The New Orleans Saints have one final set of OTAs left ahead of them, and they've already given us answers to several key questions. So what's left?
On the latest episode of the Audacy original podcast Inside Black & Gold, we broke down the top 3 questions left for the final voluntary session. Check out the segment in the player below.
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So what are those questions? Scroll below for a quick breakdown.
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1. Can Spencer Rattler put together a signature day?
Rookies aren't supposed to be perfect in these early OTA sessions. It'd be great if they were, but the real goal is to pick up on the offense and progress, correcting any mistakes and nagging issues that crop up along the way.
That's why I'm not going to overreact to Spencer Rattler's topsy turvy beginning to his Saints career. All we're doing right now is setting a baseline. Expectations for the full training camp will be based off of that, with results being judged accordingly.
Still, heading into this week the former South Carolina Gamecock and 5th round pick has nine practices under his belt if you include rookie minicamp. Between this final set of OTAs and next week's mandatory minicamp, we'll get to watch four full practices.
The question: Can the rookie put together a complete day in any one of those practices?
I don't need all four, but it would be nice to see one as an example of something to build on. So what would that mean?
I don't need bombs. What I need to see is the offense run smoothly and the ball getting to playmakers on time, on target and ideally with room to run. Rattler's biggest issue thus far is that he appears to be a tick slow and the ball isn't getting to pass-catchers before the defense can make a play on it. That split second can be the difference between a clean catch in a tight window and a ball that's tipped up in the air for a potential interceptions (which we've seen happen twice).
That type of day is in there. I expect during training camp we'll get them often and that's when the backup QB battle will truly heat up between Rattler and second-year pro Jake Haener, but for now it'd be a shot in the arm for the rookie from a confidence perspective to put one complete day together.
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2. Will Kamara or Lattimore show up?
We say it all the time: OTAs are voluntary, and attendance should be considered with that in mind. Still, Demario Davis made it clear how he feels about teammates not being on the field this time of year.
“I imagine if you look over at Kansas City, they’ve probably got 100% participation and they won a Super Bowl," Davis said after the second OTA session, "so if all of them showing up and we chasing them, we can’t miss. So I don’t think about it no other way.”
Will that resonate? It's tough to say. Among the players that are not dealing with a publicly disclosed injury, four that have not been at either of the first two OTA sessions.
- RB Alvin Kamara
- CB Marshon Lattimore
- DT Nathan Shepherd
- WR Stanley Morgan
Shepherd has a family issue, Allen said last week. We don't yet have an answer on Morgan, who signed with his hometown team in this past free agency cycle.
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The absences of Kamara and Lattimore stand out, though, as longtime members of the roster who would (or at least should) be looked to as team leaders. In reality, no, veteran players missing an OTA session probably shouldn't be looked at in too negative a light. Missing all three OTA sessions is a different matter.
An appearance by one or both players would quiet that noise, and it'd certainly be helpful if Lattimore also spoke to the media to quell any rumors and innuendo about a rift with the team. For Kamara, there's a new offense in town and having a key piece of that offense in the fold as it's instilled would feel a whole lot better.
This would also represent a pretty obvious convenience factor, considering the entire roster has to be in town next week anyway for mandatory minicamp. I expect to see Alvin, personally. Marshon's situation is tougher to read.
We'll find out one way or the other on Wednesday.
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3. Which fringe WR becomes this year's hype train player?
We see it every year: UDFA player A makes big catches in camp, they immediately become the next big thing.
Fast forward a few months later and they're nowhere to be found, at least in most cases. Think Emmanuel Butler as the best example, but players like Jalen McCleskey, Kirk Merritt, Shaq Davis all qualify. If you can tell me where any of those four players are right now without a Google search, I'd be impressed.
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Regardless, the question remains: Who will that player be this year?
Expectations are already a bit higher for drafted players, so Bub Means is out of this discussion for our purposes. The cut needs to be deeper than that.
Steve's pick: Jermaine Jackson
- Why: It's not difficult to see why he's an exciting player, as long as you can look past the 5-9 stature and focus on the quick-twitch speed and big-play potential. Anyone watching the Saints has Deonte Harty's skillset burned into their brain, and it's hard to watch Jermaine without getting those flashbacks. For that reason alone he'll get a bit of extra hype, even if his true chance to make the roster lies in his return ability.
Jeff's pick: Kyle Sheets
- Why: The answer to this question is almost always going to live in the category of "wow" plays, and while I'm not sure Kyle is necessarily an NFL wide receiver, that's where he excels. We've already seen it in practice. Sheets is able to go up and high point the football, using his 6-4 frame to make plays where others can not. It takes a lot more than that to be an NFL wide receiver, but not to get viral clips onto highlight reels. I have a feeling once the Saints get into 1-on-1 drills he'll be Mossing guys relentlessly, and if he makes a catch or two like that in preseason games the coal will just keep getting shoveled into the engine.
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