What We Learned From the First Week of Saints Camp
Saints training camp is back in action on Monday, as fans will get to experience their third of seven open practices in Metairie. The pads come on, so we're fully expecting the intensity to pick up. The heat will also intensify this week, so after Monday, we'll see if Dennis Allen gives his team a break to get out of that for indoor sessions.
TRAINING CAMP RECAPS: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4
Four practices doesn't seem like much, but at the same time, they've given us a lot to talk about and observe. Here's some of the biggest things we've learned about the Saints from their first week of training camp.
John Hendrix
Position Battles Aren't Disappointing
Competition was a main theme stressed by Dennis Allen going into training camp, and we are being entertained by a lot of them early on. For starters, the kicking battles are way more fun to watch as opposed to previous years. I wouldn't worry too much about one miss from Wil Lutz, but also mention that Blake Grupe has one up on him right now. If Grupe's trajectory continues, I will be shocked if he's not on roster in Week 1.
This roster looks to be deep at several positions, and it'll be fun to see who distances themselves on the interior offensive line, at linebacker, at safety, and the wide receiver spots behind Michael Thomas, Chris Olave, and Rashid Shaheed. Speaking of the receiver battle, it's hard to tell right now who would be No. 4, 5, and 6 if the season were to start today. A.T. Perry had a good Saturday, especially getting some work with the first team. However, it's been a mixed bag from the other receivers.
The Pass Rush Looks Promising
I'm not telling you to get super excited yet, but the first week had a bit of everything from everyone at defensive end. When the pads come on, we'll get to see it more. However, be encouraged that Cam Jordan is still making plays that Cam Jordan makes. Be encouraged that Carl Granderson had a killer day of practice recently. Tanoh Kpassagnon is showing up too, as well as someone else we'll discuss short. Isaiah Foskey is coming along more, as we touched on in our notes from Saturday.
The Run Game Might Be Better
We're seeing way more successful outside runs thus far, and that's very encouraging. We're also seeing inside runs work pretty well, which includes those zone reads with Taysom Hill. Alvin Kamara, Jamaal Williams, and Kendre Miller have all had their fair share of good moments throughout the first four practices. It'll be fascinating to see how this all gets used on game day. The Saints have already said they wanted to limit the amount of workload they put on Kamara, so we'll see.
Stock Up
- Isaac Yiadom - Dennis Allen mentioned that the Saints have some corners who could be starters on other teams, and Yiadom seems to fit this mold early on. He's a strong special teams presence, but has been on the radar for a bit from us.
- Kendre Miller - Miller has showed some strong abilities in the receiving department. He did have the one real rookie moment early on with the fumble, but overcame that to put together some solid practices with runs and receptions.
- Payton Turner - It's a big year for the former first-rounder, and he's well aware of that. He's been in the Saints offseason program from the start, which has helped a great bit. Turner has made several plays each day, and with the pads coming on, we're eager to see if he keeps it going.
Like What I'm Seeing, Want More
- Jake Haener - The rookie is leaps and bounds more comfortable than anything we ever saw out of Ian Book. Haener is seeing the field and making decisions, not just taking off running the ball or going for the checkdowns, you can see that he's coming along.
- Jimmy Graham - Some were concerned about what kind of shape the 36-year-old tight end would be in, and I'm happy to say that he looks good. He's leaner than he used to be, but you can see that he can still move well and still has resemblances of the player you remember.
- Jack Heflin - Things feel pretty set for who will be on the interior defensive line right now, but a guy that I really want to see more of and has caught my eye is Jack Heflin. He might not be in the final roster plans when make a 53-man squad, but he has priority practice squad potential.
- Andrew Dowell - He forced a couple of turnovers in the first two days of practice, but more quiet on the other two. Dowell is know more for special teams, but it'll be interesting if he can keep making some noise to try and earn more snaps.
- A.T. Perry - Saturday was a good showing for Perry after getting a chance to be more in the spotlight. He had a mixed bag at OTAs and minicamp, so count this as a good sign for the rookie.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: There were plenty of players that stood out at practices. Some of those that just missed the cut for me in both categories were Troy Pride, Ugo Amadi, Foster Moreau, and D'Marco Jackson. We'll have a full list of practices to look at this week with the exception of Thursday. Be sure to follow along with Saints News Network for all of the latest and greatest from Saints training camp.
