By Ross Jackson
IRVINE – Each day of New Orleans Saints training camp, we will bring you the five most important pieces of information that you need. From big plays, to notable comments and important health updates, you will have everything you need to know from Saints camp each day in a quick and easily-digestible five-point list.
- Rookies Spencer Rattler, Kool-Aid McKinstry and Taliese Fuaga all showed out.
The Saints will need a lot from their young players in 2024 if they want to take the necessary steps forward. While Rattler’s rookie year will likely be spent sitting and learning, players like Fuaga at left tackle and McKinstry at cornerback will see enough action this year to make a difference. All three had solid days here in Day 3, and early projections are that the team may have hit big on their first two, if not three, selections in the 2024 NFL Draft.
- Chris Olave is establishing himself as the alpha.
There is not a player that does more talking on the offense than Olave. But the best part of camp so far has been seeing him not just talk, but perform as well. He and defenders have gone back and forth a bunch, but he has come out on top when it comes to the game. Big catches, contesting snags, and catch and run opportunities, everything that Olave has done so far in camp that is not an end around (which no one has run with much success yet in camp) has worked. And the attitude the wideout has brought to back it all up should continue to allow him to establish himself as the top guy in the passing game.
- Carl Granderson can not seem to be stopped.
The offensive line is struggling to keep Granderson at bay. He has consistently been disruptive and a pure pest for the Saints’ protection unit four days through camp with no signs of slowing down. He, Chase Young and Cameron Jordan are shaping up to drive a potential bounce back year for the team’s pass rush. This early success Granderson is showing as the team’s leading pass rusher in 2023 is promising.
- Bryan Bresee missed practice with a foot injury.
After being limited through some of OTAs and minicamps, Bresee missed his first day of training camp practices. A foot injury is the cause per head coach Dennis Allen. The 2023 first-round pick is in line for a big second year after piling on 4.5 sacks from the interior his rookie season. The sooner he gets back to the field, the better as he continues to develop into a player that should be a core piece of the defensive line for a long time.
- This was the Saints’ first camp day without an interception
After five interceptions over the first three days, the Saints offense finally finishes a day without a pick. Interceptions should be taken with a grain of salt throughout training camps anyway, but seeing too many consecutive days of interceptions is never an easy pill to swallow for a team. This respite was certainly a nice one to experience.
