The New Orleans Saints hosted fans for the first time on Friday, and they certainly didn't disappoint.
There were cheers when Mike Thomas caught a pass, there were cheers when Alvin Kamara took a carry, there were cheers for just about everything, because these fans were ready to yell.
As Dennis Allen put it, "there's always more juice" when the fans are in attendance. He compared the atmosphere in Metairie to the advantage the Saints get with an adrenaline rush after the Who Dat chant in the Superdome.
That atmosphere will continue on Saturday before a day off, then the first padded practice on Monday.
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TAKING ATTENDANCE
It was another well attended day at Saints camp, with just two absences, both of which head coach Dennis Allen said were planned. Those two players were:
- RT Ryan Ramczyk
- RG Cesar Ruiz
There was also a notable return in the form of Trevor Penning, who was held out on Thursday due to a minor foot injury. Lewis Kidd also got back to practice after a day off.
Expect to see more absences throughout the next few weeks as the Saints attempt to navigate the extreme heat in South Louisiana this time of year.
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A BLOW AT GUARD
The search for offensive line depth will restart after rough injury news for Trai Turner, who was carted off the field with an injury on his third day of practice since inking a deal in his native New Orleans just before the start of camp. Turner's injury is a torn quad, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, and he's done for the season.
Turner had a chance to push Cesar Ruiz, Andrus Peat and others for reps at guard. It remains to be seen whether the Saints will seek to bring in more competition.
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A REAL PUNTER BATTLE?
Let's be clear: Blake Gillikin is the odds-on favorite to retain the punter job.
Still, Lou Hedley isn't hanging around just to carry around gear, he's got a legit shot to make the roster. That's particularly true if Gillikin doesn't have better days than Day 3, when he sent 10 punts downfield, with only four taking the ideal trajectory with enough hangtime for the coverage groups to do anything with. It's a small hiccup, but one that won't endear him at the position after what was certainly not his best season in 2022.
Hedley got his day at punter on Thursday and looked solid. On Friday he was holding for Wil Lutz, something that's notable on its own. If the Saints weren't serious about him potentially taking that job, there'd be no need to get him any reps at holder for Lutz. It could just be an effort to take some of the work off Gillikin's shoulders to focus on kicking, but nonetheless, keep an eye on it. All the talk has been about Grupe, but I genuinely think there are better odds for Hedley sticking around.
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QB TAYSOM
Head coach Dennis Allen told me after practice that there's an established schedule for Taysom Hill, and that included a run at the QB position on Friday after he worked with the tight ends for his first two practices.
Hill, not in a red jersey, took team reps at QB in both 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills, splitting third-team reps with Jake Haener in 7s before working into 2nd team drills for the first set of 11s. In theory it makes sense to get Taysom work with some first-stringers, considering that when he does inevitably line up at QB in games, he'll be working with the starters.
Taysom completed his first pass to Rashid Shaheed, then overthrew TE Jesse James downfield. He didn't attempt a pass in 11s, another sign that this was a more closely replicated version of the offense to what will actually take place in a game, giving handoffs to both Jamaal Williams and Eno Benjamin, running a zone-read keeper with Kirk Merritt, then pulling the ball down for a scramble on his final rep. This is already a big difference from camp a year ago, with Taysom getting few -- if any -- reps at QB, which didn't make sense in the end, considering how many times he ended up taking snaps at QB throughout the year.
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D'MARCO'S NICE DAY
Linebacker depth will be a question all offseason, but that position will feel a lot more secure if D'Marco Jackson steps into a key role behind Demario Davis. He found himself in the right place at the right time on back-to-back plays today, first corralling an interception off Rashid Shaheed's hands on a Jameis Winston pass that appeared to be left a bit behind the receiver.
The next play he worked over in coverage on James Washington and knocked the ball away for another nice moment.
He and Andrew Dowell have both made some nice statements early, and that's a welcome sight for a team that didn't really make any major additions at the position thus far.
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HAENER'S BIG THROW
Rookie quarterbacks always have a lot to learn in terms of catching up to the speed of the NFL game, but Jake Haener had a nice moment that drew some oohs and ahhs from fans early in the day.
He had just two reps in the opening set of 7-on-7 drills, with the first ball going to rookie RB Kendre Miller in the flat. The second showed off nice recognition, a quick release and a strong arm, as Haener quickly ID'd a coverage breakdown up the left sideline and rifled a ball 30 yards downfield on a line into the arms of Lynn Bowden Jr. for what would've been a long TD in a game.
My biggest criticism of Ian Book was that he always seemed a tick late, and when you don't have the luxury of a rocket arm, that's a recipe for disaster. I think Haener is already showing he's a bit ahead in that department, but take that with a grain of salt. There's a looooooong way to go before we even start discussing real-life game situations as far as he's concerned.
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PENNING'S WHEELS
There are very reasonable and realistic questions to be asked about the security that should be felt with Trevor Penning protecting Derek Carr's blindside. There's no question he has the ability, but breakdowns at that position can -- at best -- lead to very negative results on the field. At worst they can get your QB plastered to the turf.
But you can live with the occasional blip if he can, most importantly, stay healthy, and also be a mauler and a weapon in the run/screen game. That's what happened on the first rep of team drills Friday, with Derek Carr lobbing a quick screen to Alvin Kamara out wide, with Penning clearing the way well downfield.
One way to slow down a pass rush and make the left tackles' job easier is to execute screens and the power run game. It's good to see him showing his value there, even before pads come on and he can be a real mauler.
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COUNTING TARGETS
DEREK CARR
- Michael Thomas: 1 target, 0 catches
- Jamaal Williams: 1 target, 1 catch
- Tre'Quan Smith: 1 target, 1 catch
- Juwan Johnson: 1 target, 1 catch
- Alvin Kamara: 1 target, 1 catch
- Eno Benjamin: 1 target, 1 catch
- James Washington: 1 target, 1 catch
- Foster Moreau: 1 target, 1 catch
JAMEIS WINSTON
- Keith Kirkwood: 1 target, 1 catch
- Kendre Miller: 2 targets, 2 catches
- Tre'Quan Smith: 1 target, 1 catch
- Eno Benjamin: 1 target, 1 catch
- James Washington: 1 target, 0 catches
- Chris Olave: 1 target, 1 catch
TAYSOM HILL
- Rashid Shaheed: 1 target, 1 catch
- Jesse James: 1 target, 0 catches
*4 more reps but no passes thrown
JAKE HAENER
- Kendre Miller: 1 target, 1 catch
- Lynn Bowden Jr.: 1 target, 1 catch
- Bryan Edwards: 1 target, 1 catch
- A.T. Perry: 1 target, 0 catches
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SOMEONE TO WATCH
The name Scott Lashley isn't going to turn many heads, but I think he's got a shot to make some inroads on this roster. The UDFA out of Mississippi State got what I'd consider a marathon run of reps at left tackle to close out practice and showed very well.
As Payton Turner and Isaiah Foskey rotated across from him, he repeatedly stoned multiple moves and used his reach to out-leverage a pair of young and talented pass-rushers. These are unpadded reps, obviously, but I think that will typically work to the detriment of the OL. The pads offer more surface to control the rusher, and without them the speedy ends are lighter and quicker.
Lashley won't be a threat to any of the top-end tackles on this roster, but he's an intriguing young player who could be kept around. As a UDFA, that's all you can hope for at this point.
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