Familiarity for several Saints when they play Vikings
If they get on the field Friday night — and most of them are expected to play — a handful of former Vikings and current Saints will see some familiar faces on the other side.
The Saints have punt returner Marcus Sherels, center Nick Easton, fullback Zach Line, running back Latavius Murray and, of course, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. This will be the first time Bridgewater has played against the Vikings, who drafted him in the first round in 2014 and let him leave as a free agent two years ago after his massive knee injury altered plans to build their o ense around him.
“I’m proud of him, for him to be able to come back from the type of injury that he had to still be playing in the NFL,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said of Bridgewater, who is competing to be Drew Brees’ backup. “It was a pretty bleak outlook for him, but that’s the kind of kid he is.
“He’ll try and stick it to us, just like we’re going to stick it to him.”
Saints coach Sean Payton said Bridgewater is “certainly going to play a lot” in the preseason opener.
“I think that a second year into what we’re doing has benefited him and he brings all those other intangibles that allow you to win that are necessary at that position,” Payton said.
A priority for the Saints is replacing retired threetime Pro Bowl center Max Unger. Top candidates include rookie Erik McCoy, a second-round draft choice out of Texas A&M; Easton, signed this year as a free agent; and Cameron Tom, a third-year pro who began his NFL career in New Orleans as an undrafted rookie and who has played sparingly as a reserve interior lineman. The stakes are high for Easton, who has a four-year contract worth up to $22.5 million — if he can play well enough to stick around at that price. He also is trying to come back from a neck injury that wiped out his 2018 season.