It only took one play for Ty Chandler to seal his spot on Saints roster

Ty Chandler was a roster bubble player who played his way onto the New Orleans Saints 53 man roster, and it didn’t take long. On the first play of the Saints preseason, he returned the opening kickoff 86 yards to put the Saints inside the 10 yard line. Audric Estime capped it off with a 9 yard touchdown run on the next play.

Obviously, Chandler will have to sustain a string of good performances, but return opportunities only come around in game action. The exclusivity of the moment gives Chandler a moment that likely won’t be matched in preseason. 

Ty Chandler is unaffected by Saints RB3

The Saints battle for RB3 is likely to come down to Kendre Miller, Devin Neal or Audric Estime. That could leave Chandler as the odd man out for RB3, but his kick return showed he doesn’t need to win that battle to keep the team.

Most NFL teams are going to keep at least three running backs on the roster. In a perfect world, if one of your return specialists is a running back, he would fit in the three man grouping. It maximizes roster flexibility but isn’t required.

Barion Brown is a great example of when it works. The rookie going to be a returner for the Saints and has proven he can also contribute as a wide receiver, so there’s a chance the Saints keep the standard five receivers instead of housing six on the roster (though the position is deep enough to still keep six.) In theory, it allows the team to keep a standard amount at the position, get the return ability and potentially keep an extra player at a different position. 

When you can return kicks, however, that can be all the push needed to make the roster. We see it all over the league. It helps that Chandler had a good showing in the run game as well, because he can be seen as an asset on offense when needed.

The amount of injuries at the position could give Chandler a chance to push for RB3, but it’s just extra credit for Chandler. He showed he could be one of the Saints kick returners, and that’s enough to make the initial 53.

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