Saints 4th Rounder Glides through 1st Week of Training Camp with Help from Friends, Family

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At the end of the 2025 season, the New Orleans Saints were dealing with injuries across their wide receiver corps. The list of those who caught a pass on January 4, 2026 against the Falcons from the receiver slot reads like a "Whodunit" novel: Dante Pettis, Kevin Austin Jr, Ronnie Bell and Samori Toure. Only Bell and Austin were invited back to camp this Fall.

Now that we have our starting quarterback, the pervasive thinking seemed to be in Metairie, we need to get him weapons.

You already know about now #1 running back Travis Etienne Jr acquired through free agency and first round pick in April Jordyn Tyson. In round four, the Saints plucked a big target from the FBS, Bryce Lance out of North Dakota State.

Maybe it would be an understatement to say it was a steal.

Lance Stretches the Field

The 6' 3", 204-pound native Minnesotan is a field-stretching deep threat. Lance is known mostly as a perimeter player, working the boundaries with his 41.5-inch vertical leap. And he's already shown it early in training camp.

During 11-on-11s Saturday, quarterback Spencer Rattler rainbowed a beautiful deep route to Lance, which he caught along the boundary for a 50-plus yard touchdown. The pass was perfect. The route and catch was even better.

Sunday Saints training camp

Team drills

Spencer Rattler launches a perfect pass down the field and hits Bryce Lance in stride. Keith Williams, Chris Olave, Barion Brown, Devaughn Vele and Rattler were so happy for Lance.@wdsu https://t.co/jvrilzqz6V pic.twitter.com/qciR5Zgyq6
— Sharief Ishaq (@ShariefWDSU) August 9, 2026

"Coach Kellen just calls a play," Lance related to the media, "Spencer gives it to us. It was a go ball (deep, straight run downfield). The corner (Isaac Yiadom) was deep. I knew I had to press him vertical, and Spencer threw me a great ball. I was able to go get it."

Gets Help during Training Camp

Now in his second week of training camp, Lance has shown steady improvement in his route running skills and knowledge of the playbook, for which he gives credit to everyone else.

"First, it starts with my teammates and the coaching staff," the Minnesota native shared when asked how his speedy sponging up of pro football is going. "They've been really beneficial, answer any questions I have and helping me grow both on the field and in the playbook as well. It's been a pretty smooth transition from that standpoint."

Phone a Friend (or Family)

Bryce has an older brother, Trey, also an NDSU grad, who was drafted by the 49ers in 2021. Though a resource, the younger brother knows this is something he has to experience himself.

"Everyone has to go through it themselves," the younger of the Lance brothers told the media. "It's been a blessing, for sure, to have my brother (available) to be able to pick his brain and hear the things he went through. This is his sixth year in the league, so it's a definite benefit.

"We talk everyday," Lance said with a smile. "That's my best friend."

Saints DBs are Deep

The former Bison has been impressed by the talent and depth of his teammates on the defensive side.

"Being this is my first training camp, I can definitely see the athleticism and competition (in the defensive backfield)," Lance shared. "They've got a lot of good players on that side of the ball. It's been really fun going against them."

Getting Used to the Weather

So far, temperatures at the Metairie facility have vacillated between the mid-to-low nineties during sessions.

Lance grew up in Marshall, Minnesota, a town of under 14-thousand people, a place that saw temperatures dip to 20-below zero back in February of this year. Meanwhile, at his alma mater of NDSU, Fargo got down to a chilly negative-23 degrees.

Just a little different...

Training Camp Schedule

Here's the practice schedule for the week:

- Monday, OFF DAY
- Tuesday, 9:00-10:35 a.m., Pads (Closed)
- Wednesday, 9:00-10:15 a.m., Helmets (Closed)
- Thursday, 9:00-11:00 a.m., Pads (SOLD OUT)
- Friday, TBD, Walk-Thru (Closed)\
- Saturday, Saints vs. Jaguars, 3:00 p.m., Superdome

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