Stock up, stock down from Saints' preseason game vs. 49ers (2024)

This was another big preseason game for Payton, who has steadily climbed the depth chart after being overlooked early at training camp. ESPN’s initial scoring credited him with just one pass breakup but he may have two or three more upon further review, after he forced four incompletions a week ago. He’s pushing Shemar Jean-Charles and doing what he can to earn a spot on the 53-man roster if the Saints carry five cornerbacks.

In this game Rattler, got his opportunity with the second team offense after running with the 3’s in game one. The hype surrounding him after an encouraging start was brought back to Earth a little bit with an underwhelming performance in San Fran. Rattler was just 4-of-8 on the day with 27 yards passing while also turning the ball over on a strip-sack. Granted there were some issues in protection as well as some dropped passes by his receivers but it wasn’t the performance we expected to see from the rookie in game two.

To keep it simple Chase Young looks like he’s going to be a very impactful player for this team. Young led the team against the 9ers Sunday with a couple of QB hits in his limited snaps and caused havoc on the edge in the running game. It is evident that Young’s athleticism is something that the Saints will benefit from going forward. If he can find consistency throughout the season and stay healthy for much of it, it certainly looks like the Saints have found themselves a player.

Dennis Allen’s comments about the safety position over the past few weeks are starting to come to light and we are seeing it with the recent play from second-year player Jordan Howden. His inconsistent play is a cause for concern because of what the team currently has at that spot. A couple of missed opportunities in crucial moments Sunday, made things a little clearer. After seeing glimpses of hope in his rookie year, it isn’t looking like Howden is ready to take that next step to being the team’s full-time starter opposite Tyrann Mathieu.

After a disappointing 2023 season, Jamaal Williams may find a little bit of resurgence this time around. With some better blocking up front, Williams was able to capitalize on his opportunities in the run game. In his five carries, Williams rushed for 32 yards, averaging 6.4 yards per carry including a 15-yard scamper early in the game. This was the first time we witnessed efficiency in this area during the preseason. It’ll mean everything for this team if they can carry it into the regular season.

A.T. Perry really needed another game to show that he can be relied upon as a consistent target in this offense and Sunday showed us the exact opposite of that. Perry was targeted 6 times vs. the 9ers only hauled in two balls on six targets for 24 yards. The team desperately needs someone to take a leap and secure the No. 3 receiver job, and so far we just haven’t seen it.

Maybe a surprise to many but we saw some growth from Trevor Penning from Week 1 to Week 2. Penning looked like he made a ton of strides in the run game, sealing defenders to open up holes for some big gains on offense. He just needs to block that well in all phases. The pass protection was still iffy but there was a tremendous amount of improvement overall. Definitely something he can build upon.

In a close punting battle for the Saints, second-year player Lou Hedley didn’t do much to make his case Sunday. On his three attempts, Hedley averaged only 38.7 yards per punt with none landing inside the 20. This comes a week after he averaged 46.8 yards per attempt and landed three inside the 20 against Arizona. Hedley has all the potential in the world, but consistency is what keeps you around in this league.