Four Saints That Could Sneak On To The Roster

You have to love the offseason. Everyone’s team is undefeated in the regular season. Everyone has optimism about said team. And most of us are convinced our team is going to the Super Bowl. As we enter the second week of preseason, everyone is trying to guess who could be on the final 53 man roster of their team. Heck, even here at Saints Nation there are a few articles on the subject. Its kinda what you do during this time of the year. The players listed below are not locks to make the roster. Some of them might not make the team at all. But after the first week of preseason and reading the reports from training camp here are four Saints that could make this roster.

-Tommy Lee Lewis

Lewis made the team last year strictly because of his special teams ability to return the ball. And we saw how that turned out. Lewis had 8 kickoff returns for 152 yards. If you are doing the math that is an average of 19 yards per kick return. That will not keep you on the roster. Lewis also had 14 punt returns for 160 yards coming in at 11.4 yards average. Not nearly enough to help win the field position battle especially considering on two of those punt returns Lewis fumbled the ball. Needless to say Lewis was a dud, along with everyone else the Saints used here, when it came to Special Teams. Lewis did appear in 12 games last year catching 7 passes for 76 yards including one long one of 26 yards. But here is a number to really look at, 4 of those 7 passes went for first downs. When called upon Lewis was clutch for the Saints. However, going into this season, with the addition of Ted Ginn and Alvin Kamara, Lewis was a long shot to make this team. Don’t get me wrong he still is but what you saw in that first preseason game was someone proving to Payton that he might just be too valuable to let go. It also helps that Lewis is only in the Black and Gold thanks to Bill Parcells. Payton trust Parcells and I assume that carries some weight to it as well. Don’t be surprised come week one if Lewis is still a member of the Saints.

-Adam Bighill

If Bighill wants to make this team he is going to have to fight and make as many plays as possible because of the competition at the Linebacker position. You can almost write in ink A.J. Klien, Craig Robertson, Stephone Anthony and Manti Te’o. I think some combination of these guys will be your starters but Bighill has had a good training camp so far. Bighill is another addition to the Saints from the CFL. Seriously, the Saints seem to find gems in UDFAs and in the CFL, or maybe that just means they have been bad a drafting… Hmmmm… Anyways, Bighill was a standout for the B.C. Lions for 6 years in the CFL and he plays with passion. The game is obviously completely different in Canada as it is here but Bighill put up good numbers in the CFL. 33 sacks, 8 interceptions and 8 forced fumbles just to name a few. Some good special teams work and Bighill could find himself a new home in the Big Easy.

-Mitchell Loewen

Loewen was signed last year as a UDFA but was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list on June 6 prematurely ending his rookie season. Those of use who also follow LSU football might recognize the name of Mitchell Loewen as he was a defensive end for the Arkansas Razorbacks. To be a true defensive tackle, where the Saints have moved him, Loewen may want to try and bulk up and work on the run-game. Loewen has been a decent surprise so far in camp and made a few plays in the preseason opener. The biggest question is will he be able to fully adjust to the move on the interior of the defensive line.

-Arthur Maulet

The good news for this UDFA is the fact that the Saints need all the help they can get at the Cornerback position, making his rise to the 53 man roster slightly better than his fellow UDFA colleagues. One of the biggest reasons Maulet slid out of the draft was his 4.62 40-yard dash time. He didn’t exactly blow the scouts away at the combine but he was graded as one of the better corners his last year at Memphis by ProFootball Focus. Maulet was the talk of OTAs and Minicamp and apparently he has carried over his good snaps into training camp. With the Saints thin at CB, Maulet should be able to make this team.