The New Orleans Saints aren’t taking any risks in their preseason finale — after Friday’s practice session at the Caesars Superdome, head coach Dennis Allen said that quarterback Derek Carr and several starters will sit out Sunday’s game with the Houston Texans. Allen added that Jameis Winston will start the exhibition game at quarterback, with rookie draft pick Jake Haener rotating in to relieve him.
It’s a smart play. Carr was effective in his lone drive to open the preseason two weeks ago, dicing up the Kansas City Chiefs’ first-string defense and driving a Saints offense that looked like itself for the first time in years. There isn’t anything for him to gain against a Houston Texans squad missing several key contributors with injuries in a game that won’t be reflected in the win-loss column. An untimely injury could derail this team’s season.
So who else could watch this one from the sidelines? The Saints have rested starters like Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, and Ryan Ramczyk recently to preserve them for the regular season, and that’s likely to continue again on Sunday.
One player to watch: Alvin Kamara. The star running back will open the season with a three-week suspension, so the team may want him to get some work early on to stay fresh, as was their approach with former Saints defensive tackle David Onyemata before his 2021 suspension.
Allen highlighted one other change to their preseason game prep — he won’t be on the headset as the defensive play caller. Defensive coordinator Joe Woods will have the mic in this game, giving him an opportunity to try some different things and run the unit himself. Passing-game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry will call plays offensively again this week, having taken over Pete Carmichael Jr. in their last preseason game with the Los Angeles Chargers. Preseason games are great learning opportunities for the players on the field and the coaches on the sidelines. Hopefully everyone makes the most of it.
