If there's one position battle that's gotten more attention than most throughout Saints training camp and preseason, it's most definitely got to be linebacker. By now we're all very familiar with the cast of characters competing for a roster spot, fourteen to be precise, and have a pretty good idea of how well each is doing. But one linebacker remains a mystery of sorts.
Ray Shipman.
We've seen incredibly little of the 6-5, 242 pound undrafted free agent rookie out of Central Florida. Probably because he tweaked his hamstring earlier in training camp and has missed numerous practices since, as recent as last week.
Shipman didn't play in the first preseason game against the Chiefs. He never took a snap last Friday against the Raiders but never played a down, earning him the distinction, I believe, of being the only non-PUP defensive player on the Saints roster not to take a preseason snap yet in the 2013.
We know very little about what Shipman brings to the table. I couldn't even find a picture of him in a Saints uniform for this article. That can't be good news for Shipman. Whatever has been hampering him is definitely keeping him last in line among the crowd at linebacker and seriously hurting his chances of even sniffing the roster.
The Saints haven't gotten rid of him just yet, though, so he's still got a chance. But what does the future hold for Shipman? I just really don't think there's any chance of him earning a roster spot at this point. So is he just going to get cut outright? Or will he red shirt his first season on IR?
More from Canal Street Chronicles:
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- Saints vs. Raiders Recap, Rob Ryan is King of The Seven Kingdoms: Podcast
- Saints 2013 Preseason Roster Builder
- Saints Preseason News, 8/19/13: Saints Release QB Seneca Wallace