There were multiple winners from the New Orleans Saints preseason, and Torricelli Simpkins III is near the top of that list. Simpkins was thrusted into the first preseason game much earlier than expected at center and surprised many with how well he played. Simpkins looked like a steal as an undrafted free agent.
What made his performance even more notable is he had just shifted over to center shortly before the preseason game. He played center at North Carolina Central but played in his final collegiate season at South Carolina and at the beginning of training camp.
This depth chart is more official than the depth charts we've seen for the preseason. Unfortunately, Simpkins' placement on the depth chart has put an end to this story. Despite playing well, New Orleans moved Simpkins back to guard and pushed him down to third-string.
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This was a move that we saw coming after the Saints swapped out Khalen Saunders for Luke Fortner after the first preseason game. He had experience as a center and was a veteran. The combination of the two likely gave the new acquisition the edge over the rookie.
The truth is you never wanted to see Simpkins on the field this year, because that would mean one of the Saints starting linemen went down with an injury. It isn't that Simpkins went from a starter to a backup. It's that he was projected to be the second string center and now he's a third string guard.
Instead of being next up, Simpkins sets up under Trevor Penning and Dillon Radunz. Penning is already down with an injury, so technically, Simpkins is the next man up for now. Once Penning returns, though, Simpkins will get buried in the depth chart.
Simpkins didn't allow a single sack in the preseason despite playing a large percentage of the snaps. It felt like he played well enough to fend off Fortner, but it appears the team perferred to roll with a veteran behind Erik McCoy.