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4 Saints who must turn it around in #NOvsAZ

Some players might be taking their last snaps in the black and gold tonight.
Credit: Photo by Dennis Wierzbicki/USATODAY SPORTS IMAGES
Photo by Dennis Wierzbicki/USATODAY SPORTS IMAGES

It wasn’t all coming up Milhouse last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, as several New Orleans Saints looked rough in their 2018 debut. Here’s who needs a good showing in tonight’s home opener versus the Arizona Cardinals:

Michael Floyd, WR

Floyd was signed early in training camp but hasn’t really stood out. He’s been handled by some of the defensive backs in one-on-one drills and didn’t inspire much confidence in the first preseason game. But he was a first round draft pick (ironically, by Arizona) for a reason and has some athletic ability. If he doesn’t show he can still use it soon, he might be at the end of the road in his NFL career.

Rick Leonard, OL

I thought Leonard had some good moments in his rookie debut, especially on Jonathan Williams’ go-ahead touchdown run. But the Saints coaching staff have been less than complimentary of Leonard’s training camp performance. Offensive line coach Dan Roushar talked to the Advcoate about inconsistencies in Leoanrd’s fundamentals and work ethic, which is concerning.

J.T. Barrett, QB

I really hoped to see good things from J.T. in his first preseason game but he kind of left us all hanging. He struggled to finish off a scoring drive, panicked under pressure, and threw some off-target passes. He botched some key plays in Sean Payton’s playbook that should have found the endzone. That’s the bad news. The good news is he still has three more preseason games to get right and show that he deserves a spot on the practice squad.

Patrick Robinson, CB

The Saints brought PRob home to stand out from the slot, which is what he’s done well in various free agent stops the last few years. But he got targeted early and often by Blake Bortles, giving up 4 of the 5 targets into his coverage for 37 yards on the opening drive and missing a crucial open-field tackle. But his high-pointing pass breakup against a fade route on the goal-line was heroic, and I think it’s reasonable to think he’ll soon rebound.

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