Saints' first preseason loss confirms two major fears regarding their roster that don't even involve the QBs

Preseason play is always a bit tough to garner a ton of feedback from. NFL teams are playing depth on both sides of the ball often. For the New Orleans Saints, nearly none of their starters or top talent played in their preseason loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Their roster may have two important flaws that New Orleans dealt with last season as well.

Offensive line depth may be a massive issue

New Orleans' first drive was the only time we saw the bulk of the offense's projected starting offensive line. After that, backups entered the fray, and the performance was a bit alarming at times. The running game struggled to find a lot of space, and the pass protection was not particularity impressive, either. The Saints ran for just 61 yards in the game. New Orleans gave up five sacks against LA.

Every quarterback, Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler, and Jake Haener, all had to play a bit faster than they would probably like due to the struggles of the OL depth. The protection was a major reason that the Saints struggled to a 3-13 day on third down, too. Trevor Penning, a projected starter at guard, left the game due to an injury, too.

Backup pass catchers still lack upside

Mason Tipton was arguably the most impressive wideout to play for the Saints tonight, and that was due to his long touchdown reception from Tyler Shough. That was his only grab in the game.

This lack of talent down the depth chart at WR has been an issue for the Saints over the past few years. It still hasn't improved during that span. Brandin Cooks was an experienced signing with ties to the organization, but he is simply not the player he once was. Players like Kevin Austin Jr., Velus Jones Jr., and Cedrick Wilson shouldn't play a possible starting role if the Saints lose a receiver or two to injury. That's just the reality for Kellen Moore's squad, though.