It was always a sign that the season was upon us when we were suddenly practicing with no one watching. Obviously, in this curious new world there have been no screaming fans attending practice. No one yelling loudly to get the attention of the superstars while they sign their hat. No sea of Brees jerseys or screams of “Can’t guard Mike!!!” Yes, it is a whole new world and that has rung true at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center as it has all over the world.
Today, however, there was a familiar sight that signaled the start of the Saints preparation to face the new-look Buccaneers in week one. The media was escorted out of the practice as the players broke from individual and headed to team. This is the first sign that you are going to start working on your game plan for the week one opponent. Well, today’s the day. Media access gets restricted and that means game time is just around the corner. What have we learned over the last three weeks? Let’s take a dive in.
This Saints team went into the off-season with continued aspirations after a disappointing ending for the third straight year. One of the off-season’s most exciting additions for Saints fans was Emmanuel Sanders. Since Mike Thomas burst on the scene in 2016, everyone in the Gulf South has been asking the question – who will be the number 2 receiver? Finally, that answer is clear. Sanders has been outstanding throughout camp and has shown the ability to be that reliable second option. A number one receiver in many offenses, Sanders is an excellent route runner with reliable hands and the veteran savvy the room has long lacked outside Thomas. It wasn’t easy to find a #2 the Saints could afford, but finally the match was made and Sanders, who targeted the Saints, is back in the pass happy offense he has lacked since his stint with Payton Manning in Denver.
One of the areas that had a lot of promise early in camp was in the secondary. The late season addition of Janoris Jenkins gave the Saints a bookend to Marshon Lattimore. After Jenkins resigned, it gave the Saints as good a CB duo as there is in football. Janoris has played up to that expectation. I don’t think any Saint had his hand on the ball more than Jackrabbit throughout camp. There were players with more picks, but Jenkins was blanketing receivers regularly. The play of these two led Malcolm Jenkins, a two-time Super Bowl champ, to proclaim “I don’t think I’ve ever played with a tandem who are both as talented as Marshon and Janoris.”
While this has been great to see, it pales in comparison to the resurgence of Patrick Robinson. P-Rob has looked like a pro bowler, if not an all-pro through training camp. He looks like he is 4 years younger than last year and appears to have dropped some weight after a rebuilt diet plan. Robinson has put a smile on my face many times this camp, because I love seeing guys surprise us. You know when you see an older player (Robinson is going into his 11th season) impress like he has, that it was a lot of work to do so. When Patrick came back to New Orleans he was regarded by many as the top slot corner in the NFL. An early injury in that season derailed that reputation from being realized the last two years, but he will return to that conversation, if this level of play continues. Nothing like finding the fountain of youth…
The Saints offensive line remains as talented as any in the NFL, though there is some concern about the lack of experience they will have playing together. Cesar Ruiz looked every bit the part of the 24th pick in the draft through the first couple weeks of camp, but an injury has sidelined him since. I don’t expect Ruiz to miss any regular season time from it, but in an already shortened offseason, to lose the amount of reps he has will put a lot of strain on the first year interior lineman. An early visit from Ndamukong Suh will test him vs. Tampa. Helps to be sandwiched between two players as good at Ryan Ramczyk and Erik McCoy. That’s where I think Ruiz will settle. I think he looked good at center, but his lack of time on task at the position will probably relegate him to guard for the duration of the season.
Opposite Ruiz, the Saints got Andrus Peat back after a thumb injury kept him out for several weeks. Andrus is another veteran who seemed to have an outstanding offseason. He looks like a different guy running. A trimmed down version of Peat has a chance to be very good as his natural ability is off the charts. It’s also always great to see a young player rewarded with a big contract and then seeing them work harder than ever before.
Depth is also a strength in this room. Nick Easton has gotten most of the reps in Peat’s and then Ruiz’s absence. The Saints added veteran James Hurst to the group, and although he will miss the first four games due to a prior suspension, I do think Hurst will contribute this year. Patrick Omameh, Will Clapp and Cam Tom are other veterans who are fighting for roster spots. Second year players Ethan Greenidge and Derrick Kelly both had nice camps and are both in the hunt. It’s one of the hardest rooms on the team to peg the depth of, because of the depth that has been created. I think its unfortunately a tough uphill climb this year for the undrafted free agents. Fortunately, I think we’ll see both Throckmorton and Steckler continue to develop on the practice squad.
The defensive line’s motto this year should be “stay healthy,” as that is going to be the determining factor of them being good, or dominant. I still strongly believe Marcus Davenport has the ability to be a dominant force at defensive end, but not at 80%. Another injury has slowed him in camp, as has been the case the last two seasons. Sheldon Rankins has come roaring back from another injury and he seems to have regained the explosiveness that made him a first round pick. Not easy to do after the two injuries he’s had over the last two years. Trey Hendrickson and Carl Granderson have battled back and forth for playing time in camp and both have been solid with Hendrickson creating a slight lead, though he is the one who has had injuries nag him over the last few years. I think both contribute this year. David Onyemata has been on an upward ascension since the day he walked into the building and that has continued. He’s been outstanding in one on one pass rush, and I don’t know if any player has benefitted more from the arrival of defensive line coach Ryan Neilson.
The depth in the back of the room has been solid as well, as Shy Tuttle has been solid, and undrafted free agent Malcolm Roach has impressed at times. The other Malcolm, Brown, has been the steady starter at the nose as expected. And Cam Jordan is, well, Cam Jordan. The competition sits with the rest of the guys in the room. Margus Hunt gives the Saints some experience and versatility as does Mario Edwards Jr.. The Saints have added a couple veterans in the last few days in Anthony Lanier and T.J. Carter, who I don’t think have had enough time to create an impression.
The linebacker position is another where depth will make cuts tough. The linebacker position has really changed over the past 10 years with teams spending more and more time in sub personnels that leave just two, or even one linebacker on the field at a time. This is going to make it tough for some good players to make the roster. It’s an area I think the Saints will go practice squad heavy with, some of their young guys like Joe Bachie and Chase Hanson.
It will be interesting to see how the Saints handle the return of Kiko Alonso and whether he makes his way back to the active roster in the next few weeks. I think Kaden Elliss has had a nice camp after recovering from his injury, and it has been great to see Alex Anzalone as a full participant through camp. Zach Baun looked the part before suffering his own injury, though it has appeared that he is close to returning to action.
The running back position seems one of the most straightforward; the Saints have four viable options in the room. Kamara, Montgomery and Murray seeming like guarantees, and Dwayne Washington being a tough cut after a very good camp that saw him catch the ball better than we’ve ever seen out of the backfield. It’s the fullback position I don’t know the Saints have room for. With a more crowded tight end room, the Saints may resort back to the days of no fullback. We are already one of the few teams left in the NFL to use fullbacks, but the addition of Montgomery, Trautman and Wolfe may make the fullback position expendable. Michael Burton has been the guy there all camp, but he might get caught in a numbers game.
The aforementioned tight end position has been overhauled with the addition of rookies Adam Trautman and Tommy Stevens. Jared Cook looks far more like 2nd half 2019 Jared Cook than 1st half Jared Cook. His connection with Drew Brees has been on point and he’ll be a tough red zone target again in 2020. I think Trautman is the complete tight end the Saints have long been searching for. Not elite in any one area, but proficient in every. He was a home run and I think in time this is going to be a growing season for him, but in the long run, he will be outstanding. For the time being, Josh Hill will keep his prominent role with either Trautman, Hill or a combination of the two filling the fullback job. Tommy Stevens has been impressive, but I think he needs some time. Don’t be surprised to possibly see Stevens stashed on the roster, or protected in some way. Ethan Wolf is another tough decision for me, as I think he has some skills that the Saints can benefit from. Again, a numbers game.
The quarterback position doesn’t need a lot of attention as all three will certainly be on the first week roster. I think the one thing I have been asked about most is how Jameis Winston looks in the Saints system. The bottom line, it’s going to take time to change some of the fundamentals that have caused problems in the past. What you do see is those glimpses of what is possible, and those are fantastic. Winston linked up with Deonte Harris for a 90 yard touchdown between two defenders, 60 yards through the air, on the money. If the Saints can harness his talent, and train his mind to function efficiently through the excessive amount of things a quarterback has to process to be elite, the possibilities are endless. It will take time.
The Saints are now preparing to see the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay will look like a whole new team. But they aspire to be like us. They want to win 13 games. They want to have a historically productive offense. They want to be an elite organization. They want to be in the position of the Saints. In another week we’ll get to see if they are.
