Also: An in-depth look at the kicking game
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A major rookie mistake ...

Good morning and welcome to the September 7 edition of the Saints Insider newsletter.

Wednesday was a big day for Saints news, including one story that no one saw coming.

Let's get to it...

Surprising suspension

The Saints have had their share of PED suspensions over the years, but few have been as surprising as the one that came down from the NFL office on Wednesday. You don't see many rookie quarterbacks get docked for six games because of illegal substance violations. It happened to the Saints' third-string quarterback on Wednesday.

Special delivery

In the fourth installment of our Tipping Point series, our coverage team takes an in-depth look at the new specialists for the 2023 season: place-kicker Blake Grupe and punter Lou Hedley.

The diminutive Grupe usurped incumbent Wil Lutz for the starting job, after arriving as an unheralded free agent out of Sedalia, Mo. 

Hedley, a tattoo-laden 30-year-old rookie from Australia, beat out Blake Gillikin for the punting job and just might be the most interesting man in the NFL.

How these two relative unknowns landed in New Orleans is a testament to the team's diligent scouting staff.

Walking wounded

The Saints released their first injury report of the season and most of the news was good for the home team. But there was one notable exception, and it involves a player at a position that was already weakened by attrition.

Who's in that number?

If you're into the sort of thing, six Saints switched jersey numbers this week ahead of the regular season opener against Tennessee. Find out who took the number of Hall of Famer Rickey Jackson.

That's it for today. We'll have more news and analysis this week as the team ramps up preparation for the season opener. Meantime, have a great day.

Cheers,

Jeff Duncan

 
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Saints rookie QB Jake Haener has been suspended 6 games to begin the 2023 season

 
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