5 (or 6) Saints Fighting for Their Roster Lives in Preseason Opener vs. Jaguars

Sign up for the daily Saints Newsletter by clicking here.

The New Orleans Saints will face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday at the Caesars Superdome in their first preseason game of the year.

After the two teams held a joint practice at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center, the game is expected to feature backups, rookies and players competing for roster spots, while the starters got most of their work in during a joint practice that was especially impressive for the Black and Gold.

Here are some of the players who are on the bubble who are participating in Saturday's exhibition.

Zach Wilson

Saimnts — Aug 08, 2026; Metairie, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Zach Wilson (4) changes the play during training camp at Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

New Orleans could be Wilson’s last chance.

The former No. 2 draft pick of the 2021 NFL Draft must operate the offense smoothly and avoid mistakes to close the gap with Spencer Rattler, who is firmly in control of the backup role.

He also faces competition from Hunter Dekkers, whom the Saints signed this offseason as a fourth quarterback. Both are expected to play Saturday.

Bub Means and Brock Rechsteiner

In the receiving corps, both Bub Means and Brock Rechsteiner are on the clock.

With rookies Barion Brown and Bryce Lance among the standouts throughout camp, Means will be battling to stay on the roster. While he’s been doing his thing throughout camp, he needs to do it in a game setting starting against Jacksonville.

The same goes for Rechsteiner, but his situation is more dire considering he was suspended for the first six games of the 2026 season.

Tyree Wilson

Edge rusher Tyree Wilson, a 2023 first-round pick, joined the Saints this offseason to revitalize his career after a trade from the Raiders.

The former Texas Tech All-American struggled to find his footing in Las Vegas, where a season-ending injury limited his participation during his rookie year.

Wilson started seven of the games he played for the Raiders, who traded the former seventh overall pick to the Saints on draft night.

Kickers

One of the most-watched position battles of the offseason has been the kicking battle.

Charlie Smyth and Tanner Brown have been duking it out for the top spot. Despite Smyth going 12-for-16 and making all 13 oif his point-after attempts, the Saints are giving Brown a tryout.

According to NewOrleans.Football, Brown has been kicking slightly better was he has made 33 of his 38 attempts (86.8%) while Smythe is 33-of-41, which is good for 80.5%.

Smythe did have a much-needed performance in one of the most important practices of the offseason, hitting all six of his field-goal tries, including the 51-yard “walk-off” to end the two-minute drill. He also connected from 56 and 51 yards during the normal kicking session. Brown had a good day as well going 5-of-6, with his only miss being a kick that bounced off the left upright. He did nail a 53-yarder in another two-minute drill and a 56-yarder in the kicking session.

Game Info (Date, Time, Location, Channel, Broadcast Crew)

Date: August 15
Time: 3 p.m.
Location: Caesars Superdome (New Orleans, La.)
Channel: WVUE-FOX 8 (Channel 9)
Broadcast Crew: Joel Meyers (play-by-play), Jon Stinchcomb (color analyst) and Terron Armstead (sideline).

Add us as a preferred source on Google