The New Orleans Saints have a hole to fill with the departure of Alontae Taylor in free agency, and it appears the first person to get a crack at it will be second-year pro Jonas Sanker.
Sanker, a third-round pick from 2025, was lined up at the star position (also known as the slot DB) during Thursday's OTA session, which was open to the media. He appeared in all 17 games a year ago, starting 16, but played exclusively as a deep safety due to a season-ending injury to Julian Blackmon in Week 1. Blackmon is now back, and was aligned next to Justin Reid at safety.
"Super excited. ... Being able to see up close what Alontae was able to do in that role, it's definitely exciting," Sanker said. "Seeing someone able to do it at such a high level helped me kind of see this is what it looks like."
Sanker rolled up 80 tackles, 6 passes defensed and a pair of interceptions in his rookie season. He's still been working at safety feels he has the flexibility to play either. He got third-team reps at safety in Thursday's practice, and he said he isn't sure yet whether there will be a competition for the star role.
"At the end of the day," Sanker said, "it's not just about knowing one position, it's about knowing everything."
TAKING ATTENDANCE
The Saints had a handful of players miss the first OTA session for personal reasons, which head coach Kellen Moore noted ahead of the day's practice. That group includes:
- DT Nathan Shepherd
- QB Zach Wilson
- RB Alvin Kamara
- P Ryan Wright
Other players I didn't see at all during the practice session:
- RB Kendre Miller
- WR Trey Palmer
- WR Mason Tipton
- DT Zxavian Harris
Miller is still working back from a major injury suffered in Week 7 of last season, while Harris is navigating a return from offseason foot surgery. Moore said MIller is doing well with his rehab, but there's still a ways to go.
The Saints' first and second picks in the most recent draft were also in attendance but got in limited work. The Saints have continued to limit WR Jordyn Tyson's reps as he ramps up toward camp. He was active on Wednesday, but mostly looked on during Thursday's session, wearing a helmet and holding a football. Miller also didn't participate due to an undisclosed injury.
EMERSON A FULL GO
If there are any limitations being placed on Martin Emerson Jr. as he works back from a torn Achilles at the end of last year's training camp with the Browns, I didn't spot them. He was active during drills and got second-team reps at outside corner during both sets of 7-on-7 drills. He told me after the practice that there's still an adjustment getting back to a full workload after that much time in rehab, but he's ahead of schedule and feels great.
The first-team reps went to Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley, while Isaac Yiadom was across from Emerson with the second unit. I'd be surprised if we don't see Emerson pushing Riley for that job during camp.
MCCOY 100%
To continue the theme, I got to chat with Erik McCoy today and he gave me some insight into his injury. It was initially reported as a torn biceps, which isn't wrong, but the actual injury included a ruptured biceps tendon. Any time a tendon gets involved, the repair becomes a much more significant process. In this case it required a surgeon to actually drill through a bone. McCoy said the rehab was significant and much different from the injury he had the previous year.
"It was a process," McCoy said. "But I think that I will be a better man and a better player because of it."
McCoy said he basically never stopped working this offseason -- with a short break to welcome his second child -- and made strength training a focus. He's back feeling 100%, which is important for this team. Luke Fortner filled in admirably last season, but Erik McCoy is elite and a difference-maker for this offense.
SHARP SHOUGH
One of the biggest mistakes to make during OTA is getting too high or low about anything. These practices don't mean much in the bigger picture, it's about setting a foundation and building on that. Avoid injuries, get comfortable and ideally have some success in the process. That was the case for Shough, who I had (very unofficially) with completions on 9 of 10 passes, including some aggressive throws downfield, during the 7-on-7 drills.
He was particularly aggressive when it came to targeting his tight ends, which I expect to be a theme this season. Of his completions, six went to TEs, including Noah Fant (3), Juwan Johnson, Treyton Welch and Moliki Matavao. His best throw was on what looked like a comeback route to Devaughn Vele. Shough looks very comfortable as he heads into his first NFL season as the unquestioned starter.
I thought Rattler had some nice moments, including a highlight throw to Kevin Austin over the middle of the field, but there were a few inaccurate balls and there wasn't much downfield.
GAMES & SPORTS
The Saints did something today that I haven't seen before, which was to effectively take a break in the middle of practice to have Ted Rath, the team's Director of Sport Science, lead a call and repeat game that would be best described as Simon Says. It featured offensive linemen in a stance, competing to match what was called, then grab something off the ground. Dillon Radunz was the ultimate winner. My understanding is this is part of a larger team-building competition that's been going on this offseason..
JOINT PRACTICES A COMIN"
The Saints are planning to have joint practices, emphasis on the plural. While details aren't finalized, Moore said today that the team is planning to have joint sessions with all three of their preseason opponents. The first would be with the Jaguars, hosted by the Saints in Metairie. The Saints would then presumably travel out to California early the following week, where the plan is to hold a joint practice with both the Rams and Cowboys ahead of the Week 2 preseason game at SoFi Stadium. The team would then travel back to Metairie before facing the Cowboys on the following Friday in their preseason finale.
