Samson Nacua nearly provided the most exciting touchdown of the NFL preseason on Sunday just before halftime of the New Orleans Saints’ 30-27 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
With four seconds left in the second quarter, Titans kicker Brayden Narveson attempted a 58-yard field goal. The kick fell just short of the uprights, giving Nacua a chance to catch the ball in the end zone and return it.
Nacua cut to the left sideline at his own 3-yard line and, thanks to two blocks, found a lane down the left sideline to get to midfield. From there, he cut to the right sideline and found open space on the other side of the field to run another 40 yards. With two blockers accompanying him and only Titans lineman Nicholas Petit-Frere chasing him, Nacua was on his way to scoring a spectacular touchdown.
However, Tennessee tight end Thomas Odukoya took off in pursuit to push Nacua toward the sideline. Odukoya drove the blocker toward Nacua and forced him out at the 3-yard line before he could leap into the end zone. After running 106 yards, Nacua nearly scored on a six-point kick but fell short. And as the halftime clock expired, it was all for naught.
Nacua, 26, is the older brother of Los Angeles Rams star receiver Puka Nacua, and he originally signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent out of BYU. (He also played four seasons at Utah.) For the past two years, he has played in professional spring leagues, first with the USFL’s Pittsburgh Maulers in 2023. This year, with the UFL’s Michigan Panthers, he caught 11 passes for 125 yards.
The Saints signed Nacua in August, and if his play Sunday is any indication, he has a strong chance to make the roster as a return specialist, though New Orleans is already well-stocked at receiver.
Spencer Rattler looks in shape in preseason action
Derek Carr is under contract with the Saints through 2026. But if he doesn’t play well or if New Orleans wants to avoid paying the $30-80 million he would be owed over the final two years of his deal, rookie Spencer Rattler looms as a possible option to take over as the Saints’ starting quarterback.
Rattler impressed Saints fans with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Equanimeous St. Brown in the second quarter for New Orleans’ first score of the game. It was Rattler’s first touchdown pass of the preseason.
The fifth-round pick (No. 150 overall) also threw a 43-yard pass to AT Perry in the fourth quarter, making a deep throw look almost effortless and setting up another New Orleans score.
Rattler replaced Jake Haener in the second quarter and completed 7 of 13 passes for 105 yards. Haener threw for 87 yards on 8 of 17 passing.
The rookie is clearly more intriguing to fans and media who follow the team, with many predicting he’ll be the Saints’ starter next year, or at some point this season. In three preseason games, he’s thrown for 202 yards, completing 20 of 38 passes (53%).
That completion percentage will have to improve (it was 69% in college) — and the receivers’ drops haven’t helped — but Rattler’s big-play ability and youth are tantalizing.
