The New Orleans Saints got back outside for the second set of OTAs this week. Well, at least for a few minutes.
After about 15 minutes of individual work, a horn sounded to indicate lightning in the area, driving the rest of the action indoors. It was a light day overall in terms of what was seen in the media viewing session, but here are some takeaways.
TAKING ATTENDANCE
There were a few players making their practice debut after missing the first session, including LB Demario Davis and S J.T. Gray, but the absences still grew from the opening week.
Players who weren't spotted on Tuesday:
- TE Taysom Hill*
- WR Tre'Quan Smith
- WR Michael Thomas*
- CB Bradley Roby
- CB Marshon Lattimore*
- DB Lonnie Johnson Jr.
- CB Paulson Adebo
- S Tyrann Mathieu
- RB Alvin Kamara*
- OL Nick Saldiveri*
- RT Ryan Ramczyk*
- OL James Hurst*
- LG Andrus Peat*
- WR James Washington
- DT Nathan Shepherd
* = did not attend either session
Saldiveri is the lone rookie who has missed either session, with head coach Dennis Allen indicating he was dealing with a calf injury.
A handful of additional players are nursing injuries and did not participate, but were in attendance on Tuesday:
- LT Trevor Penning
- RG Cesar Ruiz
- RB Kendre Miller
- RB Eno Benjamin
- TE Miller Forristall
OTAs are voluntary, and Allen has indicated previously that all absent players have communicated with the coaching staff.
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CONFIDENT SHAHEED
This time last year Rashid Shaheed was an enigma. It was unclear how exactly he'd fit in on a team that already had a return ace, and it was unclear if he had legitimate receiver chops as he spent his OTA sessions rehabbing a knee injury suffered in his final game with Weber State.
This time around things couldn't be more different. He's now wearing 22, and he just looks as confident as anyone on the field as he hauls in passes from the Saints trio of QBs. He made a casual one-handed snag on a pass from Derek Carr during the first set of 7-on-7s, then lost his defender on a double-move upfield before hauling in a ball from Jake Haener. He was targeted three times (during the sets that the media was allowed to watch) and he hauled in all three. Chris Olave looks polished, too, catching two passes from Carr himself, but that's to be expected from the former No. 11 overall pick heading into Year 2.
It's tough to know exactly what to expect from Shaheed this time around, but we can guarantee one thing: He'll be heavily involved in 2023.
PRIDE SHOWS UP
It's often not worth getting too deep in the weeds of offensive/defensive line player during OTAs. Trench work is handled at half speed and the primary goal of everyone should be to get through the day without injuries. That's what happened on Tuesday.
But the secondary? This is the time to make an impact. That's what Troy Pride did, knocking away the first pass in team drills as Derek Carr went deep for Keith Kirkwood. Later he did an excellent job tracking a ball in the air as Carr rolled out to extend the play. He put up a jump ball -- that never really had a chance -- in the direction of Juwan Johnson up the sideline, but it was Pride that came down with it. There will be roster spots to be one during training camp and making a good impression early on can never hurt.
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FLOWERS IS A BLUR
This year's return ace is Malik Flowers, and No. 88 definitely fits the bill in the speed department. But does he have the WR skills? Ehh, to be decided. He ran a nice route during 7s and created separation to haul in a well-thrown ball from Jameis Winston, then he dropped it. I think it'd have gone down as a catch and fumble in a real game.
Allen said after the practice that it wasn't as clean as he'd like it to be and too many balls ended up on the ground. It's likely that play factored into his assessment.
PERRY STILL FINDING HIS GROOVE
To be fair, the media didn't get to see the final two practices of the first OTA session, but things still aren't clicking for A.T. Perry. He was the target on a pair of passes from Carr that hit the turf. They weren't necessarily his fault and they were sketchy-looking passes, but the chemistry doesn't seem to be there right now.
BRESEE THE ATHLETE
Have you ever heard of a kip-up (also called a kick up)? If not, take a second and Google it. OK, good? Well, consider how athletic you'd need to be to execute that type of maneuver in any capacity. I've tried it ... didn't work so well.
OK, now consider how athletic you'd have to be to pull off that type of move as a 300-pound defensive lineman. That's what Bryan Bresee did at the end of stretches on Tuesday. We haven't gotten a chance to see of ton of real work from the first-round pick this offseason, but you can tell by the way he moves he's just a different type of athlete.
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