Saints position battles to watch vs. Cowboys before final roster cuts

NFL preseason action for the New Orleans Saints wraps up with a game at the Dallas Cowboys on Friday night. Records don't matter one bit until the regular season, but there will still be plenty on the line for players on the 0-2 Saints and 2-0 Cowboys. All NFL teams must trim down to a 53-man active roster by Sunday afternoon. For some, this is one final push to make their current team. Other players are in a battle for a higher spot on the depth chart.

Starters on either side will play little or not at all. However, here are four position battles to watch for the Saints.

Neither veteran has stood out at all this preseason. For that matter, neither did anything defensively for the Saints last season either. Howden has done little in his three seasons with the team. Each excel on special teams, which could be the inside track to the roster…. for one of them.

New Orleans has a trio of quality safeties in Julian Blackmon, Justin Reid, and Jonas Sanker. Rookie Lorenzo Styles Jr., though dealing with a calf injury, has certainly played well enough to make the squad. If the Saints keep just five safeties, a strong possibility, then it likely comes down to Howden or Burgess for the final spot. One will have to show that they aren't a major liability in coverage, with both probably seeing plenty of snaps against the Rams.

There have been very few positives from the New Orleans reserve linemen, particularly along the interior. The Saints will likely have a formidable starting five, but depth remains a major concern. Rookie guard Jeremiah Wright is raw, but has a spot on the team because of his tremendous physicality and upside. Aside from him, the Saints may dip heavily into the waiver pool after roster cuts.

Sherman and Simpkins have both gotten a ton of reps at center this preseason. Neither have been impressive, but Sherman has been the more consistent of the two. Both can play either guard or center, giving the team some versatility behind the starters. If the Saints dive into free agency as expected, it's likely that Sherman and Simpkins are fighting for one spot. Simpkins hasn't been able to practice this week after entering concussion protocol during the second preseason game.

Running back looked like a potentially deep area coming into training camp. However, injuries have stripped the position down. Alvin Kamara could miss up to the first month of the year, Ty Chandler is on season-ending injured reserve, and Devin Neal just sustained his second hamstring injury in a month. This isn't even considering the ever-present injury specter hanging over Kendall Miller, who has already missed some time this summer. All that prompted the Saints to trade for Zamir White this week, a fifth-year pro and former Georgia Bulldogs star.

New Orleans faces a big question whether to carry four backs that include an injured Kamara and unreliable Miller, or keep an extra back due to the circumstances. If they keep an extra, it may not be Neal, who could start the year on short-term injured reserve. Therefore, it likely comes down to a decision between the undrafted rookie Donaldson or slightly more proven White. Donaldson has had some solid moments in training camp and would seem to be ahead of the newly-acquired White. Expect both to see a lot of looks against Dallas.

Let's be honest, neither quarterback deserves the backup job based on either performance or career history. However, this has been one of the most talked about stories of camp. Rattler was the heavy favorite coming into camp, but Wilson closed that gap significantly after the first preseason game. Then, Wilson had a horrific performance against the Rams, with Rattler not being any better. This is a worst-case scenario for the Saints; choosing a backup behind Tyler Shough based on default rather than performance.

Both quarterbacks will split time against the Cowboys. It's still possible that New Orleans keeps both, but this certainly can't be a situation that player, coach, or fan can feel any confidence over. Hopefully, either Rattler or Wilson can put out a strong performance against Dallas and at least establish themselves as a reasonably competent backup option for New Orleans.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints position battles to watch vs. Cowboys before final roster cuts