There have been some consistencies at Saints minicamp, but one position has stood out as being very much up for grabs: CB2.
Marshon Lattimore has, of course, been entrenched as the CB1 in team drills. Bradley Roby has been in the slot. Heck, even Isaac Yiadom and Ugo Amadi have held down the outside and slot, respectively on the second team.
But who lines up opposite from Marshon? That's been a revolving door. On Day 1 it was Paulson Adebo, with Alontae Taylor taking second teams. On Day 2 it was Taylor with Adebo kicked to second team. On Day 3, Taylor was first team in 7s, then Adebo taking over for 11s.
It's a clear competition and that will ride into training camp, Dennis Allen says.
"There's a ton of competition and playing time and starting jobs, those are all earned and you've got to come out and earn it every single year," Allen told me on Thursday. "The great thing about it is I feel like those two particular players ... both of them are fully capable of being starters and playing at a high level for us."
Both have flashed at moments throughout minicamp. Taylor has also been taking third team slot reps, and closed out Wednesday's practice with a pick-six off Jake Haener.
TAKING ATTENDANCE
Defensive ends Cam Jordan and Carl Granderson returned after a day off, but one key wide receiver joined the ranks of the absences. Here's who we didn't see on the field Thursday:
- WR Chris Olave
- WR Rashid Shaheed
- DB Anthony Johnson
- G Cesar Ruiz
Nothing changed so far as the involvement of RBs Eno Benjamin and Kendre Miller, TE Miller Forristall, OL Nick Saldiveri, OT Trevor Penning and WR Michael Thomas. All six of those players was out with the team but didn't participate in team drills. For the third consecutive day Thomas got in individual work with Derek Carr and was moving well during some half-speed routes.
Olave's absence was due to achilles inflammation that is not believed to be serious. He was out watching practice as well but was not in uniform. Rashid Shaheed missed all three days with a minor groin injury. Allen said on Thursday that he would only label one player as "questionable" for training camp, though he would not disclose which player that is. He expects the other 89 to be ready to go for training camp in July.
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TAYSOM BACK AT QB
Identifying where Taysom Hill is working in practice will be a daily task throughout training camp, and that was the case the last three days. Much like on Tuesday he could be spotted working with the QBs, but not in a red non-contact jersey.
He led two sets of team drills, with rookie Jake Haener not receiving any team reps. It's all part of the process to make sure Taysom is ready to do whatever is asked of him throughout the season. He told reporters on Thursday that so far he's been finding out each morning where he'd be working that day, and sounds satisfied with the approach and how his role is growing.
ROUGH DAY OF 7-ON-7
Derek Carr looked sharp in his first set of team drills, completing just 3-of-6 passes, but two for touchdowns. One came on a pretty route to Alvin Kamara in the corner of the end zone. The Carr to AK connection is coming along well and could be a major factor in how this offense operates.
From there it got a bit rough. Jameis Winston took four reps, and all four hit the ground, though one would go as a drop by Kamara. Both of Hill's reps also hit the turf. We can give credit to the defense, which I'd say had a solid day all around in coverage.
Both Carr and Jameis looked sharp in two-minute drills though, which were qualified as down 6, with both drives starting in plus territory. That means four downs needing a touchdown. Carr completed passes to Tre'Quan Smith, Keith Kirkwood and Juwan Johnson before Paulson Adebo broke up a pass in the end zone intended for Kawaan Baker. From there he completed passes to Adam Prentice and James Washington before finding Prentice in the end zone for a TD. After a rough day of such drills on Tuesday, that's back-to-back sharp performances from QB1, a good sign heading into training camp.
Jameis led an effective drive of his own, completing a ball to A.T. Perry, who adjusted to make a nice grab on a ball slightly behind him, then connected with Foster Moreau and Ellis Merriweather before ultimately finding Malik Flowers in the end zone for a TD.
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BIG COVERAGE
I wrote yesterday how I needed to see a linebacker cover, and so I feel obligated to point out that they did just that on Thursday.
First it was the colossal Anfernee Orji tracking with Bryan Edwards to the edge of the field to break up a Carr pass to Edwards. I think Orji's tackling ability is already a very attractive quality. If he can prove capable in coverage, I very much like his chances to make the team. He's got a long way to go, but it was a good start.
Later, Andrew Dowell tracked Alvin Kamara out of the backfield and did enough to break up a pass from Taysom Hill. I'm beginning to think some form of veteran addition at linebacker might be merited heading into camp, but they've definitely shut me up for at least a day.
LAGNIAPPE
I've been tough on A.T. Perry, but I will say he's stabilized his performance a good bit over the past two days. I'm still yet to see him make a true contested catch on a 50/50 ball, but he's eliminated the drops. He's got to prove to be more consistent in camp, and the past couple passes have been steps in the right direction. ... There's a Jameis Winston-Foster Moreau connection brewing, an interesting subplot considering that Moreau and Carr are the former teammates. After a bad drop on Tuesday, Winston has gone back to Moreau repeatedly for successful results each of the past two days. ... The kicker competition is real, and it seems to be bringing out the best in Wil Lutz. Both the veteran and the UDFA Blake Grupe nailed their progressively longer kicks to close out the day, the longest coming from 57. I still think the mountain will be too high for Grupe to climb, but if he kicks like this he'll find a job somewhere.
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