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4 Saints players on the roster bubble who need to stand out tonight

Tonight might not matter to most of the team, but for some players this is one of the biggest games of their career.

The New Orleans Saints starters won’t see much playing time against the Jacksonville Jaguars in tonight’s preseason game, so it’ll fall to guys on the second and third units to make the most plays. Here’s four names on the roster bubble who need to progress rapidly before their time runs out.

WR Austin Carr, #80

Fans had high hopes for Austin Carr going into the offseason, largely spurred by the big moments he had for the New England Patriots in last summer’s preseason games. But Carr hasn’t had many opportunities to shine in Saints training camp and feels like a forgotten man behind the top four receivers (Michael Thomas, Ted Ginn Jr, Cameron Meredith, and Tre’Quan Smith). Carr needs to step up against a deep Jacksonville secondary and show why the Saints stashed him on the roster throughout 2017.

QB J.T. Barrett, #5

It was exciting when the Saints nabbed Barrett in undrafted free agency, but the young passer hasn’t done much to stand out positively in training camp. He’s made poor decisions with ball security, though he has shown a knack for completing throws deeper downfield. We will probably spend most of the second half with Barrett behind the wheel of the Saints offense, so he’ll need to execute plays crisply and quickly get into rhythm with his receivers.

LB Nate Stupar, #54 and Hau’oli Kikaha, #44

It’ll be tough to make noise at linebacker with so many other experienced options – Craig Robertson and Manti Te’o figure to compete for the first-man-up spots behind the starters – so there’s very likely just one job up for grabs between Stupar and Kikaha. The pair of strongside linebackers have each had their moments in training camp with Kikaha’s pass-rush expertise going up against Stupar’s several forced fumbles and batted passes. I don’t see how both of these veterans make the final roster, and tonight’s preseason opener is just going to intensify their weeks-long competition.

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