The long wait is over: The 2026 New Orleans Saints training camp is officially kicking off this week. And with it, early answers to some of the biggest questions that have been floating throughout the offseason.
Will Jordyn Tyson's training wheels come off? How does the Travis Etienne-Alvin Kamara backfield tandem look in real life? Will the departures on defense loom as major issues?
Scroll below for a look at the top five storylines (and some lagniappe) that will be facing the Saints when they take the field for the first time on Wednesday morning.
1. Olave's deal?
Chris Olave is set to enter his 5th year option season, but it's rare to see a player actually get there if he's viewed as a long-term piece for the team. It's hard to imagine that's even up for consideration with how open and confident the dialogue has been about Olave's long-term extension. So what's the hold up?
My inclination is that this doesn't take long and I wouldn't be shocked if it's handled by the time the Saints get on the field for the start of camp.
It doesn't really become something to watch unless this carries on well into camp. But if the Saints drag their feet on getting it done, does Olave consider sitting down and "holding in?" We'll have to wait and see.
2. Shough it, let's hit the ground running
This time a year ago there were a lot more questions than answers. We were seeing Kellen Moore's Saints offense for the first time and we were watching two young QBs battle each day in camp.
It's a lot different this time around. Moore is headed into Year 2 and it's more about refining his team's offensive attack than it is overhauling everything. A lot of key pieces were added, most notably at RB with Travis Etienne and at LG with David Edwards. Those two pieces should help ensure the Saints rushing attack doesn't disappear as it too often did throughout last season.
But it's up-and-coming QB Tyler Shough as the straw that stirs the drink. He's the unquestioned starter as he enters his second NFL season, and he now has an array of weapons at his disposal. He made things work as well as he could in the second half of his rookie season. The poise was impressive. He completed a high percentage of passes and delivered in critical moments during a four-game winning streak that seemed to open eyes locally and nationally. He finished second in the NFL's offensive rookie of the year voting despite only starting nine games.
So exactly how well can he hit the ground running in Year 2? Is there a sophomore slump or a second-year leap? Can he be this year's version of Drake Maye? That question will likely determine just how high this Saints squad can fly. How Shough starts camp might give us an indication of just how excited to be when the regular season arrives.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 01: Kaden Elliss #55 of the New Orleans Saints sacks Gardner Minshew #10 of the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on January 01, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images
3. Replacing a legend
It's never easy when key players leave, regardless of the context. We've watched the Saints struggle for years to replace Drew Brees. Will there be similar struggles trying to fill the void left by LB Demario Davis, who departed to the Jets in free agency?
The Saints had a few options with how they could go about finding the Demario replacement. They could've looked to the draft, but that would've bucked recent trends. The Saints have erred toward depth LBs in the mid rounds in recent seasons. The last time they spent big on a LB was for Pete Werner in 2021, when they took the Ohio State standout at No. 60 overall. The Saints haven't drafted a LB in the first round since Stephone Anthony in 2015.
Instead they chose to go the veteran route, though they did it in a unique way by bringing back Kaden Elliss, a player the Saints drafted in the 7th round of the 2019 draft. He operated in a depth role behind Demario Davis throughout most of his time in New Orleans, but he took advantage of his opportunity in a contract year and ultimately landed a three-year deal with the Falcons, where he appeared in 51 of 51 possible games and accrued more than 100 tackles all three seasons.
Can Elliss step into Brandon Staley's scheme and not miss a beat? Will this group struggle to find vocal leaders with such a strong voice leaving the room? The answers to those questions will be big in determining how group this group can be in 2026.
4. Tyson, how you feeling?
It's been talked to death at this point, but the Saints played it VERY safe with Jordyn Tyson to this point in the offseason.
They insisted throughout that there was no new injury and it was simply a ramp-up process. Well, when camp gets underway this week we'll see just how true that was. I'd be surprised if we don't see some kind of ramp-up again to ease Tyson in. Throwing him a full workload right away would deserve as high of an eyebrow raise as seeing nothing at all. But what exactly does that look like?
With Tyson's injury baggage coming in there will be a spotlight shone on every absence and criticism at whatever real or perceived limitations are placed on the No. 8 overall pick throughout his rookie camp. To me, as long as there's a clear pattern of increased involvement and he's reached full participation prior to the first joint practice, I'll be happy.
It sure would be great to finally get a look at what Chris Olave and Jordyn Tyson look like as a 1-2 punch.
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 09: Tyler Shough #6 of the New Orleans Saints hands the ball to Alvin Kamara #41 during the game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on November 09, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
5. Split backfield?
The biggest question of the Saints offseason was answered: Alvin Kamara and the team agreed to a reworked deal with a pay cut. He's going to stick around for at least one more training camp.
But what that's done is introduce the next biggest question: What exactly does that look like?
The Saints went out and paid big to sign Travis Etienne. He's getting paid like a featured back because that's what he's expected to be. But how exactly do the Saints intend to incorporate AK. Will it be as a legit tandem split? Do they trade off drives? Does AK become a third-down/2-minute back? If the split isn't successful, does it start to disappear?
We've seen Kamara work successfully in tandems, both as the secondary with Mark Ingram and as the primary with Latavius Murray. Will this split workload resemble either of those setups?
We'll have to wait and see the answers to those questions, and we won't get anything cemented until the games start. But how the reps are distributed in practice will tell us a decent bit. If AK isn't getting legit reps with the 1s, then it might end up a more traditional RB1/RB2 split, after all.
LAGNIAPPE ... Kicker battle?
I can't in good conscience highlight a kicker battle as must-watch material, but it's definitely there. I don't anticipate much in the way of true position battles, otherwise.. Based on what we've seen so far, Saints coaches have made decisions on starters and they'll be getting the first-team reps. That's true at positions like nickel/star with Jonas Sanker and at CB2 with Quincy Riley, two spots that could've theoretically been up for grabs.
That doesn't mean a guy can't ball out and win a job, but that'll have to be done with second- or third-team reps, as opposed to a scenario where guys flip off days with the 1s.
But there is one position where I expect a true battle ... and that's placekicker. The incumbent is Charlie Smyth, a well-liked player and a fun story who made some big kicks for the Saints last year after taking over for Blake Grupe. He's got a monster leg and could probably knock one through from 70 if given the opportunity. That's great, but it won't outweigh the shorter kicks. Smyth went 3-for-5 from 40-49 last year, and that's where he seems to have been the shakiest to this stage.
The Saints had initially signed Mason Shipley as a UDFA, which to me didn't scream true competition. That changed when the Saints cut Shipley to sign Tanner Brown, a player that was VERY impressive last year in the UFL and went 3-for-3 on kicks of 60-plus, two of which came in the postseason. He also went 7-for-7 on kicks from 40-49.
We still haven't seen Brown kick once in a Saints uniform, so the cart is pretty far in front of the horse on this one, but I think it's now going to be a real competition throughout camp. We'll be keeping daily stats on makes/misses, and it'll be interesting to see how the Saints split up kicks throughout the preseason.
