The New Orleans Saints rallied for a win against the upstart Cleveland Browns on Sunday, so here’s a review of who played and how often, along with some questions on why some players saw more action than others. All snap counts are referenced from Pro Football Reference.
Offense
Offensive backfield:
- QB Drew Brees (66/66, 100%)
- RB Alvin Kamara (51/66, 77%)
- RB Mike Gillislee (9/66, 14%)
- RB Jonathan Williams (6/66, 9%)
The Saints leaned heavily on Kamara for a second week in a row, and clearly miss Mark Ingram’s presence in the rotation. Neither Gillislee nor Williams played 10 or more reps against the Browns. While the Saints tried a few gadget plays with Taysom Hill under center and Brees split out wide, they never got a snap off in the formation.
- Skills positions:
- WR Michael Thomas (58/66, 88%)
- TE Ben Watson (54/66, 82%)
- TE Josh Hill (39/66, 59%)
- WR Austin Carr (32/66, 48%)
- WR Ted Ginn Jr. (30/66, 45%)
- WR Tre’Quan Smith (22/66, 33%)
Thomas and and Watson were the clear leaders in the offense at their positions, and Hill outsnapped every other receiver. Sean Payton commented on Monday that New Orleans needs better production of its tight end group, but it’s not clear where that upgrade is coming from.
Offensive linemen:
- T Terron Armstead (66/66, 100%)
- T Ryan Ramczyk (66/66, 100%)
- C Max Unger (66/66, 100%)
- G Larry Warford (66/66, 100%)
- G Andrus Peat (60/66, 91%)
- G Josh LeRibeus (6/66, 9%)
- T Jermon Bushrod (6/66, 9%)
No real surprises here, as four of the five starters went the distance. It’s impressive that Peat returned to finish the game after just six snaps after reinjuring the right leg that’s given him quadriceps and ankle issues all summer after he broke his fibula back in January. That speaks to his toughness.
Special Teams
- QB Taysom Hill (23/27, 85%)
- LB Craig Robertson (23/27, 85%)
- FS Chris Banjo (17/26, 63%)
- DB Justin Hardee (16/26, 59%)
- DB J.T. Gray (15/56%)
- CB Patrick Robinson (14/27, 52%)
- LB A.J. Klein (14/27, 52%)
37 different Saints players appeared on special teams snaps, but just the players listed above saw more than half of the opportunities to get on the field. Hill, Robertson, Banjo, Hardee, and Gray are the clear corps special teamers valued by the team. It makes sense given Hill’s performance in a variety of roles, and was the explicit reason given for Gray making the roster.
Defense
Defensive linemen:
- DE Cameron Jordan (60/62, 97%)
- DT Sheldon Rankins (50/62, 81%)
- DT David Onyemata (42/62, 68%)
- DE Alex Okafor (39/62, 63%)
- NT Taylor Stallworth (26/62, 42%)
- DE Marcus Davenport (23/62, 37%)
- DE Mitchell Loewen (4/62, 6%)
The Saints dramatically mixed up their situation inside the defensive line in Tyeler Davison’s absence with a foot injury. His replacement, Stallworth, played half the snaps Davison saw a week ago (52) while Rankins surpassed Onyemata in reps. It’s not too concerning that Davenport, the team’s first round draft choice, is not getting on the field very often – easing him in after his injury and getting him favorable matchups on passing downs was the plan all along. But it’s problematic that the Saints found so few rookie contributors in this year’s draft.
Linebackers:
- LB A.J. Klein (48/62, 77%)
- LB Demario Davis (42/62, 68%)
- LB Manti Te’o (35/62, 56%)
- LB Alex Anzalone (23/62, 37%)
Klein has caught plenty of flak for subpar play early in the season, but he actually matched up well against the Browns with step-for-step coverage and some clean tackling. Te’o’s limitations were on display while he correctly diagnosed several plays, but wasn’t able to get to his spot on time to disrupt the offense. Anzalone playing so few snaps is a problem. Davis should be making more impact plays to justify starting on the weakside over the second-year draft pick.
Defensive secondary:
- FS Marcus Williams (62/62, 100%)
- CB Marshon Lattimore (61/62, 98%)
- CB Ken Crawley (61/62, 98%)
- CB Patrick Robinson (41/62, 66%)
- SS Vonn Bell (40/62, 65%)
- SS Kurt Coleman (23/62, 37%)
- CB P.J. Williams (2/62, 3%)
Coleman was announced in the starting lineup to start the game, but ended up playing nearly half as many snaps as Bell. Crawley has had a rough outing in both games to start the year, so it’s fair to wonder if P.J. gets a crack at starting in his place. The Saints can’t afford to let Crawley start for a third year in a row with him allowing such strong inconsistencies in coverage. Marcus Williams was the only player to see every defensive snap, and produced the defense’s only turnover.