New Orleans Saints
By Ross Jackson
METAIRIE, La. – It was a light day for the New Orleans Saints for their sixth day of training camp. After the first day in pads, head coach Kellen Moore and his staff dialed things back to a walkthrough, giving players time to recover ahead of back-to-back padded practices.
“We called it a ‘regen’ day’” Moore said in his post-practice media availability. “Just [to] kind of recover. They were in the weight room, walkthrough, basically doing everything we normally do except for the practice component.”
It’s yet another example of Moore and the Sports Performance staff’s attention to detail when it comes to recovery and player experience. While the walkthrough day was light, there were still some key elements worth highlighting.
Quarterback Rotation
There were no third team reps on Tuesday, instead Spencer Rattler worked with the first team all throughout walkthroughs and led a slowed-down two-minute drill. Jake Haener led the second-team two-minute drill as well, which was also operated at a slow pace.
#Saints are going bowling this afternoon, Kellen Moore put a big emphasis on team activities and bonding during offseason work and it continues in training camp. Seems to be paying off, a lot of players have mentioned the team chemistry is way better.
— Erin Summers (@ErinESummers) July 29, 2025
Rookie Tyler Shough surprisingly didn’t see any snaps. It will be interesting to see how all of this reflects on Wednesday’s workload as the team preps to be back in pads.
The Day’s Work
The team’s focus was solely on situational work for both the offense and defense. In particular, centering around some end-of-half scenarios. The scenarios included two-minute drills but also hurry-up field goal team deployment for both sides.
Additionally, the Saints worked on kickoffs and kick return alignment, with a specific emphasis put toward each returner direction.
Slow Pace, but High Energy
This may have been one of the most energetic walkthroughs I’ve seen at the Saints’ facility. Not just for this season, but over my brief time of coverage. The team may have downshifted a bit once the ball was snapped, but the intensity in and out of the huddle, at the line of scrimmage and in between plays was palpable. Everything matters in practice and this was a solid example of that very tenet.
That wasn’t limited to the offense, either. The defense was loud, vocal and hyper-communicative with defensive coordinator Brandon Staley helping to set the tone.
Julian Blackmon Moving Up
He may be a new addition to the team, but Blackmon has quickly moved into first team reps for the defense. He had an interception during developmental work on Sunday and began to crack the first team rotation on Monday. By Tuesday he was a permanent fixture for the day. We’ll see if that remains the case moving forward.
More Team-Building
Offensive lineman Taliese Fuaga elevated Moore’s team-build outings as a reason for increased chemistry across the roster. He then clued the media in that the team would be heading to another activity on Tuesday: bowling.
While Fuaga is, self-admittedly, not the strongest bowler, it’s clear that these team outings and events have helped the team mesh quite a bit early on in the process.
JT Gray Back, But Week-to-Week
The Saints again had perfect attendance at camp, including the return of safety JT Gray who left the field early on Monday with a lower body injury. Moore clarified both that the injury was not severe enough to keep the veteran from participating in walkthroughs, but was clear that the team would monitor the situation further to make sure nothing worsens. He’s considered week-to-week with the injury.
Moore also shared that it was specifically a hamstring injury that was bothering Gray. It will be something to monitor as the days move along.
“The Best Training Camp”
Saints defensive tackle and former LSU Tiger Davon Godchaux is new to the team, but he’s been around the league for eight years. While he says he has seen everything most NFL offenses have to offer in the run game, there’s something different that he’s noticed about the Saints’ approach to training camp.
“This is the best training camp I have been a part of,” he said.
“This is the best training camp I have been a part of,”
– Davon Godchaux (@ChauxDown) pic.twitter.com/TybcUNHCrL
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) July 29, 2025
