The New Orleans Saints went out to California for their 2024 training camp, because things are not business as usual heading into a season that sorely needs to reverse a skid of three straight missed postseasons.
The vibes were mostly positive under sunny skies and weighed down by little to no humidity on the campus of U.C. Irvine. Well, mostly. The vibe was weighed down somewhat by an injury to second-year running back Kendre Miller early in individual drills.
Saints head coach Dennis Allen described the injury as a hamstring issue and didn't hold back his frustration relative to the availability of the 2023 third-round pick out of TCU.
"Look, that's a player that's gonna have to figure out how to stay healthy, because it's hard to make the team when you're in the training room all the time," Allen said.
Another player in OL Justin Herron left early for a knee issue that is believed to be minor. For Miller, it's a continuation of a frustrating trend. He appeared in just 8 games a year ago due to a variety of issues, including an ankle injury suffered in Week 9. When on the field he's been impressive, including a 73-yard effort and a touchdown to lead the team when he returned in a Week 18 win over the Falcons.
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TAKING ATTENDANCE
There's not a ton to discuss here, as you'd hope with the team sequestered in California. Every Saints player expected to participate did so. The only players not on the field were those that started camp on the PUP list. That group includes:
- TE Juwan Johnson (foot)
- DE Tanoh Kpassagnon (achilles)
- LB Nephi Sewell (knee)
RT Ryan Ramczyk is already out for the season with a knee issue. We also spotted Juwan Johnson catching a few casual balls from QB Derek Carr at the end of the day. It couldn't be called practice, per se, but it was still good to see him out there.
Two players who took steps in the right direction were DE Chase Young and rookie CB Kool-Aid McKinstry. For Young it was the first time we saw the newly signed DE on the field since he underwent neck surgery earlier this offseason. He participated in individual drills, but to this point was held out of team drills.
The second-round pick McKinstry got on the field for some individual work during minicamp, but Wednesday marked the first time that he got on the field for full team work. He'll be a fun player to watch throughout camp to see if he can carve out a role in the regular rotation.
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KAMARA INVOLVED
If Alvin Kamara has any intention of playing hardball with the Saints front office as he seeks a reworked contract, he didn't show any signs of that on Day 1. He led RB individual work with his position group and was involved early and often in the full team work. He was even involved in a concept where he and Adam Prentice lined up in the backfield flanking Derek Carr in the shotgun before AK motioned out wide for what turned into a bubble screen.
Creativity?!? With Alvin Kamara?!? My heart can barely handle it.
There's still a long way to go, and while Kamara made it clear he's committed to the team and wants to remain a Saint, we'll see if that tone changes at all if there's no momentum on the contract. For now, though. Alvin looks good and the team is happy to have him.
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PLAY OF THE DAY
The confusing nature of the offense practicing against the defense is that a big play on one side often means something negative happened on the other. That was the case in the second set of team drills when Derek Carr attempted to rifle a ball over the middle of the field to Rashid Shaheed, only for linebacker Demario Davis to step in front for what would've been a pick-6.
On the one hand, that's a good look for the veteran linebacker and a defense that should continue to be the strength of this group. On the other hand, the timing didn't quite seem to be there on the offensive side. To their credit Carr and Shaheed came back with a nice connection out wide for what would've been a 15-plus yard gain. Hopefully it's just an early hiccup.
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LAGNIAPPE...
No real changes on the OL at this point, with the same first-team from minicamp consisting (from right to left) of Trevor Penning, Nick Saldiveri, Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz and Taliese Fuaga. The only change on the second team was Oli Udoh stepping in for reps at right tackle. It'll be interesting to watch how that situation develops. ... Isaiah Foskey continues to make some plays. He had a nice rush during team where he got around the edge on Penning and forced Carr to step up into some traffic. I'm hopeful he can make a push for more playing time this year. ... Today was a punt return day, with the action at returner going to Rashid Shaheed and UDFAs Jermaine Jackson and Mason Tipton. ... Blake Grupe was a perfect 8-for-8 on field goal attempts and we even saw a fake with Lou Hedley sending a pass to Lucas Patrick in the end zone. Grupe continues to be rocksteady and I don't see him getting pushed this year. ... This year's practice started with 40 up downs for the defense. If the weather can't beat these players into shape, the coaching staff will.