The New Orleans Saints preseason Week 2 game is coming up against the Green Bay Packers, giving fans a second look at the 2022 Saints roster. Ahead of the Saints-Packers game, here are four bold Saints preseason Week 2 predictions.
The Saints preseason Week 2 game still won’t give fans a look at the full first-team squad. Jameis Winston definitely won’t play in the game, according to coach Dennis Allen, and, chances are, Michael Thomas won’t either. That’s OK, though. There are still plenty of fascinating players and positional battles to watch.
As the team gets ready for the upcoming Saints-Packers game on Friday, August 19, at 8 pm ET, here are four bold Saints preseason Week 2 predictions.
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Saints Preseason Week 2 Predictions
4. More good than bad from Trevor Penning
First-round tackle Trevor Penning has been the talk of Saints training camp so far in 2022. Whether it’s for good (run blocking), bad (pass blocking vs. speed rushers), or ugly (fighting all the time) reasons, Penning is the name on everyone’s lips.
The Saints Week 2 prediction for Penning in the Packers-Saints game is that he will be up and down as usual, but the bold part is there will be much more good than bad. Penning is starting to get his footing under him with more and more reps in training camp. With several Saints tackles likely out with nagging injuries against the Packers, he should play a lot in this Saints preseason game.
Even if the Packers play their two excellent pass-rushers, Rashan Gary and Preston Smith, Penning should be able to hold his own against the big, powerful rushers. If the rookie does struggle, it could be later in the game with some of the speedier pass-rush specialists deeper on Green Bay’s roster.
3. Undrafted rookie free agent Lucas Krull moves ahead of the pack in the TE battle
Taysom Hill will miss the Saints Week 2 preseason game so the other four tight ends competing for time and roster spots will all get a good long look from Dennis Allen and company.
Adam Trautman, Nick Vannett, Juwan Johnson, and Lucas Krull should all see a ton of snaps during the Saints-Packers tilt, with the latter three getting the most.
Of this group, the Saints prediction here is that Lucas Krull, an undrafted rookie out of Pittsburgh will outperform the rest of the group. The 6-foot-6, 260-pound TE has all the physical tools to be a No. 1 TE in the league, and he’s been one of the standout players thus far in the Saints-Packers joint practices.
If Krull does win the battle at his position in this Saints Week 2 preseason matchup, it will mean that Vannett and Johnson really have to battle it out for the final TE roster slot.
2. Dai’Jean Dixon is the leading receiver again
Michael Thomas, Chris Olave, and Jarvis Landry are the Saints' top three wideouts heading into the 2022 season. With that decided, the intrigue becomes what the team does with the other three WR slots.
Do they stick with known veterans like Marquez Callaway and Tre’Quan Smith? Or do they look to get some young developmental guys at the end of the WR bench?
Undrafted rookie Dai’Jean Dixon out of Nicholls State was the team’s leading pass-catcher in the first preseason game against the Houston Texans (3 catches, 33 yards). He'll do it again vs. the Packers.
With Jameis Winston out, the top three wideouts probably won’t play that much either in this next Saints preseason contest. That will give the other receivers plenty of time to shine, and the 6-foot-4, 200-pound rookie could do just that.
Dixon is a big-bodied WR who brings something different than Thomas, Olave, and Jarvis. If he keeps putting in good performances, making the roster seems within reach. A lot of his success this week will come down to who’s throwing him the ball, though.
1. Ian Book loses his spot on the 53-man roster
With Jameis Winston firmly No. 1 at QB and Andy Dalton No. 2, Ian Book faces an uphill battle to make the Saints roster. Most NFL teams keep three QBs on the 53-man roster, especially if QB1 has the injury history Winston does. However, what makes the Saints unique here, is that they will have a third QB on the depth chart at TE in Taysom Hill.
Book will get at least a half, if not more, in the Saints Week 2 preseason game. It may be his last chance to make the team’s Week 1 roster.
The bold Saints prediction here is that Book doesn’t seize the opportunity in this game and ultimately finds himself banished to the practice squad for the 2022 season. The former Notre Dame signal-caller could become a good backup in the league, but he’s not there yet. Playing in the second half of an NFL preseason game won’t do him any favors either with the talent around him.
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