What We Learned from Rams-Saints Joint Practice: Saints' Defense Stands Out

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. — For a bit, it seemed the Rams’ second joint practice of the summer was in jeopardy of not happening after the Saints traded a few rounds with the Cowboys on Tuesday.

The ugly fights that occurred up the road at the Cowboys’ training camp home didn’t sway Saints coach Kellen Moore from the unconventional work schedule he planned for his team while in Southern California during the dog days of summer.

But Moore did make a slight tweak, only allowing Rams coach Sean McVay to run 45 plays for his starting offense instead of the 48 that were originally planned. (McVay was really happy about that.) Oh, and Moore’s team took a $500,000 fine, as did the Cowboys, along with a lecture from the league about having good sportsmanship in the workplace.

The slap on the wrist must have worked because there were no fights between the Rams and Saints on Thursday. I’m now 3-for-3 without seeing a fight at a joint practice this summer, which is a little disappointing as a huge fan of combat sports. (Just kidding, NFL competition committee.)

McVay was the opposite of disappointed because the joint practice went on as planned and he got his 45 plays against the starting unit of Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, who had the same role under McVay back in 2020.

And to think, I almost didn't get to see a joyful McVay standing a few feet away from all the action on Thursday. I’m not exaggerating when I say that McVay was standing right behind Matthew Stafford during red-zone drills. McVay almost got hit by Saints safety Julian Blackmon. Maybe Staley sent Blackmon as an extra pass rusher with the intent of reminding McVay to back up.

Blackmon and McVay had fun with the moment and traded some words, just like Rams wide receiver Davante Adams and Saints cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. did after a defensive pass interference call in the left corner of the end zone.

Again, there were no fights on Thursday. Just good, clean competition to wrap up practices this week before the two teams meet again on Saturday for a preseason game at SoFi Stadium.

Maybe NBA coaches Steve Kerr and Frank Vogel were disappointed about not seeing any fights. They were in attendance as guests of McVay, who got to show off his high-powered offense in 45 plays.

Here’s everything else we learned from the Rams-Saints joint practice.

Rams show off their depth without Puka Nacua

I was talking with one of our subscribers from the MMQB Huddle subtext (make sure to sign up to get blurry training camp photos from me) and he brought up whether the Rams would just play four tight ends if they were in a situation where Nacua and Adams weren’t available at the same time.

I sort of got a glimpse for what that may look like because Nacua is currently dealing with a groin injury and wasn’t out there against the Saints. Now, L.A. can get away with playing that many tight ends because the position goes five deep with Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson, Terrance Ferguson, Davis Allen and rookie Max Klare.

Los Angeles Rams tight end Terrance Ferguson — Ferguson, a second-round pick in 2025, figures to be a key part of the Rams' deep tight end room. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

But the Rams are also high on second-year wide receiver Konata Mumpfield, who made a handful of plays in Nacua’s absence. Also, there were more targets for Adams, and let’s just say that he hasn’t shown any signs of declining going into his age-34 season.

So, if this were a real game, I could see the Rams going with a receiving trio of Adams, Mumpfield and Ferguson, who plays more like a wide receiver than a tight end as a pass catcher.

Saints’ defense needs more attention

My ears are still ringing from the Saints’ staff members shouting “sack!” whenever a defender got close to Stafford. I get it, they need to call it out because players aren’t allowed to hit quarterbacks in joint practices, but maybe just write it down or not shout so close to my ear.

Anyway, the Saints’ pass rush was impressive, which is a testament to what Staley has done there in the past year. This New Orleans defense went under the radar a bit last season despite being ninth in total defense and fourth in passing yards allowed.

The secondary posting impressive numbers in 2025 goes hand in hand with the strong pass rush, with New Orleans generating 45 sacks, which ranked 11th in the NFL.

Edge rusher Chase Young, who was easy to spot Thursday, had a career year last season with 10 sacks. Additionally, Kool-Aid McKinstry appears to be a legitimate No. 1 outside cornerback.

The New Orleans’ defense doesn’t jump out in terms of star power, but they’re playing well collectively under Staley.

Moore O.K. with heavy work week

It’s rare for a team to have two joint practices in a span of three days, but Moore didn’t seem to have any regrets about going that route.

“This was big-time workload,” Moore told reporters. “We were pushing it pretty good. … It’s probably not the dream scenario of doing joint practices, but I thought it was excellent work for our guys. You can almost view it as that peak point of training camp.”

It seemed like Moore pulled back a bit on Tyler Shough’s passing attempts against the Rams, and it didn’t help that rookie Jordyn Tyson was sidelined with an injury and Chris Olave got a day off. It was more of a workout for improving the rushing attack with new lead back Travis Etienne Jr., the former Jaguar.

Aaron Donald update

We got random appearances from Kerr and Vogel. Oh, and Saints superfan Stan Verrett, the former longtime SportsCenter anchor, was also in Woodland Hills.

But no sight of Aaron Donald anywhere. But McVay had this to say about expecting more official tryouts from the future Hall of Famer before he decides whether to end his two-year retirement.

“I think so, yeah, and then we'll see,” McVay said. “Like I said, I would love to be able to have all this stuff figured out, but like I told you guys from the beginning, he’s earned the right. I know he’s feeling good and I think he will continue to work out. I’m hopeful that we’ll have some answers on that sooner [rather] than later for you guys.”

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