The start of the regular season is quickly approaching with the preseason winding down entering the final tilt later this week with teams getting a stronger impression and assessment of their rosters, which has been the case for the New Orleans Saints.

The team has had an intriguing position battle at wide receiver beyond Pro Bowler Michael Thomas with each of the other wideouts in offseason addition Cameron Meredith, Tedd Ginn Jr., and rookie Tre'Quan Smith have been jocking for playing time. Head coach Sean Payton has only brought more fuel to that fire by stating on Saturday night that things could still change on the depth chart, according to Mike Triplett of ESPN.

Outside of Thomas, the pecking order for the rest of the Saints' wide receiver corps is one of the hardest to pin down in the entire NFL. Their preseason usage has offered little guidance. And Payton said after Saturday's win at the Los Angeles Chargers:

“That depth chart is like written in chalk. It's not permanent ink.”

Article Continues Below
More New Orleans Saints News
New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) drops back to pass against the New York Giants during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium.
Saints’ Derek Carr shares eye-opening reason for turning down $30 millionTroy Finnegan ·
New Saints head coach Kellen Moore has Bryan Bresee and other gems on his first New Orleans team.
3 New Orleans Saints hidden gems on 2025 roster you need to knowLorenzo J Reyna ·
Mystery player in the middle, Chris Olave and Alvin Kamara around him, Saints logo in the background
1 New Orleans Saints rookie who stood out most in 2025 minicampEnzo Flojo ·
Tyler Shough in the middle, Derek Carr and Coach Kellen Moore around him, Stormy skies in the background
New Orleans Saints’ riskiest move in 2025 NFL offseasonEnzo Flojo ·
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) shakes hands with a Miami Dolphins player after the game at MetLife Stadium.
Aaron Rodgers brutally shoots down ever playing with SaintsBenjamin Adducchio ·
New Orleans Saints quarterback Jake Haener (3) looks on against the Washington Commanders during the first half at Caesars Superdome.
Potential Derek Carr replacement suffers injury at Saints practiceBen Strauss ·

Smith has likely lead to this situation being where it has reached at this point in time with his impressive play in the preseason as he leads all wide receivers on the roster with 11 catches for 147 receiving yards and a touchdown. He has shown the ability to make plays in the passing game with his big-play ability that has made him a highly reliable target in preseason action.

Meanwhile, Meredith is still working his way back from a torn ACL  that forced him to miss the entire 2017 season. He had also missed a significant amount of training camp that has only given a more difficult challenge to get back to full strength ahead of this upcoming season. Ginn Jr. has secured a spot in the passing game, but he has yet to cement his status behind Thomas as this left the door open for Smith to swoop to garner that role.

These next several days in training and the preseason finale should provide more clarity on what the depth chart for Week 1 will look like for the wide receiver position.