We're all of two weeks into 2021 New Orleans Saints training camp, so what better time to throw down 10 first impressions on what we've seen -- and what we expect to see -- heading into the 2021 season.
Scroll below for early takes on the quarterback competition, some hidden gems, the Saints' strength, potential win totals and more.
1. MARCUS DAVENPORT'S BREAKOUT
I think Marcus Davenport is in line for a big year; perhaps a bigger year than Cam Jordan. Whoa! Yeah I know I’m going way out there. Just hear me out.
I think we are seeing a transition on defense from Jordan to a younger group of edge rushers. Jordan is a first ballot Saints Hall of Famer. But, let’s face it: His production dipped last season. After posting double-digit sacks in three previous seasons, Jordan logged only 7.5 in 2020. Cam is 32 years old, and while that is young in every-day life, it's pushing “old” in the NFL. I’m as big of a Cam fan as anyone, and somehow I think he might prove me wrong.
What I have seen from Marcus Davenport so far in camp is nothing but a big jump from what I saw the previous three seasons. Davenport is just more equipped with a better arsenal of pass rush moves in his fourth season.
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2. LEANING ON THE OL
I think the Saints offensive line will be the strength of this team. It’s not even a question of what group they'll have to lean on.
The big guys up front are the reason the Saints have a shot this year. From top to bottom the Saints have the most OL talent and depth of any NFL team. The question mark, and it’s not a big one, is second year guard Cesar Ruiz. The former Michigan Wolverine, and center, has slimmed down and focused on playing guard in the NFL. If the Saints can get the offensive line rolling, New Orleans will have a chance.
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TAYSOM TAKES THE QB BATTLE
I think Taysom wins the job. That’s a big statement 10 days into training camp. Yeah I know ... and I might have egg on my face to start the season.
So far Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill have each had their good and bad moments in camp. All things being equal, I think Sean Payton is just flat out intrigued by the versatility of Hill as his full-time starting quarterback. Brilliant offensive minds like new challenges, fresh ideas and unique schemes. I have a picture of Payton in the film room with a legal pad drawing up crazy plays featuring his “football player” at quarterback and how he could terrorize the league. Payton has talked at length about the RPO game and the mobile quarterback in the modern NFL.
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GILLIKIN IS THE GUY
I think Blake Gilikin is the punter of the future.
When you watch him punt you will see why. The ball jumps off his foot like a rocket out of a cannon. He’s got the long ball stroke and the short game of PGA golfer. Gilikin can smash the driver and use his leg like a pitching wedge close to the green. This is a one-man race as I see it.
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DEFENSIVE NAME TO WATCH FOR: ANDREW DOWELL
I think we should all have an eye on Andrew Dowell.
The linebacker could be the odds-on favorite to stick on this roster because of his ability to impact special teams. The Saints no longer have special teams aces Craig Robertson or Justin Hardee. Dowell has flashed at times in camp, and is the perfect candidate to be sent down the field to cover punts and kicks. It’s worth noting second-year linebacker Zack Baun looks like he’s taken a big leap on special teams and more importantly on defense.
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HOW MANY WINS ARE OUT THERE?
Right now I think the Saints' potential win totals are all over the map.
Predictions have ranged anywhere from 7-10 to 10-7, according to the experts. I have them in that range depending on how quickly the team gets Mike Thomas back from injury and how long Marshon Lattimore is suspended, if at all.
If the Saints finish 10-7 this season, Sean Payton should be the NFC coach of the year. I’m not trying to be a “Debbie Downer,” there are just a lot of question marks with this team. In 2006 Payton guided a roster similarly full of question marks to the NFC title game. Can Payton work some more magic or will Voodoo catch up with the Saints?
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DON'T HOLD YOUR BREATH ON BREES
I think Drew Brees will not even come close to coming out of retirement.
I’ve heard this kicked around the national sports shows and I’m certain Brees is gone from the game of football as a player for good. It’s flat-out silly to think otherwise. What Brees went through last year with the injuries we didn’t know about until after the season will tell you he’s done and done for good. Just count down your days until you are enshrined into the Hall of Fame, Drew. You earned it! Who Dat for Life!
IS JUWAN JOHNSON A HIDDEN GEM?
I think Juwan Johnson could be a real find for the Saints.
The Oregon product came to the Saints as an oversized wide receiver last season as an undrafted free agent. This offseason the team decided to convert Johnson to tight end.
So far he looks like a natural fit. He’s a monster at 6’-4 and 241 pounds and could be a big mismatch in the red-zone. So far in camp Johnson doesn’t look like a receiver trying to play tight end. He looks like a tight end with some ability to play receiver. He’s going to make this team at tight end. That becomes especially true when you consider the Saints are going to be looking for red-zone mismatches early in the season without Mike Thomas.
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TRE'QUAN SMITH'S ABSENCE IS A CONCERN
I think Tre’Quan Smith has to get back on the field quickly.
The fourth-year wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith missed a majority of the training camp's second week with an undisclosed injury. There is no doubt when Smith is healthy he can contribute to the Saints passing attack. The problem is Smith's NFL career has often been derailed by injuries.
With Mike Thomas set to miss several weeks due to injury, Smith is missing a great opportunity to prove his long-term worth to the Saints. Most of my colleagues at WWL don’t agree that Smith is on the bubble, I beg to differ. If Smith can’t stay healthy, what good is he? With that said he has the veteran wind at his back and knows the offense so perhaps it’s not as dire as I am making it out to be.
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JAMEIS IS EASY TO ROOT FOR
I think Jameis Winston is someone to pull for, if nothing else.
Don’t get me wrong, he can still win this QB competition but some drastic holes in his game have to improve, and improve quickly. He’s wildly inaccurate on deep passes, and sometimes high and late over the middle (a fatal flaw for an NFL QB). With that said if you like to see rebuilt images and rebuilt born again human beings, Winston is the poster child.
I remember watching the draft in 2015 when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked him No. 1 overall and I immediately cringed for him. That was the worst place for him to go. Touted as the savior of the Bucs and potential face of the league as a former Heisman Trophy winner at Florida State, he was doomed from day one. He appears to have a new lease on life here in New Orleans with the Saints. He recognizes it. When you talk to him it’s the first thing and last thing he brings up. The sense of urgency is there for Winston, and the contrition for a not so perfect past is also there.
In training camp he’s held two press conferences, and if you close your eyes for a second he sounds like a good Sunday pastor delivering a sermon to his congregation. Now this doesn’t amount to a hill of beans in the NFL. However, if he can somehow turn his career around in New Orleans it might be a script that only Hollywood screen writer could dream of.
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LAGNIAPPE
I think my favorite part of camp so far has been sitting next to Bobby Hebert and listening to him size up the QB competition now that No. 9 is no longer in black in gold. Bobby never had to really focus on the QB position before now, and this year we’re hearing some insight that we haven’t heard before because of Drew’s mastery of the Saints offense. The analysis is some of the best Hebert has delivered. Make sure you listen.
The Cannon is firing big time rounds down range. Don’t miss out.