How X Games Found Its Perfect Match in New Orleans

Patty V • July 28, 2026

How X Games Found Its Perfect Match in New Orleans

The MoonPay X Games New Orleans event wrapped on Sunday, July 28th at the Caesars Superdome. While this event certainly showcased many big names such as Nyjah Huston, a 15 time gold medalist by the way, Ryan Williams, Brady Baker, Sky Brown, etc., the real calling for me was the experience of going back to a part of myself that I thought had died long ago.

This event embodied the spirit of New Orleans and its deep, unyielding obsession with street and soul. We all see the bike groups riding through (1up bikes has become a movement of its own), the skate parks popping up around town, and a community wide passion for such a gritty art.

While the crowd’s energy ebbed and flowed, it did so in a beautifully slow paced way that kept the vibes completely untouched. There was no overwhelming, frantic rush. Instead, the stadium shared the same laid back, hyper focused tempo as the athletes themselves. The beauty of this event is that you can come and go as you please, experiencing whatever raw essence you came to find at your own speed.

The atmosphere inside the dome felt less like a high stakes corporate tournament and more like a massive, elevated art exhibition. There was a unique rhythm to it, the low hum of anticipation, the sharp clack of a skateboard landing clean, the sudden roar of a crowd that knew exactly how difficult a trick was, and then that quick return of the easygoing, respectful calm. It was a space where subculture wasn’t being turned into a commodity, it was just being lived.

As I walked through and experienced this event, from the amateurs on the vert pipe outside of the dome, the vendors and classic cars in champions square, and walking through the floor of the dome itself, I was hit by a wave of nostalgia I didn’t see coming. My mind was taken back to the late 90’s and early 2000’s, the hours I spent glued to an old box television playing Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX, watching the X Games from years ago (I’ll never forget the first time I thought I watched someone die on Live TV during the big air event), and while not directly connected, who could forget Disney’s Brink!. Back then, this culture felt like a beautiful, isolated secret kept by “outsiders”. Seeing it now, scaled up to the size of the Caesars Superdome, embraced by a city as soulful as New Orleans, yet still holding onto its gritty authenticity, was nothing short of beauty. This thing has grown far beyond anything I could have imagined as a child, proving that the counter culture we loved didn’t go anywhere, even if my hairline has.

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Linebacker Room Outlook: Different Yet Familiar?

By Kaden Arkeder • July 28, 2026

Well the changing of the guard has begun on defense. With Demario Davis leaving in free agency a big leadership void was left in the locker room where someone else will have to take the torch. Whom remains to be seen but all eyes are on what Kaden Ellis brings in his return to the Saints. The Saints signed Ellis to bring back someone with familiarity with the organization and the talents he was better able to showcase after leaving the team. Kaden Ellis in his time with the Atlanta Falcons was able to show he can do whatever you need of him from the linebacker position. He can play off ball in space showing good awareness in coverage but can also play well on the ball when asked to rush the passer from a variety of situations. With Ellis in the fold I expect the defense to be more effective in keeping the offense guessing on what the linebackers will be doing on a down to down basis. Next up is Pete Werner who has had a up and down career thus far with the Saints but overall has been a solid starter since he was drafted. Werner’s coming off a down year in terms of on field production in 2025 where he was routinely taken off the field in favor of getting the young linebackers on the roster snaps on defense to give them some opportunity and experience. If Werner wants to keep his starting role on defense he is going to have to show more impact on defense this season beginning in training camp. With Demario gone and Pete Werner the only returning starting at linebacker on defense the door of opportunity has fully opened for the young linebackers on the roster. who have been patiently waiting for their chance to make a name for themselves. Isiah Stalbird, Jaylan Ford, Danny Stutsman fit into this category as young guys earning their stripes through special teams and limited snaps on defense thus far. This will be one of the more fascinating, fun training camp battles to see if any can overtake Werner on the depth chart and carve out a more meaningful role on defense. After them is the roster hopefuls in Anfernee Jennings and Jackson Sirmon. These two will look to show they belong in the league and will do whatever it takes to prove it. Whether they make the 53 man roster with the Saints or not the goal is to help bring more competition to the room and see who can do enough to latch on somewhere in the NFL. Opportunity is the key word I would use for this group. From Kaden Ellis getting a chance to really star on defense to Pete Werner getting an opportunity to keep young guys from taking his snaps again to the young guys like Danny Stutsman overtaking Werner on the depth chart. The linebacker unit has plenty of opportunities ahead of them, let’s see what they can make with them.

It starts with the Line of Scrimmage

By Anthony Parker • July 23, 2026

The Saints went through the offseason making major investments around rising starting quarterback Tyler Shough, but one of their biggest investments came along the offensive line. If the Saints want to have more success and improve upon the way they closed out the 2025 season, it has to start with the group controlling the line of scrimmage. The Saints have invested a great deal of high-end draft capital into the offensive line over the past several seasons. They have finally answered the questions at both tackle spots and have solidified the center position with Erik McCoy. Now, however, McCoy enters his eighth season with questions of his own. Can the veteran center make it through an entire season healthy? Alongside McCoy, the Saints had questions at both guard positions, but the free-agent acquisition of David Edwards answers one of those concerns. Edwards was the top available offensive lineman in free agency this year and immediately solidifies the left guard spot. That leaves right guard as the final position up for grabs, currently occupied by veteran Cesar Ruiz. Ruiz is entering the seventh year of his career after being selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Michigan as a center. It was a questionable selection at the time, considering the Saints had drafted McCoy in the second round just one year earlier. Despite not having a first-round pick in 2019, McCoy stepped in as a rookie and played exceptionally well. This is a contract year for Ruiz, so he must prove that he is a dependable guard capable of holding onto his starting job. However, the leash on that position may have gotten much shorter. The Saints used a fourth-round pick in this year's draft on Jeremiah Wright, a road-grading offensive guard with outstanding size, athleticism, and strength. Wright still has areas of his game that need refinement, but through training camp and the preseason, he could push Ruiz to either elevate his play or lose the starting job altogether. If either of those scenarios plays out, the Saints will have a significantly improved offensive line, and that should translate into a much better offense overall. Follow AP on X , as well as his podcast Timeouts & Tangents