The New Orleans Saints roster is coming together this NFL offseason, and we now have a solid idea of who will be around new quarterback Derek Carr in Week 1. Now, the next time we see the 2023 team will be at Saints training camp when players start pushing each other for playing time and roster roles. After the Saints 2023 NFL draft, several Saints rookies will push veterans for time and starting spots. First-round pick, defensive tackle Brian Bresee, is one of those players, but there are several others as well.

Nathan Shepherd vs. Brian Bresee

The Saints made some interesting moves this offseason, and one of those was signing New York Jets defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd and guaranteeing him over $10 million.

Shepherd was a rotational player on the Jets who never played more than 42% of the team’s defensive snaps in a season. His career high for tackles is 33, and sacks are 2.5. The big lineman is a solid player but at 29, he’s probably reached his ceiling.

After that signing, the Saints used their 2023 first-round pick to take Clemson DT Brian Bresee. The former Tigers lineman is an athletic big man and a nasty brawler on the line who can stop the run and provide an interior pass rush.

Bresee had some bad injury luck, missing almost a full season with a torn ACL and then suffering from a kidney infection toward the end of his final college season. That is some of the reason Bresee slipped to the back end of the first.

If he can stay healthy, Brian 19Bresee can be a difference-maker on the D-line. That’s why there’s a good chance that the Saints rookie will beat out Shepherd in training camp and start on the line next to the Saints’ other offseason acquisition, former Kansas Coty Chiefs DT Khalen Saunders.

Carl Granderson vs. Isaiah Foskey

Saints defensive end Carl Granderson had the best season of his career in 2022, racking up 5.5 sacks, a career-high. He is a solid player who is still young and getting better, but a Saints rookie is coming for his job.

Notre Dame pass rusher Isaiah Foskey is a speed rusher who was one of the top sack masters in college football last season, taking down the quarterback 11 times.

New Orleans was squarely in the middle of the pack last season with 38 sacks. If the team can up that total, it will make the defense one of the most formidable ones in the league. That’s why Foskey will get every opportunity to beat out Granderson.

Granderson is a solid player, but even after making a big leap in 2022, he’s still not a big-time playmaker. Foskey has the chance to be a double-digit sack player in the NFL and could start down that path during the Saints' 2023 campaign.

Rashid Shaheed vs. AT Perry

Chris Olave and Michael Thomas are the two top wideouts on the Saints' roster. That’s not a question. However, the No. 3 spot is less clear heading into the Saints 2023 season.

Right now, second-year WR Rashid Shaheed is the leader to win the job. He had a solid season as a Saints rookie, making 28 catches for 488 yards and two touchdowns. That’s why New Orleans didn’t pick a WR high in the draft this year. They did pick one late, though, and Wake Forest wideout AT Perry has the potential to earn some time this year.

Perry was an incredibly productive pass catcher for the Demon Deacons. In his final two seasons on campus, the WR put up 152 catches 2,389 yards, and 26 touchdowns. He’s still a bit inconsistent with his hands, but if he works on that, there is no reason Perry won’t see the field as a Saints rookie.

And in addition to possibly challenging Shaheed, Thomas has been incredibly unreliable the past few seasons due to injuries and issues with the club. If he bails on the season again, it could be Perry who steps up and become an important weapon for Derek Carr.

Storm Norton vs. Nick Saldiveri

The Saints’ starting five on the offensive line, left tackle Trevor Penning, left guard Andrus Peat, center Erik McCoy, right guard Cesar Ruiz, and right tackle Ryan Ramczyk is basically set in stone. However, the sixth lineman spot is up for grabs.

Veterans James Hurst and Storm Norton will be among those competing for the backup jobs, but look out for fourth-round Saints rookie out of Old Dominion, Nick Saldiveri.

Saldiveri played tackle in college but profiles as a guard in the NFL. He also even took snaps at center during the pre-draft process. If the youngster shows he can legitimately back up four or even five positions in Saints training camp, he’ll have a chance to become the sixth lineman on the team.

That’s bad news for free agent Storm Norton who doesn’t have that kind of flexibility and has struggled mightily at times with the Los Angeles Chargers.