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.”

It's always made the most sense for a deal to get done this offseason. There's also no reason it needed to get done early. Olave will want the security of a long-term deal and the Saints won't gain much, if anything by waiting. Another strong season for Olave would only drive the price up further, while delaying risks fraying of the relationship unnecessarily.

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

2. AK and ET?

The Saints' head coach is talented when it comes to consistent messaging. That's particularly true when it comes to topics of which he's not keen to share details. Moore picks a message and he sticks to it. Here's the basic boilerplate answer we've gotten for all the Saints veterans or pending free agents, this time in reference 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 with newly signed Travis Etienne.

"Certainly we feel like, hey, [Kamara is] in that room," Moore 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 in that role.

Regardless, it does sound like Moore would be perfectly fine managing that potential logjam. Devin Neal, Audric Estime and Kendre Miller would also be in the mix for 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, per the head coach. Let's list the likely potential options:

- 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 is the ideal choice, 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. The main question: who is best suited for that transition? The second question: How willing are they to do it?

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

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. I expect movement, it's just a matter of where it comes from.

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. The Saints did re-sign Chris Rumph, a high-motor player who I like a lot, but who doesn't seem like he'd qualify as 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 successful," 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 court side 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. He also wants to play for a team headed in the right direction and has stated repeatedly that he'd prefer to not play for a cold weather team. He's also ruled out the Falcons.

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, in my opinion, 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 to get it done. 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 if it 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. Two of the Saints' three preseason games will be on the road.

Coaches and players both spoke highly of the plan and schedule a year ago. The Saints kicked things off in the brutal heat and humidity of south Louisiana and were granted a reprieve and some bonding time with practices out west. I expect they'll keep that going if the NFL cooperates.