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Saints Backups Shine, for the Most Part, in Week 1 PFF Rankings

Led by rookie defensive lineman, Saints 2nd stringers fared well.
Doug Joubert|
Saints defensive lineman Christen Miller
Saints defensive lineman Christen Miller | Instagram

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In the Preseason Game 1 loss to Jacksonville, 24-20, there were a number of Saints who did quite well. We gave our opinions on Sunday. For a more technical critique, we turn to Pro Football Focus. PFF is known for charting, analyzing, and grading every single player on every play of every game in the NFL. They turn these detailed observations into their signature 0–100 player grading system. These are the numbers that caught our eye.

Rookie Miller Leads the Pack

With the loss of Bryan Bresee on the first day of training camp to an ACL, Saints coaches were hoping to get their 2nd round draft pick up and running quickly. Defensive lineman Christen Miller did exactly that. Though he only saw limited action Saturday, the Georgia alum generated a pressure on one of his few pass-rushing snaps. More importantly, though, he recorded three defensive stops against the run. His score of 90.5 by PFF made him the top-ranked rookie defensive lineman in their scoring system for all 1st week preseason games and the highest scoring Saints defensive lineman in the Jacksonville contest.

Price Makes a Name for Himself

Sure you know about his interception.

But what set Jayden Price apart was his consistent and tight coverage. His grade on a scale of 0-100 for PFF for defensive work from the cornerback slot was an incredible 95.3, the highest of any defender for New Orleans. Most of that came from his coverage numbers, which PFF set at 94.6. In the three times his coverage was targeted by the Jaguars, Jacksonville did not complete a pass.

Good Kitty

Saints offensive tackle Easton Kitty
Saints offensive tackle Easton Kitty | Copyright: Stephen Lew, Credit: Stephen Lew - Imagn ImagesCreator: Stephen Lew

His 21-snaps meant his time was half that of the starting offensive linemen, but Easton Kitty, made the most of his opportunities. His PFF blocking score was the highest among any Saints player in the Preseason Game 1. A score of 86.7 in overall blocking was tops, mostly from his pass blocking, which hit an 83.8

Means More than a Pass Catcher

Yes, third-year man Bub Means ran some great routes and made some great catches.

But what will help the Pittsburgh grad make this team is what he does when is not catching the ball. Means had the second-highest PFF grade on the entire Saints squad when it came to run blocking. His 84.7 was only bested by Saturday's starting tackle Asim Richards.

Backup Center Did Not Have a Good Game

Saints center/guard Torricelli Simpkin
Jul 28, 2025; Metairie, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints guard Torricelli Simpkins III (68) at Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There were quite a few fans begging to see more from second-year man Torricelli Simpkins move up in the offensive front. Their wish turned out to be more of a nightmare. The center's overall grade by PFF of 53.8 ranked him fourth from the bottom for offensive lineman against the Jags. In his 42-snaps, he was beaten up the middle by a swim move we mentioned Sunday, giving up a sack on the play. Simpkins' 42.8 grade for pass blocking was the lowest for any O-lineman.

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Doug Joubert
DOUG JOUBERT

Doug has been around Saints football since its inception. He was in Tulane Stadium when John Gilliam ran back the opening kickoff for a touchdown in 1967. Though he was in attendance for the Tom Dempsey field goal in 1970, he left early, something he regrets to this day. He covered the Saints at their training camp in Ruston, Louisiana in 1985 while he was working in Monroe, Louisiana as an award-winning radio sportscaster. He was the host of the New Orleans Saints Pre-Game and Post-Game show on Sports 1280, WQUE in the early 1990s. Doug is also the publisher of the Tulane site for On SI.

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