Position battles to watch in Saints training camp

NFL training camp is almost here. The Saints begin their program with rookies reporting on July 16 at the University of California in Irvine, while veterans join a week later on July 23.

Here's a look at three position battles that could be the most heated. 

Backup quarterback

Projected No. 2: Jake Haener

Player to watch: Spencer Rattler

As Derek Carr gears up for his second season as the Saints' starting quarterback, intrigue begins with who will serve as his backup. Last season, Jameis Winston was second on the depth chart, but he signed with the Browns in free agency.

Haener and Rattler are the top two options, and neither has thrown an NFL pass. Haener, a fourth-round pick (No. 127 overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft, was suspended six games last season after violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy but was strong during the team's minicamp.

The former Fresno State quarterback will be pushed by Rattler, a former five-star recruit out of high school who played at Oklahoma and South Carolina in college. Despite having a third-round draft grade by several experts, including The Athletic's Dane Brugler, Rattler fell to New Orleans in the fifth round of April's draft.

A battle for a backup position isn't always worthy of our attention. But considering Carr was forced to leave two games last season due to injury, the competition between Haener and Rattler could be more consequential than most.

Right tackle

Projected starter: Trevor Penning

Player to watch: Landon Young

Penning's development will be one of the biggest storylines to watch in Saints camp. The No. 19 pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, Penning only appeared in one game as a rookie due to a preseason foot injury. He was benched after five games in 2023 due to underperformance after beginning the season as the starting left tackle.

If Penning turns things around, he could partner with 2024 first-rounder Taliese Fuaga to fortify the outside of the Saints line. His main competition for the starting gig is Young, who has been credited with allowing six sacks in limited action over the last two seasons.

Cornerback

Projected starters: Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo

Players to watch: Alontae Taylor, Kool-Aid McKinstry

Lattimore has only played in 50% of the Saints' games over the past two seasons, but when healthy, he's among the best corners in football. Per Pro Football Focus data, last season, quarterbacks completed 58.9% of their attempts when targeting Lattimore and posted a below-average 77.9 passer rating.

Entering his fourth year in the league, Adebo is the expected No. 2, and he's one of the more underrated defensive backs in the league. He had four interceptions in 2023 and tied for the league lead in forced incompletions (19), per PFF.

Taylor has been up-and-down through two seasons. He was picked on by quarterbacks last year, targeted a team-high 113 times and allowed 75 receptions, 836 yards, and six touchdowns. But he also had two interceptions, was credited with seven pass breakups and forced 13 incompletions.

2024 second-round pick McKinstry allowed 19 receptions on 39 targets (48.7%) last season in college at Alabama. Per PFF, among 21 corners with at least 480 coverage snaps in 2023, his forced incompletion rate (26%) ranked the highest in the country.