4 Saints Who Could Steal the Show in Preseason Opener against Jaguars

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The New Orleans Saints will be playing against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first preseason game for both teams.

Both New Orleans and Jacksonville will not be playing their starters as many of them played in the joint practice on Thursday. That leaves it to the backups and rockies to showcase their skills to either find themselves a chance to compete for the starting job, a rotation sot or a roster spot.

With that being said, watch out for these players on Saturday.

Spencer Rattler

Aug 08, 2026; Metairie, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (2) poses against New Orleans Saints cornerback Jayden Price (38) during training camp at Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With Tyler Shough firmly in control of the starting role, the backup battle is between Spencer Rattler and Zach Wilson. Nonetheless, Rattler seems to have a firm grip on the role.

Rattler has improved quite a bit throughout training camp, and he has been comfortable throwing it in different spots: short or long, left, right or middle. It does not matter. Rattler has been slinging the ball, and that is a good reason why the next two players listed have been playing so well.

Barion Brown

Without a doubt, Brown has been making the most noise out of the three drafted receivers, as each and every practice he is making a standout play or two,

"I knew he was an explosive player, but I didn't know he could play like that,” Saints left tackle Kelvin Banks said. “He's a dog, man. Even from the first practice, I have seen him make some cuts, and run some routes and explode off the ball, and I was like 'Yeah, he's going to be special.'"

Brown will get a decent bit of reps, plus he’s the Saints’ main return man, something that many NFL teams, including the Saints, valued from him throughout the draft process. He was an All-American return specialist at both Kentucky and LSU.

Bryce Lance

The second of three wide receivers drafted by the Saints, Lance has been one of the standouts of camp so far. According to New Orleans.Football, he has caught 16 of the 24 balls thrown his way with no drops.

“Bryce is doing a really good job, too. He is coming on. He has talent at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds. He can run. I feel like he is getting better and better each day of practice,” Chris Olave said.

Expect Lance’s name to be called a lot with Rattler getting a significant number of snaps at quarterback. Lance has caught 15 of the 21 passes thrown his way during camp from Rattler, including two catches on three targets of 20-plus yards and the touchdown during Wednesday’s practice, when he leaped over two defenders in the end zone.

Jayden Price

A teammate of Lance when they were both at North Dakota State, Price has emerged as one of camp’s fastest risers and is now the No. 2 STAR behind Jonas Sanker.

He has a chance to lock down the role with a big performance against the Jaguars on Saturday.

Price’s road to this point has been anything but straightforward. After entering the NFL as an undrafted rookie, he spent part of 2024 with the Falcons, moving from the practice squad to a brief one-game appearance before continuing his career across multiple leagues. He was released by the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats, had UFL stops with the Birmingham Stallions and Arlington Renegades in 2024 and 2025, and later joined the Saints in June 2025.

New Orleans released him that August, brought him back on the practice squad, and eventually signed him to a reserve/future deal in January 2026.

"I think J.P.'s consistency through this entire camp has been really impressive," Saints coach Kellen Moore said. "He's a great example: you earn more opportunities through training camp, and he has certainly done that.”

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