Speaking of rookies over veterans, Paulson Adebo has made a strong statement three games into his pro career. He played in 100% of the snaps this weekend while trade acquisition Bradley Roby was only present for 2%.

Considering NOLA traded for Roby to have him be the CB2 alongside Marshon Lattimore, it’s remarkable that he’s barely been used through two games. Adebo has played well and recorded five tackles in Sunday’s win.

Get Kpassagnon more involved

The Saints signed Tanoh Kpassagnon over the offseason, prying him away from the Chiefs, and it’s paid off (literally). The former Villanova product missed Week 2 but made sure to make his Week 3 count, as he sacked Mac Jones and had two total tackles.

Kpassagnon has had two sacks in two games and looks to be a massive piece for this defense. Maybe he’s at his best when he’s used in rotational situations but after playing in just 60% of the snaps, fans want to see him utilized more frequently.

Hill on the field a lot

Taysom Hill might not have won the starting quarterback job but New Orleans is doing what they can to get him on the field still. The Swiss Army knife was present for 53% of the offensive snaps, totaling six carries for 32 yards (including the touchdown dagger in the fourth quarter). He was also on the field for 17% of special teams snaps.

Just because Hill isn’t the quarterback doesn’t mean we won’t see him on the gridiron. Don’t be surprised if he’s used even more as the season progresses.

What did you take away from the snap counts this week?