As the New Orleans Saints returned to their home facility Monday on Airline Drive, they also returned to familiar ways. The defense again dominated the day. Star players like defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson and linebacker Demario Davis made plays and barked loudly and consistently at the offense throughout practice. The intensity of the day was driven by that unit. Here are our key takeaways from Monday’s practice, including those highlight defensive moments, but a very important step forward for the offense by quarterback Jameis Winston.
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Biggest story: James Winston returns to team drills
A very important benchmark for the Saints quarterback finally arrived on Monday. After not participating in 11-on-11 drills for over a week, Winston finally got back into the mix. He led the first team offense in redzone team drills and standard team drill but did not run with the offense on two-minute simulations.
Head coach Dennis Allen expressed that he would be comfortable if Winston’s health plays out so that he does not see his first snap until the regular season debut on Sept. 11 in Atlanta. To an extent, it almost feels like the expectation at this point. But when it comes to Winston, it makes sense that he would want to be out there at least for a drive on Friday against the Los Angeles Chargers. We’ll see how this week goes.
Winston went just 1/3 with an interception in his return to team drills. The pick was the first he’s thrown in 11-on-11s all camp. After knocking a bit of the rust off, a better performance is likely on the way Tuesday.
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Play of the day: C.J. Gardner-Johnson's one-handed interception
The lone interception Winston has thrown in team drills throughout camp came at the hands (or hand) of safety Gardner-Johnson. While in coverage on veteran wide receiver Jarvis Landry, the former Florida Gator gained ground on a crossing route, got his right hand up just in time, and snagged a one-handed interception. The defense erupted as Gardner-Johnson too a well-deserved victory lap after the impressive play. No. 22 had a strong practice on Monday right along with the rest of the defense.
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A return to familiar ways: Defense wins the day
Outside from an entertaining Andy Dalton scramble when there were no options on a play action rollout, the Saints defense did not let up a single touchdown in team drills. They were physical, with Quenton Meeks winning back-to-back fade route attempts in the back of the end zone, Adebo adding to his growing ledger of pass break ups, and linebackers Davis and Kaden Elliss wreaking havoc in the backfield. The Saints defense continues to show that they can not only impact games, but win them if needed. Allen should be very happy with what he’s seen from that unit.
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More first team reps for Nephi Sewell
For the second day in a row, the undrafted free agency rookie linebacker took snaps with the first team during 7-on-7’s and most team drills. The only exception was red zone work where the Saints deployed Eric Wilson, a larger linebacker, instead. Sewell earned himself a couple of shoutouts from the coaching staff for his play in the run game. It’s clear though that his size can be a concern when it coverage. Especially when lined up across one of the Saints towering tight ends.
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Kirk Merritt meeting with the running backs
From what I could see, Merritt spent his entire day with the running backs. He did position drills with them, stood with them when not in action and took at least 4/5 snaps out of the backfield as opposed to at wideout. After practice Merritt mentioned that he’s enjoying the transition, which the Saints approached him about over the weekend.
Merritt said that the largest hurdle is getting used to the protection, which he detailed as more than just pass blocking. He also mentioned understanding the protections ahead of him as a runner, reading linebackers, and more important elements to a successful run game. He played some running back at Destrehan High School, but hasn’t taken many, if any, handoffs since then. Despite the newness of the role, he seems to have embraced the idea of showing Allen, Pete Carmichael and the rest of the coaching staff what he can do from multiple areas of the field.
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Attendance: Big names managing injuries
Players that were not spotted during practice:
- TE Taysom Hill
- WR Michael Thomas
- WR Kevin White
- CB Marshon Lattimore
- RB Dwayne Washington
- DB P.J. Williams
- LB Chase Hansen
- OG Cesar Ruiz
- DE Taco Charlton
- OT Landon Young
- OL James Hurst
- TE Adam Trautman
Players who worked off to the side during practice:
- LB Pete Werner
- CB Alontae Taylor
Another daunting list of names on Monday. Allen further clarified that this is time of the offseason that players are dealing with “little nicks and bruises” that must be managed. But having starters like Thomas, Lattimore, Hill, Ruiz and Hurst missing this close to the season is understandably concerning for fans.
Nothing has been said to indicate that anyone is dealing with a significant injury at this time, but no one knows for sure outside of the organization. For now, we just have to wait to see how things progress over the course of this week and for some, likely into next.
Per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, White’s injury is minor. Can hope the same for Thomas. Lattimore left the field during the Superdome open practice on Sunday, wasn’t sure if that was injury-related or rest-related. Looks like we have our answer now.
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Other practice notes: for Erik McCoy, no news is good news
I asked Allen about his thoughts on starting center McCoy. The former Texas A&M Aggie hasn’t really been talked about much at all this offseason. And as if reading my mind, Allen offered a great response. “I would say probably the best thing is that, you know, no one has really talked about him,” the head coach said. “And that’s usually a good thing if you’re an offensive lineman. Usually when you’re an offensive lineman and you’re getting talked a lot about, that’s not necessarily a good thing.”
It was a rare rough practice for Landry today. The veteran wide receiver had a couple of passes bounce off of his hands, not always thrown in the most optimal catch window granted. But he finished off his day with a nice catch in the two-minute drills to end practice. He did, as the Saints expect him to do over the course of the 2022 season, move the chains for the offense with his effort. Showing the young wideouts on the roster the importance of responding and bouncing back the next day would be an important lesson for them. We’ll be looking for that response on Tuesday.
Elliss is flashing incredibly well as a pass rusher. Ever since Allen complimented the linebacker as having some of the “strongest hands on the team”, I’ve noticed more and more from Elliss as a pass rusher. No. 55 is showing that even though the Saints don’t play a ton of three-linebacker sets, he can contribute at a high level when on the field. Perhaps that changes the way the Saints deploy those base sets this year.
