The Saints got back outside on Thursday in full pads after a pair of practices indoors, but things were a bit more subdued, particularly in the trenches.
It was a run and third-down focus day. The blocking won some reps, the defense won some reps. That's what you're looking for in camp. Things are starting to balance out after a clear edge on the defensive side of the ball in the first several days.
If one player stood out it had to be Juwan Johnson, who made a couple of impressive snags in team drills. The first came in 7-on-7s when he snagged a picture-perfect ball from Andy Dalton over decent coverage by Eric Wilson. The next came in 11-on-11s, when the converted WR went up over Daniel Sorenson to snag a pass from Jameis Winston, and he survived a tough tumble to the ground for his top highlight of camp thus far.
After a quiet opening week with some time missed due to injury, Johnson has begun to assert himself and could be another weapon in the passing game.
"The expectation is that he takes the next step," head coach Dennis Allen said. "And the next step really is being that consistent threat, and I think he's got the talent to do it, but he's got to prove it out here at training camp."
TAKING ATTENDANCE
The same general attendance as previous days held true, though there was a positive sign for TE Taysom Hill as he got out on the field (not in uniform) for some light work alongside KR/WR Rashid Shaheed.
DE Payton Turner returned after a two-day absence, and TE Lucas Krull was back out on the practice field after a day missed on Wednesday.
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DE Marcus Davenport is yet to make his first appearance of camp. DB Dylan Mabin missed a second consecutive day, Smoke Monday remained out with his knee issue, and rookie LB D'Marco Jackson was also absent.
Michael Thomas participated in the initial walkthrough but got a rest day, his second of camp thus far. The same appeared to be the case with LT James Hurst and LB Demario Davis.
CB Marshon Lattimore was spotted leaving the field with a trainer late in the day's session, but it was unclear why.
NO FUNNY BUSINESS
After three consecutive days of dust-ups involving rookie Trevor Penning and three different defenders, there was no sign of any such issues this time around. Penning and DT Malcolm Roach were both sent off from practice after a fight on Wednesday, but both participated fully on Thursday.
The players have repeatedly downplayed the dust-ups, and as Allen acknowledged it is not unusual to have disagreements and scuffles. But it was clearly an issue on Wednesday. He addressed it with the players on the field after practice, and with Penning and Roach afterward.
"I thought it was much cleaner today," Allen said. "It takes a lot of energy to fight and it's harder to do out there in the heat. ... They understand what we have to do and how we have to practice."
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TYRANN MATHIEU 'RAMP-UP'
One of the new buzzwords of camp is ramp-up, and it's clearly one the team takes seriously. It's been the case for Davenport (conditioning), Taysom Hill (ribs), Pete Werner (groin), Mike Thomas (ankle) and Rashid Shaheed, all of whom have been brought back slowly from injuries.
The latest person on the ramp-up list is Tyrann Mathieu, who isn't dealing with an injury but missed the first six days of practice as he dealt with a personal issue away from the team. It's unclear exactly how long it'll take before the team let's him go wheels-up, but they are clearly in no rush as it relates to health this season.
1V1 NOTES
We finally started getting 1-on-1 reps in camp, and they haven't disappointed. Here were the matchups, "winner" in bold. These are slightly subjective, but generally speaking the WR wins if a catch is made, DB if the ball hits the ground.
- Deonte Harris vs Paulson Adebo
- Marquez Callaway vs Marshon Lattimore
- Easop Winston vs Bradley Roby
- Kirk Merritt vs Alontae Taylor
- Jarvis Landry vs Vincent Gray
- Kevin White vs Bryce Thompson
- Chris Olave vs Paulson Adebo
- Dai'Jean Dixon vs DaMarcus Fields
- Tre'Quan Smith vs Bradley Roby
- Kawaan Baker vs Vincent Gray
- Marquez Callaway vs Marshon Lattimore
- Jarvis Landry vs Paulson Adebo* (INT)
- Easop Winston vs Bradley Roby (INT)
- Kirk Merritt vs Alontae Taylor*
- Deonte Harris vs Vincent Gray
- Kevin White vs DaMarcus Fields
- Chris Olave vs Paulson Adebo (late strip)
- Dai'Jean Dixon vs Bryce Thompson (unclear/drop)
- Jarvis Landry vs PJ Williams
- Easop Winston vs Daniel Sorenson
* = likely flag
I'm not listing the QBs because I don't trust my notes and I don't want to give anyone credit or blame for something they didn't do. These reps happen quickly. I also advise everyone to take these with a grain of salt. For instance, PJ "won" against Jarvis Landry, but it was more about the catch difficulty. PJ covered well, but it was a jump ball at the corner of the end zone that Jarvis failed to come down with. It'd have taken a spectacular grab, which is a win for the defense, but I'm honestly surprised when Jarvis doesn't make the spectacular catch.
There are also no flags, and I think that's more than fine in these reps. So much of it is about receivers and DBs battling with physicality. But I'd have thrown one on the two starred above, one of which would've likely erased an interception by Adebo. As good as he's been, and he's been excellent, I am a bit concerned he might end up drawing penalties when the refs show up, so I'm making sure to point that out here.
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The standout to me was Olave today. He struggled a bit with Adebo's physicality during Monday's session, but he snapped off a pretty comeback with clean separation on his first rep, then followed that up with a clean route to the post that'd have gone for a touchdown. Adebo knocked it out of his hands late, which might lead some to say it was a win for him -- but he got beat, and the takeaway there is Olave needs to be stronger with the ball in his hands. Roby has also continued to impress me in coverage. He's not the most physical of DBs, but he's clearly a ballhawk and came down with a nice interception today.
TJJ CONTINUES RISE
There was no other way to slice it, Tony Jones had a rough start to camp. That has changed this week. He had another set of nice runs today, showcasing the vision, speed and power that made him a clear choice at RB2 last year by the end of camp. He's pulled back closer with the pack in my eyes.
LOOK OUT FOR...
Carl Granderson. The DE has been unblockable at times, and was in the backfield multiple times today. He's going to have a role this season. ... Taco Charlton. With some faces missing along the DL he's been getting first-team reps. ... Eric Wilson. Another player who's been getting first-team reps at linebacker. This guy had 122 tackles a couple seasons back, and could have a role this season.