Saints Mailbag: Areas of Need, Starting Tight End, Training Staff, Smoke Monday
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Welcome back to another Saints mailbag, as another week of OTAs are in the books for New Orleans. We'll get one more look at the team before mandatory minicamp from June 13-15, and then we'll have several weeks until training camp gets here. As always, I appreciate your questions, as we're looking to keep this going more frequently. Let's get into today's questions.
What are the main areas of need for the Saints to address, and will they be players in the post-June 1 realm?
We'll see moves, for sure. The two areas I look at would be the along the defensive line with the edge and tackle positions. I see pass-rushers like Frank Clark have been tied to New Orleans as a potential fit, but I really like the idea of Yannick Ngakoue if they added there. As far as a defensive tackle, most of the players available currently are in that 30-and-over category, and as long as the team is taking a rotational approach, then an experienced veteran would make a lot of sense. We also have to keep tabs on what happens with Hunter Renfrow, as he could be on the move and New Orleans would make a lot of sense.
Any feedback on the new training staff?
So, Matt Rhea absolutely did make a large impact in being brought it. The goal of him coming to the Saints was to limit the amount of soft tissue issues that were a lot more common from previous seasons. The Saints did have a lot less of those due to Rhea's impact on the training staff. What I will say is that the type of injuries New Orleans dealt with last season weren't a product of soft tissue, and honestly it was more of a fluke, if anything. Any player you talk to points out how Rhea's approach is completely different, but in a good way that has science backed with their workout impact, especially when they are trying to get back on the field.
Who will be TE1 in the offense?
That's a really good question. As of right now, Juwan Johnson would have my vote as the top tight end for the team. It'll be interesting to see where Taysom Hill does factor in, but essentially the depth would look like Johnson and then Foster Moreau. Hill can used in a variety of ways, and New Orleans feels like they have a better idea of how to deploy him this season. I will say don't overlook someone like Lucas Krull, who quietly has looked pretty good the first couple of weeks. Johnson feels like the top guy here, and I loved seeing him and Derek Carr connect during the first practice on a seam route.
What are realistic expectations for Smoke Monday?
He's one of the fan favorites, by far. What I can tell you regarding Smoke Monday is that it's crowded in the safety room, and outside of Tyrann Mathieu, Marcus Maye, and J.T. Gray, there are several spots up for grabs. Monday was in a familiar personal punt protector role during OTAs on Tuesday, and will continue to get work as he's fully back from his torn ACL last year.
What will be interesting is seeing how many safeties the Saints end up carrying on the final roster. Jonathan Abram and Ugo Amadi both made good impacts early, Lonnie Johnson Jr. is someone to keep tabs on, and then rookie Jordan Howden is also in that mix and learning. Monday's best friend will be to take advantage of his opportunities and be around with some stiff competition.
Lagniappe: When will the snowball machine be at practice?
I hope it's there again. We take it for granted probably living down here, and I still can't believe Blake Gillikin tried his first one just the other week. Snowballs and Southern Louisiana go together like peanut butter and jelly.
Thanks again for the submissions. As a reminder, you can submit questions through our social channels or by interacting through Twitter or e-mail them.
