The New Orleans Saints are entering the 2019 season with a roster full of players fans know well. It’s a talented squad that’s inched closer to a Super Bowl with each season. Many fans can probably rattle off the starting 11 on each side of the ball from memory.
All that’s said to say that there are few surprises on the first Saints preseason depth chart, shared before their game against the Minnesota Vikings on Friday night. In fact, calling these details “surprises” might be a stretch — they’re more like curiosities, especially given the Saints’ habit of not sticking to their depth charts in past preseasons. Sean Payton and his staff tend to look to the published depth chart as a set of guidelines, not a strict rule.
But there are a few topics of note on this first look, so we’ll break them down.
Co-starters at center in Nick Easton, Erik McCoy
This job was McCoy’s the minute he was drafted, but the Saints aren’t going to just hand it to him – even if he’s taken most of the snaps with the first-team offense in the last six training camp practices open to the media. McCoy is listed as a co-starter with Easton, who the Saints signed in free agency, and they’ll probably split time with the first-string unit in preseason. But everything coming out of practice suggests McCoy is going to end up with this starting gig well in hand, and end up performing like a high-end talent in this league.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson on the second-string defense
It would have been perfectly valid to think Saquan Hampton, another rookie safety, would rank above Gardner-Johnson on the depth chart. But that isn’t the case. Gardner-Johnson is listed as the second-string strong safety behind Vonn Bell, a returning starter, with Hampton all the way on the third-string unit behind Marcus Williams and Chris Banjo. While safeties are somewhat interchangeable between strong and free assignments in today’s NFL, Hampton and Gardner-Johnson do have distinct skills sets, which probably factors into this decision.
Ted Ginn Jr. starting at wide receiver
They’re likely deferring to Ginn as an established veteran against younger options like Tre’Quan Smith, Keith Kirkwood, Austin Carr, or Emmanuel Butler, but it’s worth noting that Ginn has been running with the first-team offense ever since the Saints first opened training camp. His connection with Drew Brees was erratic at times last season, but it’s possible they’ve gotten back on the same page and might be returning to their 2017 form; that was Ginn’s first year with the Saints, when he posted career highs in receptions per game (3.5), receiving yards per game (52.5), and his highest catch rate (75.7%).
Marcus Sherels is the primary returner specialist
The Saints may be following the theme of deferring to a veteran here, but it’s much more likely that Sherels is simply the best candidate for the job. He’s a legend among Minnesota Vikings fans, having set franchise records in both punt return yards (2,447) and punts returned for a touchdown (5). His impact on kick returns isn’t as impressive, ranking fourteenth in yardage (1,350), but it’s still better than anyone else in New Orleans. Alvin Kamara backs him up on punt returns, and Taysom Hill is listed as the backup kickoff returner. Ted Ginn Jr. and rookie Deonte Harris are listed at the end of the depth chart at both spots.
