The first week of New Orleans Saints training camp is in the books — through four practices without pads, the team has experienced a lot of highlights and some low moments, but things are moving well. With their first padded practice coming up on Monday (in front of fans) and the preseason opener just two weeks away, let’s check in on each position group:
Quarterbacks
Derek Carr is doing what he’s supposed to — hitting his marks, throwing an accurate football, and giving the team reasons for optimism. So let’s talk about someone who won’t play much this year: Jake Haener. The rookie has been very impressive working against the second- and third-string defenses while testing some experienced players at all levels of the field. He doesn’t lack for confidence. Also, Taysom Hill has logged more pass attempts than maybe was expected to open camp.
Running backs
Alvin Kamara looks like his old self — not the player we saw last year, but the guy who set records a year or two before that. He’s moving exceptionally well in camp and catching a lot of passes from Carr. It’s exactly what you’d hope to see. Hopefully he isn’t suspended for too many games after resolving his legal issues.
Tight ends
The big story is Jimmy Graham’s long-awaited return — now we’ll see whether he can win a roster spot, and how much he has left in the tank. Look for Graham to feature in red-zone packages where he can use his size and hops to his advantage. And don’t look for Lucas Krull and Jesse James to quietly bow out and give him that opportunity.
Offensive tackles
Trevor Penning and Ryan Ramczyk were each given rest days to open camp, though Penning’s case was explicitly linked to a new foot injury (unrelated to the turf toe and Lisfranc issues which bookended his rookie season). For now, Hurst is still the first-team left tackle, but it shouldn’t take long for Penning to assert himself. One of the offense’s best plays was a long catch-and-run for Alvin Kamara with Penning out in front blocking for him.
Interior offensive line
There’s been a lot of movement at the guard spots. Cesar Ruiz was given a rest day, and one of his backups, Trai Turner, was lost for the season to an unfortunate injury in practice. Nick Saldiveri and James Hurst have gotten looks at left guard at times, while Calvin Throckmorton is practicing at both sides. Ruiz and Andrus Peat are likely remaining the starters, but the picture behind them is unclear.
Wide receivers
Rashid Shaheed has had a couple of rough practices. He’s dropped some well-placed passes and isn’t separating from opponents as well as you’d expect for someone with his speed. But the Saints are being creative and lining him up in different spots, including the backfield at times, and he should level out after logging more reps with his new quarterback Derek Carr.
Special teams
Rookie kicker Blake Grupe has made all 12 of his kicks so far, while Wil Lutz has missed just once, pushing it wide right — with new punter Lou Hedley, not his usual partner Blake Gillikin, holding for him. It’s looking more and more like a real competition. Hedley has struggled to match Gillikin’s hang time, but it’ll take a while for the punting battle to clarify one way or another.
Defensive ends
The most encouraging development at defensive end might be the one fans have hoped for, but haven’t dared to ask for: big steps forward for Payton Turner. The third-year pro is rotating into the starting lineup with Carl Granderson and consistently pressuring the quarterbacks off the edge. He needs to keep it up.
Defensive tackles
Bryan Bresee has already earned first-team reps in practice (rotating with veteran free agent pickup Nathan Shepherd) and he’s doing a nice job of getting after the quarterbacks. His run defense needs work, but that’s true of most rookies, and it’s worth noting he hasn’t gotten to show what he can do in a full-contact padded situation.
Linebackers
Second-year linebacker D’Marco Jackson built on his strong spring with the first interception of training camp, snatching an errant pass that deflected off of Rashid Shaheed’s hands. He broke up another pass thrown his way while covering James Washington. The Saints need someone to emerge as a long-term successor for Demario Davis, and Jackson is off to a good start after losing his rookie year to an injury.
Safeties
There isn’t any question about the starters, Tyrann Mathieu and Marcus Maye, but the depth chart is intriguing and still changing behind them. Lonnie Johnson Jr. and Jordan Howden got the first look in filling in for Maye at free safety, but players like Johnathan Abram and Smoke Monday might stand out more once the team practices in full-contact with pads.
Cornerbacks
Footage of said play pic.twitter.com/rDr6KZYGbE
— Aneldy_10 (@10Aneldy) July 29, 2023
The battle between Alontae Taylor and Paulson Adebo at the top of the depth chart has been as impressive as expected, but there’s a very compelling undercard fight brewing being Isaac Yiadom and Troy Pride Jr. Yiadom did really well for himself on special teams down the stretch last year, and he’s picked up where he left off by covering well and not panicking when the ball’s thrown over his head. Pride has forced a couple of fumbles and is moving well after a knee injury cost two years of his career. The top four spots are set at cornerback, but this is looking like a good competition to round out the depth chart.
