Featured Discussion New Orleans Saints vs. Miami Dolphins Game Day Thread

The New Orleans Saints host the Miami Dolphins in their final game of the 2019 NFL preseason on Thursday at 7 p.m. (CT).

Fans can catch the action on WVUE-Fox-8 locally with Joel Meyers (play-by-play), Jon Stinchcomb and Jonathan Vilma (color analysts) and Meghan Payton (sideline). The game will also air on local radio's WWL-870 and 105.3 with Zach Strief (play-by-play), Deuce McAllister (color analyst) and Steve Geller (sideline). For Spanish language radio, tune in to 97.5 and 105.7 with Mario Jerez (play-by-play), Juan Carlos Ramos (color analyst) and Victor Quinonez (sideline).

For full broadcast channel listings, CLICK HERE.

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The final preseason game of the summer kicks off Thursday night when the New Orleans Saints host the Miami Dolphins at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Inside the sidelines, however, don’t squint too hard to locate the starters because most of the key players — if not all — won’t sniff the playing field with the regular season looming on the horizon.

Instead, the final exhibition contest is the last step of the offseason evaluation process surrounding the players on the bubble hoping to make an impression before the Saints’ decision makers establish the season's initial 53-player roster.

So, with that in mind, here are some areas to watch:

BACKUP WARS
The Saints have one of the league’s strongest foundations and entered training camp without too many questions on the roster, thanks largely in part to recent drafts and key free-agent signings.

That said, there are some spots up for grabs when it comes to filling out all-important depth.

The battle at wide receiver after Michael Thomas, Ted Ginn Jr. and arguably Tre’Quan Smith remains unsettled on paper, and a strong showing Thursday night could do well for the likes of rookie Emmanuel Butler, Simmie Cobbs Jr., Travin Dural, Cyril Grayson Jr. and rookie Lil’Jordan Humphrey.

Austin Carr and Keith Kirkwood aren’t likely to play given they both left last weekend’s preseason game against the New York Jets with undisclosed injuries. Kirkwood, in particular, could find himself in a precarious position when considering he missed seven days of practice in training camp and did not play in two preseason games.

On the offensive line, the Saints could be looking for a swing tackle given Marshall Newhouse has missed recent practice time and didn’t play in the third preseason game. Opportunity knocks for either Michael Ola or Patrick Omameh.

Defensively, the Saints appear set at numerous spots, but could give a hard look at backup defensive end depth behind Cameron Jordan, Marcus Davenport and Trey Hendrickson. Keep an eye on Wes Horton, Geneo Grissom and rookies Corbin Kaufusi and Porter Gustin.

The Saints could also look to carry more defensive tackles given Sheldon Rankins won’t be ready in the very near future despite being activated from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. David Onyemata will also serve a one-game suspension to start the season, so opportunity knocks for Sylvester Williams, Ziggy Hood or rookie Shy Tuttle to make a statement.

At cornerback, the Saints should give Ken Crawley and Kayvon Webster a very hard look before deciding on how many defensive backs to carry.

NOT JUST THE SAINTS
While the final preseason game is often viewed by media and fans as meaningless, that stance could not be further from the truth.

A good showing Thursday night from any of the Saints players currently on the bubble might not necessarily secure a spot in New Orleans. But there are plenty of other teams around the league paying attention that could swoop in during the waiver process.

The Saints have struck gold on the waiver wire after roster cuts over the past two late summers with the additions of quarterback Taysom Hill, wide receiver Austin Carr, cornerback Justin Hardee and running back Dwayne Washington.

Just because players don’t make it through the Saints’ roster trimmings from 90 to 53 by the league’s 3 p.m. deadline Saturday doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be unemployed for long.

The NFL is forever about talent and opportunity. Clearly, a player has the former if he was in a training camp. Opportunity could come knocking elsewhere.

RETURNER BATTLE
This could be a very big game for veteran cornerback Marcus Sherels, provided he plays.

Sherels returned to a limited practice Monday after not playing in the three previous exhibition games for undisclosed reasons.

The Saints signed Sherels to a one-year deal during the offseason with special teams in mind, but the missed time could put his roster spot in jeopardy.

In his absence, rookie wide receiver Deonte Harris has thrived and made a strong case to be the team’s returner over Sherels when the regular season starts.

Live Chat Is Here

[SmashMouth]

0 % Precipitation

Kickoff

Dome

Partly Cloudy

Temperature: 89f.

Feels Like: 95f.

Wind: 5mi East - SouthEast

Humidity: 55%

Visibility: 10mi

Barometer: 1016"

Dew Point: 70f.

Cloud Cover: 44%

Precipitation Prob: 1%

Q2

Dome

Partly Cloudy

Temperature: 87f.

Feels Like: 93f.

Wind: 4mi East - SouthEast

Humidity: 59%

Visibility: 10mi

Barometer: 1016"

Dew Point: 71f.

Cloud Cover: 42%

Precipitation Prob: 1%

Q3

Dome

Humid and Partly Cloudy

Temperature: 86f.

Feels Like: 92f.

Wind: 4mi East - SouthEast

Humidity: 63%

Visibility: 10mi

Barometer: 1016"

Dew Point: 72f.

Cloud Cover: 39%

Precipitation Prob: 0%

Q4

Dome

Humid and Partly Cloudy

Temperature: 84f.

Feels Like: 91f.

Wind: 3mi SouthEast

Humidity: 67%

Visibility: 10mi

Barometer: 1016"

Dew Point: 72f.

Cloud Cover: 37%

Precipitation Prob: 0%

[SmashMouth]

Will Teddy make the team after his recent poor performances?

[saintfan]

No whammies. Hope nobody gets hurt. Last shot to impress for some of these guys.

[K Major]

Most playing tonight are auditioning for other teams.

[Halo]

No INJURIES!

[The Dude]

I’m looking forward to this game more so than any other preseason game ever. Payton is going to have some tough choices. I’m getting my pornhub channel ready now so I don’t have to bother with it during the game.

[ChrisXVI]

I’m looking to see who the heck is going to be a backup OT. We have a bunch of interior OL.

[SmashMouth]

Originally Posted by ChrisXVI

I’m looking to see who the heck is going to be a backup OT. We have a bunch of interior OL.

Detellier this morning on the radio was saying they may trade for one.

[The Dude]

Originally Posted by SmashMouth

Detellier this morning on the radio was saying they may trade for one.

That would make me happy. Wonder who we would trade? Or what