Samson Nacua nearly made the play of the 2024 preseason — he just came up a couple yards short.
On Sunday, Nacua, who signed with New Orleans in early August, captured a lot of attention when he returned a missed field goal attempt in the Saints’ 30-27 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
The play came on the final play of the first half. When Brady Narveson’s 58-yard attempt came up short, Nacua was there to catch the missed field goal and try to return it for a score.
The former BYU, Utah and Timpview High star caught the ball nine yards deep in the end zone, first ran to the right, then cut to the left and ran up the left sideline behind a wall of blockers.
Around the Saints’ 40, Nacua cut back right across the field and had a pair of lead blockers, Jonathan Abram and Rico Payton, ahead of him as he approached the Tennessee 20-yard line and inched closer to the sideline.
From behind, though, Tennessee tight end Thomas Odukoya sprinted in and was able to push Nacua out of bounds at the 3-yard line just before he lunged over the goal line.
Nacua, the older brother of Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, is trying to make the Saints 53-man roster after being signed by the team on Aug. 2.
Sunday’s effort, even though it didn’t end up in a score, was the highlight of his short stint in New Orleans and displayed the speed and vision he can bring to special teams.
Here’s an alternate angle that shows just how close Samson Nacua came to scoring arguably the play of the NFL preseason.