Saints vs Cardinals preseason Week 1: 3 storylines fans must monitor

On Saturday, the New Orleans Saints will take the field for an actual football game. It won’t be an official game, but it will be a real competition against another team. The Saints will take on the Arizona Cardinals for their first game of the 2024 preseason.

Since it’s just a preseason game, the outcome won’t matter as much as performances will. These games will be all about evaluating to see which guys deserve to make the 53-man roster, and where they deserve to be on the depth chart. With that in mind, here are a few storylines to watch in the first preseason game against Arizona.

3. Performance of Saints offensive line

Obviously, everyone is anxious to see how the offensive line will perform. With Ryan Ramczyk sidelined for the year, James Hurst retired, and Andrus Peat no longer in New Orleans, this is a new line for the Saints. New starters Taliese Fuaga, Lucas Patrick, and Trevor Penning must be ready to deliver.

Beyond the starters, the second unit needs to look solid as well. Winning in the league is all about depth, especially at a physical position like offensive line. The backups are just one play away from going in, so New Orleans needs to know that its season won’t go down the drain if one starting lineman is hurt.

2. First look at Saints rookies

One of the most exciting things about the preseason is finally seeing rookies in action. From the moment first-year players are signed, everyone is intrigued to see how they will perform. Of course, some players will come out hot and others will struggle, and while it's not a sign of how their careers will go, it’s still exciting to finally watch them play.

New Orleans has a handful of rookies that fans are really excited to see. Of course, people will be locked in on first-round tackle Taliese Fuaga, as he’s the projected starting left tackle. Cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry will also have a lot of eyes on him as will rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler.

1. Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler

Speaking of quarterbacks, while the Saints don’t have a starting quarterback battle, they do have a backup quarterback battle. Second-year QB Jake Haener is battling rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler. Both have been solid in training camp, so the preseason will be a big test.

Considering their inexperience, they both will likely receive a ton of snaps. This will not only be an evaluation period for the young quarterbacks, it will be a learning opportunity.

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