Jun 10, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive end Isaiah Foskey (55) blocks defensive end Chris Rumph II (98) on punt drills during minicamp at Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Saints Breakout? Young LB Making Waves With Preseason Dominance

Originally posted on New Orleans Saints on SI
By Zach Pressnell | Last updated Aug 13, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The New Orleans Saints have a lot to be excited about this year, but unfortunately, it doesn't seem like they're going to be very good in the regular season. As the team transitions power to head coach Kellen Moore, the offense is going to go through some growing pains.

Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler, and Jake Haener are all battling for the starting quarterback role in Moore's offense. While none of these options look like they'll take the Saints to the playoffs, there's still a lot for the New Orleans faithful to be excited about.

At this point, Saints fans are going to need to hold onto individual players as their saving grace this year. While the team might not win 10 or 12 games, they have some players who could emerge as building blocks as the team's rebuild continues.

Drew Collings of Who Dat Dish recently suggested that Saints defensive end Chris Rumph II was turning heads with his preseason performances. Rumph's stock has been rising all offseason as he gets comfortable with the Saints.

Chris Rumph II turning heads with productive preseason performance

"Chris Rumph was a new addition to the Saints this offseason. He has experience with Brandon Staley, so he was expected to make an impact," Collings wrote. "He delivered on those expectations today. Rumph tallied a sack and a quarterback hit.

"Besides being dynamic rushing the passer, Rumph was effective while defending the run. He played a key role in stopping the Chargers' rush on their two point conversion. Rumph hasn’t been talked about much during training camp, but he’s certainly making a name for himself now."

Rumph has looked solid in training camp and it was impressive to see him bring that production over to a preseason game. He registered a sack and a quarterback hit in the Saints' loss in Week 1 of the preseason.

Rumph is going to be a key piece of the Saints' defensive line rotation, especially if he can continue to play like this. With Chase Young always seeming to struggle with health and Cam Jordan getting older and older, a young defensive end like Rumph could quickly because a relied on piece of the defense.

His stock is rising, for sure. The Saints are going to need him to continue to produce for the next few months if they want to climb up from the bottom of the league.

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This article first appeared on New Orleans Saints on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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