The New Orleans Saints are expecting a strong showing for the first day of 2024 training camp, with all but three active players expected on the field.
Those three players are LB Nephi Sewell (knee), DE Tanoh Kpassagnon (Achilles) and TE Juwan Johnson (foot), Saints head coach Dennis Allen said Tuesday. Ryan Ramczyk is already ruled out for the season due to a knee issue.
"We’re excited about getting an opportunity to get out here in the southern California weather and practice in this type of environment," Allen said.
Wednesday's practice at the campus of UC Irvine will be the team's first after going through conditioning tests on Tuesday. That group included Alvin Kamara, who reported to camp despite an ongoing quest for a reworked contract that saw him depart early from minicamp earlier this offseason.
To this point there's been no indication that he'll be skipping any work and, as always, he's arrived in peak physical condition.
“I’ve been impressed with how hard he’s worked to get his rehab done, his attitude about being on this team and having a chip on his shoulder," Loomis said. I feel like … he’s a player that I feel like he has something to prove and oftentimes when you’re that high a draft pick that’s hard to recapture and that’s where he’s at and look, again, we’re just starting training camp so we’ll get to evaluate him as a player and where he’s at. We’re gonna be cautious about, you know, we’re not gonna rush him out there.”
"He’s here, appreciate that he’s here," Saints GM Mickey Loomis said, declining to go into any deeper conversation about the contract talks. "Look, I think one thing that … we have to understand is that – I’m going to be conservative here – I’d say 50% of our organization, players, coaches, administrators, scouts feel like they’re underpaid, right, and believe they deserve and want more money and how each of us respond to that and act accordingly.”
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Another player who is expected to take the field will be newly signed defensive end Chase Young, who is working back from offseason neck surgery. He is expected to participate in some capacity, though there's still a ways to go before he's a full participant and he will not be rushed along that path.
Allen also indicated that star wide receiver Chris Olave, who went on the non-football injury list with a back issue last week, will be participating but he could be worked in slowly. Olave dealt with a shoulder issue and wore a red, non-contact jersey during minicamp.
All the players in attendance will get the luxury of low humidity conditions that won't climb out of the mid-80s, a welcome situation considering the typical state of affairs in Metairie this time of year. With those conditions comes an extra challenge, though, with coaches planning to push players longer and harder than they might have under the Louisiana sun.
"Sometimes you can reach the point of diminishing marginal returns on that investment in terms of practicing out there in the heat and humidity," Allen said, "so I’m excited about seeing how our guys respond out here and seeing how they work and I think we’re just ready to get started.”