What We Want to Learn About the Saints' Offense During OTAs Week Two

After a successful run for Derek Carr and the Saints' offense to open practices, continued growth will be the focus of week two.

Author:
Ross Jackson
Publish date:
May 29, 2023 3:00 PM EDT

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New Orleans Saints

After the first week of New Orleans Saints organized team activities (OTAs) the biggest takeaways centered around quarterback Derek Carr, tight end Foster Moreau and the team's impressive attendance with about a 90% turnout. Now, the team is heading into its second week and while Carr and team presence are still highly-anticipated, new elements of the Saints offense move into focus. Here are a few things we hope to learn about the Saints' offense in their second week of OTAs.

Will attendance be even more impressive?

Some themes will unsurprisingly repeat and this is probably the least surprising one to revisit. The Saints had a massively successful turnout at their first week of OTAs, which are purely voluntary per the NFL's collective bargaining agreement. With 79 or 80 of 89 rostered players present for the media viewing portion of last Tuesday's practice, could that number increase a week later?

Of the players that were not present last week, running back Alvin Kamara, offensive weapon Taysom Hill and offensive lineman James Hurst seem to be the most likely to potentially answer roll call. Other offensive pieces like rookie offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri and tackle Ryan Ramczyk are either managing injury or returning from an injury-riddled season. With that, continued absence should not be surprising.

But with a new quarterback in town, players like Kamara and Hill would benefit from the early exposure to Carr, and vice versa.

Can running back Jamaal Williams continue to flash as a pass-catcher?

One of Williams's biggest focuses this offseason was working on his hands in the passing game. As a part of his impressive offseason workout regimen, he spent time catching 1,000 passes a day to insure his progress. We watched Williams and Carr connect on multiple occasions in their first practice together as well. So it is clear that the team and back are on the same page about how he will fit into the system.

While expecting the former Detroit Lions running back to be a scat-back all of a sudden would be a bit hasty to say the least, his ability to reclaim the versatile role he once held with the Green Bay Packers to start his career would be a massive benefit here in New Orleans. Williams looked fluid and natural during the first OTA session, now the interesting next step will be tracking the progress.

How will tight end Lucas Krull continue to stand out?

Although he is saddled firmly behind tight ends Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau, Krull is getting a lot of attention. Not only from quarterbacks throwing his way, but from his head coach Dennis Allen as well.

“Yeah look, I’m excited about Lucas,” Allen said. “I think he’s a young guy that showed some promise last year. He’s got pretty good vertical speed down the field. Really good in terms of one-cut route running, seams and things of that nature. We’re excited about him.”

Along with that excitement comes an expectation that the former Pittsburgh Panthers pass-catching threat will continue to develop as a blocker also. This will be key to him getting more time on the field and therefore more opportunity. However, proving yourself as a blocker probably is not going to happen during OTAs or minicamps. It will take training camp to really start to show his work there.

However, if he continues to prove his viability as a pass-catcher throughout this portion of the offseason, it will go along way until he gets to show what he can do in-line. Krull should continue to get many chances to attack linebackers and defensive backs as. route-runner, and he will need to keep showing that he is a threat there. That way if he can prove his development as a blocker, he will then maximize his role in the offense and be an importantly complementary piece to his room.

Can Derek Carr keep his early hot-streak going?

Carr was impressive during his first outing as the Saints' signal caller. He went a perfect 8-for-8 between 7-on-7 and full team drills. While there is no reason to expect him to continue to be perfect, his growing chemistry with his variety of pass-catchers at all levels of the field is very important.

As he connects more and more with the collection of skill position players around him, trust will build. Second-year wideout Chris Olave took a big step in earning more of exactly that with Carr after he skied above safety Marcus Maye to make a big contested grab downfield during the first OTA practice. Those kinds of moments are fun, yes. But they are also pivotal to the quarterback's ability to rely on his playmakers. Olave is the definition of playmaker, of course. Can more weapons make their claim to that title as well?