With five practices under their belts, the New Orleans Saints are a little more than halfway through the initial installation phase of training camp. They will have completed the entire playbook by the time they scrimmage against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a joint practice next week.
It’s still relatively early in the preseason process, but six practices have provided enough evaluation time to develop some early observations of this 2026 edition.
The vibes have been excellent so far. The execution … not so much. Unless, of course, you’re a fan of stingy defense.
My early thoughts and observations as we enter Week 2 of training camp…
Early standouts
The best players I’ve seen so far, in no particular order, are Chase Young, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Erik McCoy, Juwan Johnson and Kelvin Banks Jr.
These five have stood out, both in the quality and consistency of their play.
Still waiting
Among the veteran players I’d like to see more from are Zach Wilson, Kendre Miller, Noah Fant, Anfernee Jennings and Tyree Wilson.
Sean Payton used to say he didn’t need to see it all the time from veterans, but he needed to see it at some point. That’s where I stand with each player in this group.
Getting their kicks
Veteran Ryan Wright is a massive upgrade in the punting game, where his powerful right leg will be a weapon. He also has shown excellent touch on placement punts inside the 10.
Meanwhile, kickers Charlie Smyth and Tanner Brown have been lights-out in the place-kicker competition. Both have strong legs and the ability to make kicks from 60-plus yards. Their consistency has also been excellent in camp.
I expect this competition to be determined during preseason games, and by the looks of things, it figures to go down to the wire. Whoever wins the job will have earned it.
The kicking game has gone from a weakness to a potential strength.
How the backs stack up
Much has been made about the pairing of Alvin Kamara and Travis Etienne in the backfield. The plan is to use camp to determine how the staff wants to deploy the duo this season.
So far, Etienne has taken the bulk of the first-team reps on early downs, with Kamara getting first call on third down and in passing situations.
This feels like an evolving process, but I’ll be surprised if it’s a Kamara-Mark Ingram-like 50-50 split when all is said and done.
The depth chart behind the top two is crowded with contenders. Devin Neal, Audric Estime, Ty Chandler and C.J. Donaldson have all shown flashes of playmaking ability, but this feels a competition that will be determined by special-teams performance. Still, there’s decent depth here, especially if Miller can stay healthy.
The team’s conditioning is excellent
Kellen Moore said the team knocked the annual pre-camp conditioning test “out of the park,” and it’s shown. The team’s improved speed is noticeable at practices. Several players reported to camp with stronger, streamlined physiques, including McKinstry, Godchaux and Chris Olave.
Moore’s second team is notably leaner and faster than his first. And that’s allowed them to zip through Moore’s high-tempo practices. Many have finished early so far in camp.
Chase Young is a beast
The veteran edge rusher is the best player on the roster – and it’s not even close. He opened Tuesday’s padded practice by pancaking Banks Jr. in one-on-one pass rush drills. He continued to dominate in team drills, stuffing a run by Etienne on first down and stopping him on a dump-off pass in the left flat a short time later.
Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley has asked Young to be more of a leader this year, and he has embraced the role. He is noticeably more comfortable and confident in his approach. He looks and sounds like a guy ready for a breakout campaign.
Shough’s passing is on point
Tyler Shough has experienced a so-so start to camp, in part because he hasn’t made much help around him. Shough has impressed teammates and coaches with his strong leadership skills off the field and his arm talent on it.
Justin Reid remarked on how catchable Shough’s passes are, noting his ability to feather the ball and reduce the torque when needed. It’s a subtle skill, and Shough seems to have mastered it. He knows how to match his throw to the receiver’s route. When a receiver drops one of his passes, it’s rarely because he has thrown a worm burner into their feet.
Shough’s completion percentage has been down so far, but it’s not because of the accuracy of his passes.
Still waiting on the offense
Somewhat predictably, the Saints offense has been a work in progress so far as the unit works key additions Etienne, Fant, Jordyn Tyson and David Edwards into the mix. With so many new moving parts, a slow start is understandable. But the Saints focused their offseason on adding explosive playmakers this offseason, and the big plays have been few and far between so far. Worse, the unit has been plagued by sloppiness. Dropped passes, errant snaps and shoddy blocking have conspired to derail too many drives.
On the bright side, the offense did flash some big-play potential in Tuesday’s padded practice. Spencer Rattler hit Barion Brown for a long pass, and Kamara ripped off a nice run up the middle. Otherwise, the big offensive plays have been few and far between.
It’s early. There’s no reason to hit the panic button, especially when you consider that defenses are generally ahead of offenses at this stage of camp. But at some point, we need to see better, more consistent execution from this offense.
Running on empty
Full disclosure: The Saints have had just one padded practice, so the evaluation here is limited. That said, the rushing attack has been tepid at best. Kamara and Neal had big-play runs on Tuesday, but those have been the exceptions not the rule so far in camp. There just hasn’t been a lot of room to run, which might say more about the Saints’ improved run defense than anything else. Time will tell.
The joint practice session next week against the Jaguars, who had the top-ranked run defense in the league last season, will be a good gauge.
