Saints OTAs Observations, Notes, Takeaways

Here's all you need to know from the first session of Saints OTAs on Tuesday.

Author:
John Hendrix
Publish date:
May 23, 2023 2:40 PM EDT

In this story:

The Saints held their first OTA session on Tuesday, which is the first of 10 practices that will be held over the next few weeks for Dennis Allen's squad. We officially got to see our first look at players like Derek Carr in black and gold, as well as other newcomers like Foster Moreau. Here's all of our notes and observations from practice.

Observations and Takeaways from Practice

ATTENDANCE: Among those not spotted on Tuesday included Taysom Hill, Michael Thomas, Marshon Lattimore, Alvin Kamara, J.T. Gray, Demario Davis, Nick Saldivieri, Ryan Ramczyk, James Hurst, Andrus Peat. Dennis Allen said after practice that Saldivieri is dealing with a calf injury, but is expected to be ready for training camp.

Allen said last week that he did not expect 100 percent attendance, and that was the case to open OTAs. It's important to remember that we only get to see one of the three practice sessions each week, so others who are not present on the first day may be in the mix on Wednesday and Thursday.

Kendre Miller, Eno Benjamin, Cesar Ruiz, Trevor Penning and Miller Forristall were among those present, but not participating. Penning and Ruiz are also expected to be ready for training camp.

Quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Ronald Curry was also not in attendance, as he is in Minnesota this week for the NFL's Accelerator Program.

STARTING LINEUP: It's obviously way too early, but watching practices this early does give a little indication at the team's Top 11 on each side of the ball. Naturally, there were many missing in OTAs. As for the defense, the line shaped out with Carl Granderson, Nathan Shepherd, Khalen Saunders, and Cam Jordan. Pete Werner and D'Marco Jackson were at linebacker, with Bradley Roby in the slot. Paulson Adebo and Alontae Taylor were on the outside, with Marcus Maye and Tyrann Mathieu at safety.

For the offense, Derek Carr was under center with an offensive line of (left to right) Landon Young, Yasir Durant, Erik McCoy, Calvin Throckmorton, and Storm Norton. Jamaal Williams handled most of the primary duties at running back, with Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed being at receiver. Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau were the tight ends, with Adam Prentice rotating in at fullback and Bryan Edwards at No. 3 on the early receiver pecking order.

BACKUP LOOKS: Many ask about the second and third teams, and I try to document them so everyone can have an idea of who is where. For the second team defense, the look had Tanoh Kpassagnon, Jabari Zuniga, Prince Emili, and Payton Turner on the D-Line. Nephi Sewell, Ryan Connelly, and Ty Summers were at linebacker, with some Andrew Dowell rotating in. Bradley Roby and Troy Pride were at corner, with Jonathan Abram and Lonnie Johnson Jr. at safety.

On offense, Jameis Winston was the primary backup, which is going to be the case this season. The offensive line had Scott Lashley, Mark Evans, Alex Pihlstrom, Lewis Kidd, and Koda Martin. SaRodorick Thompson was the main backup at running back, but Kirk Merritt also saw time there today with others being out.

DEEZ LUTZ: It was a good first day for Wil Lutz, as he did not miss any of his kicks on the day. I had him a perfect 13-of-13 ranging from extra points to the high 40-yard range. Most of the tempo and emphasis was placed on getting formations right. Your very early field goal and extra point team is Juwan Johnson, Koda Martin, Yasir Durant, Calvin Throckmorton, Zach Wood, Lewis Kidd, Landon Young, Erik McCoy, and Lucas Krull. Foster Moreau also rotated in opposite of Krull.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY: It was good to get back to watching some football, to say the least. Two plays stood out to me, with the first coming in 7-on-7 drills where Derek Carr hit Juwan Johnson up the seam on a deep connection. It was a perfectly thrown ball that hit him in stride. The other play also came from Carr throwing, as he went deep on play action on a deep shot to Chris Olave. It was underthrown, but Olave made a nice adjustment against Marcus Maye to secure the catch. An honorable mention would go to A.T. Perry for making a backshoulder grab working against Isaac Yiadom.

QUARTERBACK PERFORMANCE: Derek Carr didn't miss any of his completions on the day, as he went 6-of-6 in 7-on-7 drills, and then hit his two passes in the team period. Jameis Winston went 3-of-4 in his first outing, and then was 1-of-3 in team. Rookie Jake Haener went 0-of-2 in his first outing, and then 2-of-3 in team.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS

All of the players are required to still wear the mushroom-shaped helmet caps. This was on full display today, and is part of the league's safety protocols.
Jameis Winston was not wearing any type of brace today, which is a good sign for him moving forward. Things may change, but it's something we got used to as the season progressed.
Rookie A.T. Perry was getting some 1-on-1 coaching with Kodi Burns during a separate special teams drill. Perry has plenty of potential, and while he struggle some today, you see the flashes.
Punt returners included Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Malik Flowers.
During some of the special teams drills, Tyrann Mathieu was on the sideline speaking with Marcus Robertson. Robertson is the team's new secondary coach, so it's no surprise seeing the relationships form. The two share commonalities from being in Arizona during separate times.
It's been out there, but just some jersey information to make sure everyone is in the know about include: