Sleepers to watch at every position on offense at New Orleans Saints training camp

The New Orleans Saints have exceptionally low expectations from around the media landscape entering the 2025 season. After a pretty dismal 2024 campaign and a complete overhaul of the coaching staff, this could be a season where the team just works on developing young talent and heading towards the draft once again. On the other hand, they could find themselves in a decent position if some of their young talents pan out sooner than expected.

The offense is going to be a key point of focus heading into the year, as there are many young players around the group who have yet to have a good chance at playing time. There are also some intriguing offseason additions that could raise the ceiling of the team as a whole. With that said, let's take a look at one sleeper from each position group on offense, and why they could exceed expectations.

Quarterback: Spencer Rattler

It feels as though many have already gifted Tyler Shough the starting quarterback job solely because he was the most recent addition to the room and was selected by the new coach. In addition, Spencer Rattler had a pretty difficult 2024 campaign in the playing time he did get, struggling to produce at times and being relatively inefficient. However, this is expected in many cases for Day 3 draft selections as a whole, and with how many flashes of talent Rattler showed at times, he may be worth a second look at some point.

It is clear that this preseason is gearing up to be a rather intriguing battle at the quarterback position, and Rattler should not be considered out of it by any means as of yet.

Running back: Marcus Yarns

The running back position for the Saints is gearing up to be an absolute bloodbath when it comes to who may take the spots on the 53-man roster. The team tends to take a maximum of four backs into the season, with the fourth having versatility as a returner or special-teams compatible option. Alvin Kamara is a lock, but then things get interesting, with Kendre Miller, Devin Neal, Cam Akers, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Velus Jones Jr. and Marcus Yarns fighting for three spots at maximum.

The assumption would be that Neal takes one spot, considering he was a draft pick this season, but then the waters are rather muddy. This provides an exceptional opportunity for Delaware UDFA Marcus Yarns to try and compete his way into a role. He has shown really strong rushing traits at the collegiate level, and while his workload as a satellite back is minimal, he has made the most of his receiving touches. He could be a fun option to keep an eye on during training camp and preseason.

Wide receiver: Bub Means

2024 fifth-round pick Bub Means is absolutely a player to watch out for this season, after missing substantial time last season with an ankle injury, but now he is ready to take his workload back. In seven games last season (one of which was a start), he picked up nine receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown, along with seven first downs. His touchdown catch was rather spectacular, and now with the wide receiver room relatively cleared out once again, he should have a good chance to find himself some snaps right off the bat.

Tight end: Moliki Matavao

Seventh-round rookie Moliki Matavao was somewhat overlooked initially among a pretty successful Saints draft class, as the late picks of the bunch tend to be the team taking fliers on prospects more than anything. However, there is a pretty clear line to playing time for Matavao, and he has improved each year of his collegiate career before the draft. He is coming off a 2024 campaign with 41 receptions for 506 yards and two touchdowns, which is rather impressive for his first season in the Big Ten alongside UCLA against new competition.

With Taysom Hill likely out for a substantial time, and Foster Moreau still working to recover from his setback, the team is going to rely heavily on Juwan Johnson and one to two other options. This leaves free agent signing Jack Stoll, Dallin Holker, and multiple other depth options who have been added at various points in the last year. While Holker had some playing time in 2024 for the Saints, there is no clear TE2 for now, and Matavao could land that spot through strong showings in preseason.

Interior offensive line: Kyle Hergel

Kyle Hergel is an intriguing option when it comes to the Saints' guard room. Many will immediately turn to Trevor Penning or Dillon Radunz as the obvious options at left guard, but Hergel may not be someone to overlook. With eight games on the roster last year, Hergel was able to land some playing time due to injuries, snagging 45 snaps and only giving up two pressures alongside one penalty. He did exceptionally well in blocking for the run, and was at least servicable against pass rush, so he could be an interesting outside wildcard for the left guard position.

Offensive tackle: Josh Ball

Josh Ball was primarily a depth signing for the Saints, as he was picked up in late December during last season. However, he now has a connection within the team, as a member of the 2021 and 2022 Dallas Cowboys teams that Kellen Moore was the offensive coordinator for, and even better, where he was drafted in the fourth round.

While he has not had much playing time in his career yet, Ball did suit up for 13 games in 2022 with Moore at OC, playing 41 offensive snaps and 64 special teams snaps. He has exceptional size for a tackle at 6-foot-8 and 304 pounds, which could give him a shot at a roster spot. With the Saints having little to no tackle depth, Ball should be able to land a spot if he can show some flashes at camps.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints training camp: Sleepers to watch at every position on offense