After having some time to reflect on Saturday night’s 16-9 loss to the Houston Texans, who are some players that saw their stock fluctuate? Here’s 10 New Orleans Saints players that caught our attention, whether it was in a negatively or positively fashion.
Winners
P.J. Williams - After surrendering a touchdown pass, Williams bounced back to provide several good plays on the night. The interception, which you can see below, was what you wanted to see out of the second-year defender. The in-game adjustments are just as important as consistently performing in training camp. With Keenan Lewis out of the picture, it’s safe to say Williams is in a prime position to take the team’s No. 2 corner spot.
.@PjWilliams_26 with an endzone INT WATCH: https://t.co/IVEI4VOZhz #SaintsGameday pic.twitter.com/D2AFyCX8Ok
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 21, 2016
Tommylee Lewis - After the blundering play of Marcus Murphy, it was a great opportunity to see the rookie take the spotlight. You just get the feeling that anytime the Saints get Lewis the ball, big things can happen. In turn, Lewis had a couple of catches and had a nice kickoff return on the night.
Nick Fairley - With Sheldon Rankins being out, this was one of the key things I was looking at. Would the Saints see any drop off in production with Nick Fairley? Not even a little bit. Fairley made several plays, including several stuffs and blowing up the line of scrimmage. He even had a sack for a 4-yard loss. It’s been a while since the Saints had that type of surge coming from the middle, and Fairley should play a huge part in the Saints revamped defense.
Daniel Lasco - Lasco was the biggest hit out of the Saints backfield other than the quarterbacks Luke McCown and Garrett Grayson, which is just depressing to even fathom at this point. Lasco displayed some good vision running the ball, and made some good special teams plays. He received some praise from Sean Payton during the game, which is always a good sign. Clearly, he was the most productive running back of the night.
David Onyemata - I also alluded to focusing on the guy behind Nick Fairley when watching the defense, and Canada’s finest didn’t disappoint. Onyemata filled in adequately as a rotational player, and was able to produce some penetration at the line. Sure, he has some tackling technique to refine, but the Saints have something here with him.
Losers
Marcus Murphy - He’s probably the top person in Sean Payton’s dog house, and for good reason. After the Saints defense forced a three-and-out, Murphy fumbled a punt which led to the Texans first score of the game. “It just can’t happen. We’ll find another returner,” Payton told the media following the game. Murphy has one job, and he can’t even do that right. The sad part is that he’s been in the league for over a year. At this point, he’s completely expendable, and absolutely on the round of first cuts.
Brandon Coleman - Despite leading the team in snaps played on Saturday, Coleman failed to impress anyone. Sure, he led the Saints with 6 catches for 47 yards, but we can’t look past the drops and very ‘fortunate’ reversal of his fumble after the catch. Payton called his performance ‘okay’, and said that he’s been ‘kind of pedestrian’ throughout camp. Coleman desperately has to put something together for his next game, or he might find himself on the unemployment line.
Andrus Peat - It didn’t matter whether Peat was a left tackle or right guard, but he got bullied on Saturday night. He had a better time playing guard, but the fact that he continues to struggle isn’t exactly encouraging for the Saints offense. The right side of the team’s offensive line has major question marks right now, and it needs proper attention from wherever that may need to come from.
Zach Strief - I don’t think much else needs to be said other than this. Let’s just be thankful that J.J. Watt wasn’t playing.
Clowney just mauled a dude https://t.co/ma0HUUdDBz
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) August 21, 2016
RaShaun Allen - He made two boo-boos in the time played, as he dropped a sure touchdown pass from Garrett Grayson and then a deep pass over the middle. It’s not like Allen really warrants a final roster spot with the top three tight ends set in stone, but the practice squad looks better for Chris Manhertz at this point.