The New Orleans Saints have been dealing with a host of injuries throughout their 2024 training camp, but there's been some positive developments heading into Week 2 of the preseason.
There will be no joint practices this week due to injury issues for the 49ers, but a trio of wide receivers returned to practice -- wearing red jerseys -- in Rashid Shaheed (hamstring), Equanimeous St. Brown (hamstring) and Bub Means (shin). Demario Davis (hamstring) got back into limited action, and another pair of players in Marshon Lattimore (hip) and Pete Werner (shoulder) could be seen working off to the side with trainers.
"That tells you they’re getting close," said WWL's Deuce McAllister after Tuesday's practice. "It’ll be good to get those guys back. We saw even last week Bub Means and Rashid they were watching and then the next phase is for them to be able to get out and start running, so it’s an important week for a lot of different players."
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It wasn't all good news, though. Star running back Alvin Kamara was absent due to what head coach Dennis Allen described as back stiffness, while WR A.T. Perry walked off with a sprained ankle midway through practice.
With more than half of their training camp camp practices in the books, the Saints now have to start gearing up for regular season action.
"You’ve been here in camp for a while and some guys have been banged up and not available, but guess what’s coming? Carolina. At some point you’ve got to start getting a team ready to play. You’ve still got two preseason games, so there’s still time, but at the end of the day you’ve got to start getting a team in position to get ready for the games.”
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On refs coming back to practice
“[Saints head coach Dennis Allen] likes to do a lot of off-script stuff, as far as calling out down and distance, how much you gained, situational football, which is always good. He likes that, and so to have the officials out and because there’s times where it looks like there’s a false start, there might have been a holding, the officials are gonna call it, and so it’s good for the players to be able to have that. The most disappointing part that you get when you don’t practice against San Francisco is the reps. You know, and it’s not against the same player over and over, to see a different body, to see different moves. You won’t have that, you'll just have the game. So I wouldn’t be surprised one bit, with them not practicing against them, you’ll get some more work for your starters.”
On LB Monty Rice's performance
“The Saints actually picked him up last year off of waivers. I think he was banged up even a little bit. You’re starting to see a little bit of what he can do and so he’s a name and a player that just keeps showing up, and as a player that’s all you can do, I mean, because you don’t know if you’ll get the opportunity, but I want to keep making plays and when that opportunity is there, I can make that play. So a player like he, D’Marco Jackson, Anfernee Orji, those guys are making plays. You know, you can talk about the big three, so to speak for the linebackers, but those young guys are making plays and that’s their job.”