What we learned from Kellen Moore at NFL owner's meetings

1. Chris Olave's extension ... TBD

The momentum has been there for some time on a Chris Olave extension, but it's tough to know how close together the two sides are. It's likely that Jaxson Smith-Njigba's record extension has or will become a talking point.

"I think it’s hard to try and say everyone has to follow the same timelines. It’s a lot of conversations, a lot of variables that go into those things," Moore said. "We love Chris. It’s been a really good conversation, I know, from a business side and we’ll just continue to keep working through that.”

I've said for a while that while it made the most sense for a deal to get done this offseason, there's also no reason it needed to get done early on. Olave will want the security of a long-term deal, and it's only likely to cost the Saints more both financially and with the fraying of the relationship if they push to have him play out the 5th-year option.

All that is to say, I still expect a major Chris Olave extension at some point this offseason, but I don't expect it any time soon.

2. AK and ET?

The Saints' head coach is talented when it comes to messaging. It's particularly true when it comes to topics he's not keen on sharing details on. He picks a message and he sticks to it. Here's the same general boilerplate answer we've gotten for all the Saints veterans or pending free agents, this time specific to Kamara:

"We love Alvin, he means the world to all of us," Moore said. "You know, again, this is a full offseason process."

But this time Moore did go a bit further down the road and assessed a potential future with the veteran Kamara splitting carries to some degree with newly signed Travis Etienne.

"Certainly we feel like, hey, he’s in that room," he said. "You can find roles for all those different guys."

We haven't heard Kamara speak publicly this offseason, but a Kamara-Etienne tandem would be intriguing. Both offer well-rounded skillsets, but would AK willingly take a backseat? The type of contract the Saints handed Etienne would indicate he's the lead back. It's been a long time since Kamara wasn't the lead dog.

Regardless, it does sound like Moore would be perfectly fine managing that logjam, with Devin Neal, Audric Estime and Kendre Miller in potential depth roles.

"We feel like there’s ways that you can manipulate all those guys and put them in plenty of situations," Moore said. "Again, look at our season last year, look at probably just about every NFL season, plenty of running backs play. You know, obviously we feel fortunate that we were able to acquire Travis in free agency, but there’s still a lot of work to be had out there.”

3. Wait and see at star

Who will replace Alontae Taylor? That's a very good question. The answer from the Saints, at least for now, seems to be that you shouldn't anticipate any movement prior to the draft.

“It’s obviously going to be a challenge," Moore said. "I think we’ve got some guys in our building, obviously, we feel like can make that transition, both from the corner and the safety buckets, so to speak. Sometimes that position has some variables that tie both those positions together. Again, we’ll go through the draft process, we’ll see what comes out of that experience and then we’ll continue to evaluate.”

OK, so the biggest thing to unpack there is that there are players on the roster who could do the job. So let's list them:

- CB Kool-Aid McKinstry
- CB Quincy Riley
- CB Isaac Yiadom

- S Jonas Sanker
- S Justin Reid
- S Julian Blackmon
- S Terrell Burgess

To this point my guess would be Sanker or Blackmon, but that could all change depending on the draft. For example, what if the Saints land someone like cornerback Mansoor Delane at No. 8 overall? Suddenly the nickel corner is almost definitely one of Riley or McKinstry and the question is only ... who makes the transition best?

What if the Saints land star safety Caleb Downs at No. 8? Then it's almost definitely a safety slotting into that mix.

The Saints could also look at the No. 42 pick as a prime spot to land a dedicated nickel corner. DeAngelo Ponds out of Indiana would seem like a strong option for that role. In that case everyone stays put.

And if the Saints come out of the draft without an infusion of talent at a DB spot? I wouldn't be surprised if they turn to the FA market for a veteran name that can compete for the job.

4. Cam door still open

We've continued to get the similar type of form-letter answer about Cam Jordan as we have the rest of the players with uncertain futures, but it remains notable that neither the Saints or Cam have ruled anything out.

In my eyes the Saints are still one body short at the edge rusher position. Yes, they have Chase Young and Carl Granderson as presumptive starters, but Brandon Staley loves a rotation and they'll want at least one more tried and true option. They did re-sign Chris Rumph, a high-motor player who I like a lot, but I don't think he can be the Cam replacement.

"Obviously we love Cam and he’s obviously a free agent and your responsibility is to put yourself in the best position to be succesful," Moore said, "and so Cam gets to do that and that’s a credit to him and his journey and the performance that he had last year, I thought he did a really good job for us and so we’ll continue to have those conversations.”

It's worth noting that Jordan was in the city this past weekend as the Pelicans handed out his bobblehead. He was courtside at the game with his family.

One thing I believe as far as Cam is concerned is that it's not all about money. He wants a situation where he's going to play and have a chance to produce. I still can't shake the notion that the best fit on both ends is back in New Orleans. Until the Saints sign his replacement, the door is open.

5. Back to Metairie

The New Orleans Saints want to schedule joint practices again this offseason, but they'll be at the mercy of the NFL. Their desired West Coast camp trip really only works cleanly if they can have preseason games in the vicinity. They've gotten very effective at holding practices out in Irvine, but that's a big investment for what amounts to a pitstop on a journey elsewhere.

"We’ve got to kind of wait, pending hopefully the games that we’re hoping for, hopefully those come our way, because we’ve got some plans ahead for that, just to create some joint practice environments," Moore said. "I think that’s going to be really beneficial for our team, last year we were heavy into the scheme installation, we were kind of putting in two new schemes on offense and defense, and so this year I think with the continuity I think it’s going to allow us to get some really good work in some joint practices and it’s just a matter of us getting the games that hopefully will complement that.”

The long and short of that answer is while the Saints will hope to get an extended road trip on the schedule, much like last year, the majority of camp will still be in Metairie. With an international game on the agenda, the team will likely be wary of convoluted travel schedules during camp. It's the same reason they were against landing in the Hall of Fame game.

Coaches and players both spoke highly of the plan a year ago when they kicked things off in the brutal heat and humidity and were granted a reprieve and bonding out west. I expect they'll keep that going if the NFL cooperates.