There are few things more important in this year's training camp than establishing Chris Olave as the true No. 1 in the Klint Kubiak scheme. That's never been more evident than it was on Monday.
At one point early in the day, Derek Carr had completed five passes in team drills. All five were targeting Olave, four to the left sideline and the fifth a big gain down the right sideline after Carr extended a play and found the WR on the move.
The biggest moment, though, came in late-practice situational work with the Saints facing a 4th and 5 after Bryan Bresee broke through on 3rd down to force a throwaway. The situation had the Saints trailing 30-28 with under a minute to go. They were outside of field goal range and needed a conversion, and that's what they got. The Saints defense played soft and Carr hit Olave on a slant for the first down conversion. The drive ultimately resulted in a 48-yard field goal attempt that Blake Grupe banged through for what would've been the game-winner.
There are still a good number of questions surrounding this offense, but establishing Olave as the engine of the passing game hasn't been one of them.
TAKING ATTENDANCE
The list of players still out of action remained long, but there were some positive updates in the form of Nathan Shepherd and Payton Turner, both of whom returned after missing Sunday with a toe injury. That was particularly positive for Turner, who missed a majority of the 2023 season with a significant toe injury. Getting back to practice is a sign that the issue is a manageable one.
Here are the players who were not in action on Monday:
- S Ugo Amadi (groin)
- QB Jake Haener
- WR Equanimeous St. Brown (hamstring)
- WR Bub Means (shin)
- LB Pete Werner (shoulder)
- WR Rashid Shaheed (hamstring)
- CB Marshon Lattimore (hip)
- RB Kendre Miller (hamstring)
- CB Paulson Adebo (groin)
- LB Jaylan Ford
- LB Demario Davis (hamstring)
- LG Nick Saldiveri (calf)
- OL Chandler Brewer (triceps)
- DL Trajan Jeffcoat (elbow)
We've seen a few players getting rest days, and that was the case today for Alvin Kamara, who was in attendance but did not participate in drills.
It's also worth noting that Haener's absence was planned so he could have a procedure to address a bout of skin cancer on his face. He's expected to be back in action after the team's off day on Tuesday.
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RATTLER'S DAY
With Haener out of action, that meant all the work that the rookie could handle. He took advantage. The first team offense saw a bit of extended work, but Rattler handled all the reps with the 2s and the 3s and continued to showcase impressive poise for a player navigating his first training camp.
On one set he took 10 consecutive reps. On the day, by my count, it was 36 total reps. There were 16 pass reps, 12 of which went for completions. The most impressive throw was a bit questionable in terms of whether he'd have gotten it off as Khalen Saunders was closing in for a sack, but it was an impressive throw nonetheless as he lobbed the ball downfield on the run and hit Cedrick Wilson in stride for what would've been a huge gain.
Rattler also looked poised in his 2-minute drive to end the day, a positive result after a similar drive looked a bit frazzled a day earlier and ended without a field goal attempt. The scenario was the same as noted above, 1:15 and one timeout remaining with the Saints trailing 30-28.
The beginning of these drives is often crucial, and things got off to a good start with quick passes to TEs Dallin Holker and Michael Jacobson on the sideline for a first down with over a minute remaining. The next throw went to Jacobson again over the middle of the field down to the 36 yard line. That was Rattler's last completion of the day, but a pair of James Robinson runs allowed the Saints to attempt a 46-yarder as time expired for the win. That kick clanked off the left upright, but that doesn't change the result of the drive. It was a success.
As Dennis Allen made clear after today's practice, the backup quarterback battle will be heavily weighted by performances in preseason games. No decisions will be made at this point, and both players still have a lot to prove. That said, Rattler could've easily taken himself out of consideration by this point, and he's continued to build confidence. There's a lot to like.
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KICKER QUESTIONS
Dennis Allen said today that the kicker competition has been a good one, and I'd tend to agree. He also said there's been a bit more inconsistency than he'd like, and I'd agree with that as well.
A perfect embodiment of that has been seen over the past two days of practice. On Sunday it was Charlie Smyth hitting from 62 on the same day he missed a PAT length kick in drills, then missed another from that range after a successful drive for a score in the 2-minute drill.
Fast forward 24 hours and it was Blake Grupe hitting from 61 on the same day he missed a PAT length kick in drills, then clanked a ball off the upright from 46 after a successful drive in the 2-minute offense.
My logic all along was to go with the more consistent performer, and while I still see that as Grupe -- Smyth has literally never kicked a field goal in an NFL stadium -- it's a lot closer than I expected going into camp.
LAGNIAPPE
Derek Carr threw an interception today that landed in the arms of Shemar Jean-Charles. It was a right place, right time situation. The defense showed zero and dropped out and it looked like the throw sailed. I'm not a fan of tracking daily QB stats because I think they're often misinterpreted, but I do track INTs and that was Carr's fourth of this camp. ... Today was a run-heavy day and I thought the defense came out on the better end. The caveat is obviously that there was no Alvin Kamara to contend with and the dropoff after him is pretty significant. ... I thought Khalen Saunders had a really solid day. On one rep he burst into the backfield and flushed Spencer Rattler for what would've probably been a sack, even though the QB still got the ball downfield for a completion. On the next rep he collapsed the line and took down James Robinson on a toss to the left. Khalen will be a major piece in how this team tries to stuff the run, so it's good to see him getting going. ... We saw Anfernee Orji getting in work at the mike linebacker spot today. He's been all over the field and it's easy to see him developing into a bigger role this year.