You can call Jayden Price's route circuitous and still vastly understate his path.
He was (deep breath) an undrafted rookie with the Falcons in 2024 who was released in August; made the practice roster, a one-game cameo, a trip back to the practice roster and released by the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats in '24; added UFL stints with the Birmingham Stallions and Arlington Renegades in '24 and '25; then signed with the New Orleans Saints in June '25 before being released in August, signed to the practice squad and signed a reserve/future contract with the Saints in January '26.
Now (exhale) he's taking second-team reps at the star position on defense.
"I think J.P.'s consistency through this entire camp has been really impressive," Saints coach Kellen Moore said. "He's a great example: You earn more opportunities through training camp, and he has certainly done that."
As New Orleans prepares for a joint practice with Jacksonville on Thursday and a preseason game against the Jaguars on Saturday in the Caesars Superdome, Price will be among the players looking to lift his already ascending status.
"He's going to get to showcase himself through these joint practices and these preseason games, and he's going to get to play with some of the best of the best in this league and get to go up against those guys and I think he's going to play great," Moore said.
Moore said Price, a high school quarterback, has adjusted well to star.
"You've got to have a high football IQ, you've got to have consistency," Moore said. "You're in the middle of it, you're in the middle of everything. You've got to communicate with the back end, you've got to communicate from the run-fit perspective, and J.P. has just played really consistent football. When there's been these 50-50, contested plays, seems like he just keeps coming up and making a play."
Price repeatedly has been a pass breakup specialist in training camp, and that ability has garnered attention from the coaching staff.
"When I came in last year after they tried me out after my UFL season, they talked to me about playing star," he said. "And I kind of played star a lot last year during training camp and kind of worked there on the practice squad last year.
"I feel like I'm very athletic, very quick and good at just playing smart football, being able to read plays and jump passes and stuff like that. The star position is like being a quarterback on offense; you take control of the defense, you've got to communicate, you've got to get other guys in position and make sure all 11 guys are on the same page and stuff like that. So, just trying to do that, go out there and play fast, play confident."
Joint work
Moore said the best and most intensive work this week and next week for Saints starters will come in the joint practices against Jacksonville, Dallas (Aug. 18) and the Rams (Aug. 20).
"Joint practice is going to be a lot of reps with the 1s, really good work for those guys," Moore said. "Going to be an excellent opportunity for them. Jacksonville is a really good team, I've got a ton of respect for (Jaguars coach) Liam (Coen) and what they accomplished last year. It'll be good for our guys.
"I think sometimes, just getting a different perspective — getting to see things from a different angle. It's a different defense, they're going to play things a little different, their offense is going to present some different things that our offense doesn't for our defense — these are all great learning tools. It's not a full-on game plan and get ready for a real game, but it's perfect for what we need right now.
"A lot of these starters will have a lot of reps in these joint practices, so they won't play as much in preseason football. That's just how it is, but I think it's a great environment for those guys to be able to get good work."
Saint Christen
Rookie defensive tackle Christen Miller exploded on social media in late July after he purchased the groceries of a customer in the checkout line at Rouses supermarket. The woman was in line ahead of Miller, who had less items, and politely offered and allowed him to move ahead. In turn, he generously paid for her groceries and dashed out of the store, only to be tracked down outside.
"I kind of got out of the way and she found out who I was in the parking lot and I thought somebody was chasing me at first," he said. "I looked behind me, like, 'What's going on?' and she was like, 'No, I'm sorry, I found out who you were. I want to get a picture with you.' And I was like, OK, and I thought nothing of it. That day I got some shrimp, I was going fishing — I caught two catfish that day."
The woman posted the picture and touted Miller's generosity.
"The next day, I'm in the facility, they're like, 'You're going viral right now,'" Miller said. "I'm like, what'd I do? I was scared. And they showed me. It's a blessing just because I always do that. So it's a blessing just for people to see that people like us, we do good deeds all the time. We don't need praise for it because that's what you're supposed to do. That's what I was raised to do and I just thank God to be able to have funds to be able to give and do what I do. So, it's a blessing."
