Monday Evening Quarterback: Saints Middle Class Starting to Take Shape

Dating back to the could’ve-been record seasons under Dennis Allen, the Saints have had an injury and depth problem that derailed seasons before they could get started.

The Saints hired Ted Rath under Kellen Moore to attack the injury side of that equation, but injuries happen. Depth gets tested.

And for the Saints, those injuries have always seemed to expose the same problem:

There was no middle class.

The Saints have had upper-end talent for years. Alvin Kamara. Chris Olave. Erik McCoy. Derek Carr. But when those players went down, the drop-off was often dramatic.

And when I say dramatic, I mean deep blue sea.

The difference this year is that the Saints are starting to build something between their stars and the bottom of the roster.

The Middle Class Keeps Growing

The preseason opener provided some evidence.

Christen Miller posted a 90.5 PFF grade, the highest among Saints defenders in the Week 1 data, and earned a spot on PFF's NFL Preseason Week 1 Rookie Team of the Week. He recorded three defensive stops against the run and generated pressure despite limited pass-rush opportunities.

Jayden Price backed up an excellent training camp with an excellent preseason performance, posting a 95.3 defensive grade and a 94.6 coverage grade. The coaches have consistently talked about Price, and seeing his practice performance carry over to a game matters. He's been jumping routes throughout camp and has already produced interceptions in practice.

Martin Emerson Jr. followed his strong finish to camp with three pass breakups against Jacksonville while posting a 90.9 coverage grade.

Kaylan Ford posted a 90.8 defensive grade, while Isaiah Stalbird finished with an 82.3.

None of those players need to become stars for this to matter.

That's the point.

The Saints are beginning to accumulate players who can actually play football when the starters aren't on the field.

Linebacker, defensive line, defensive back and receiver all look stronger, while quarterback may be getting there as well. Spencer Rattler's position isn't becoming secure because he's established himself as a legitimate No. 2. It's becoming more competitive because Zach Wilson is pushing him.

Wilson, who was signed in free agency, had the better preseason outing and could force his way into the second-team conversation after spending camp almost exclusively with the third team.

Running back and offensive line remain the two groups that still need to prove they have enough depth.

The running back room has taken another hit, with Audric Estime sustaining an injury during the preseason game after Kendre Miller and Devin Neal were already dealing with injuries. The Saints also lost Dillon Radunz to an ACL injury, putting another dent in their offensive line depth.

Can Miller and Neal get healthy enough to showcase their talents, and can rookie Jeremiah Wright improve on his first outing? That's what the next two preseason games will help determine.

But for the first time in a while, an injury doesn't automatically mean the Saints are staring into the deep blue sea.

Bub Means is different.

Bub Means is the one player in this group I think deserves a closer look because there's something about his physical profile that isn't obvious when you simply look at the receiver depth chart.

Means is a prototype the Saints don't really have anywhere else in the receiver room.

Outside of Brock Rechsteiner, listed at 225 pounds, Means is the only Saints receiver listed at 215 pounds or heavier. He's big, fast and strong, and that combination gives him access to a part of the field and a style of play that the Saints haven't had much of.

The Saints were connected to Chris Bell coming out of Louisville, another big size-speed receiver who fit that exact archetype.

Means already showed why that type of player can matter.

His preseason performance backed it up: four catches on five targets for 77 yards, with an 81.0 receiving grade and 19.3 yards per reception.

The numbers are good.

The more interesting part is what he represents.

Means can threaten vertically without being a lightweight speed receiver, and his size gives him a chance to create explosive plays in other ways, including screens where his combination of size, speed and strength becomes difficult to deal with.

Stock Down

Training camp doesn't end after one preseason game, but it absolutely changes the conversation.

Spencer Rattler

Rattler had a strong camp, but the performance didn't carry over.

On his second series, Rattler missed Barion Brown coming open. If the ball comes out on time, Brown may still be running. Later came the sack—not the fumble, the sack before it. Jacksonville showed a single-high look, leaving the sideline available, and Bub Means won immediately off the line of scrimmage.

Rattler didn't anticipate it.

That's still the biggest hurdle in his development. He's playing quarterback as a "see it, throw it" passer rather than trusting what he's seeing before the receiver comes open.

And now Zach Wilson has given the Saints something else to consider.

Isaac Yiadom

Yiadom's rought start to camp carried over to the game.

He struggled against both the run and the pass, missed tackles in run support and surrendered some big completions. One game doesn't suddenly put Martin Emerson ahead of him, but Emerson's stock is rising while Yiadom's continues to drift in the other direction.

Charlie Smyth

The misses are beginning to pile up.

The shakiness from camp followed him into the preseason opener, and the confidence simply isn't there yet.

Good kickers create a sense of inevitability.

You can go and grab a beer because they're automatic and you're already thinking about the next play. With Smyth, you're still sitting on the edge of your seat wondering what's going to happen.

That's not where you want your kicker to be.

4th & 1

Time will tell whether the Saints have accumulated enough top-end talent to become a truly dominant team.

But something else is happening underneath the surface.

They're finally building the layer of the roster that has been missing.

Instead of sacrificing draft capital to chase immediate answers, Kellen Moore has accumulated picks, created competition and started developing legitimate NFL depth across nearly every position group.

For years, the Saints had an upper class and a lower class.

There wasn't much in between.

Now there is.

The middle class rarely wins headlines in August, but it does help with the battle of attrition in November.