Saints Day 2 training camp notes: Defense in control early on

Two days into the New Orleans Saints 2026 training camp, the defensive side of the ball seems to be the one that's come out swinging that hardest.

At least some of that could be attributed to rust and developing chemistry on offense, but we saw DBs making plays on the ball consistently. One of those plays went for an interception by Quincy Riley on a pass thrown by Tyler Shough and targeting rookie Jordyn Tyson. There was another similar play, a pass from Rattler targeting Barion Brown, that should've been picked off by Jayden Price. Kool-Aid McKinstry also had a physical pass breakup early in the day on a ball intended for Devaughn Vele.

The interception came on a play that featured a well-time blitz by Jonas Sanker. Tyler Shough was forced to get the ball out quickly but appeared to be on a different page than his receiver Jordyn Tyson. The rookie bluffed toward the sideline then broke back toward the middle of the field, but the ball landed in Riley's waiting arms. It was a nice play by Riley to read the QB and not follow the receiver, but it was also a sign that there's still chemistry to build on the other side of the ball.

I wouldn't say that's entirely unexpected, particularly when it comes to Shough and Tyson. The QB hadn't thrown a single ball to Tyson until the start of camp on Wednesday, and that familiarity will come with reps. I also think the defense tends to have an advantage in early camp practices, just generally speaking. The offense is incredibly simple this time of year and doesn't force the defense into many uncomfortable situations. Offense also requires precision, while defense is about reaction. One of those things is easier to get right early on, the other takes time.

It also wasn't all bad. The Saints were working in the red zone, and after the interception Shough found Noah Fant for a touchdown in the left front corner of the end zone after a hard playaction. Shough also connected with Tyson for a touchdown earlier in the day. I've never been a fan of camp stats without direct context, so I won't relay them now. Just know there were far more Xs in my notes (that's how I mark incompletions) than I like to see. I'm a long way off from panicking about the offense at this stage, but I do want to see improvement over the next few days.

TAKING ATTENDANCE

For a second consecutive day there were no surprise absences. The only players who were not on the field workout in some capacity were players on PUP/NFI (Mason Tipton, Keeshawn Silver, Zxavian Harris and Cody Hardy), as well as Bryan Bresee, who is believed to have suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Kool-Aid McKinstry rolled his ankle and didn't finish out practice. Head coach Kellen Moore said that was precautionary. It'll be one to watch, but sounds like they avoided anything major.

For now it appears second-year DT Vernon Broughton will be getting the first shot at taking over Bresee reps. He and Nathan Shepherd got all the reps with the 1s, while Davon Godchaux worked in at nose tackle. One the other side of the ball we saw Alvin Kamara get the bulk of his works with the second team. Not surprising, considering Travis Etienne is the lead back now, but it was a bit jarring to see AK taking the field with the 2s. That's the reality, though, and it looks like he's embracing it.

I also think it's worth noting that Tyson got back-to-back full practices in for the first time in Saints uniform. As we know all too well, health can go away in a hurry, but this is the best we could've hoped for over the first two days in that department.

DT IMPACT

If there will be pocket pressure lost without Bresee on the field, we didn't see that today. The Saints defensive line was impressive, accounting for at least four sacks, by my count. Chase Young bullied LT Kelvin Banks way back into the pocket for what would've been one of those sacks, and he looks to be in midseason form.

The other player that always forces my hand is Nathan Shepherd. I never go into camp expecting to spend much time talking about him, but he just makes plays. That was the case last year, and the 32-year-old DT found himself in the backfield often on this day. On one rep he beat center Erik McCoy clean to completely blow up a handoff to Kamara.

It's almost impossible to truly judge trench play until the pads come on, but a strong start for the hogmollies on the interior.

WELCOME BACK

As always, the who dats turned out in full force for the first open practice of camp. They did that midday on Wednesday and, y'all, it was HOT. There's always a bit of added intensity when the fans are out there, and I'm particularly eager to see the atmosphere when the Jaguars arrive for that open practice on Aug. 13.

KEEPING SCORE

The only true position battle of camp is officially underway. Charlie Smyth started things off 5-for-5 on Wednesday. Thursday was Tanner Brown's turn. Full disclosure: I didn't witness any of his kicks firsthand. It was a strange setup relative to how they usually do things and his kicks were done by the time I was able to get over to that area of the field. Reports are that he went 4-for-5, with his lone miss from PAT Range. Neither has yet been asked to boom any from outside of 50 yards.

We can chalk the opening miss up to nerves, at least for now. Not unlike last year, long kicks are great, but I think this competition will ultimately come down to which guy makes the team most confident on the kicks that have to be made just about 100% of the time. For now the slight advantage goes to Shough.