Saints Training Camp Day 1: Olave holds in, Tyson debuts

Credit: Michael Bacigalupi

Training camp has finally arrived for the New Orleans Saints and the first practice much intrigue thanks to some new details on wide receiver Chris Olave’s approach to the ongoing negotiation of his extension, rookie wideout Jordyn Tyson’s debut, cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry making plays and receiving praise and a big loss that’s already set to hurt the team.

Chris Olave Holding In

It’s not out of the ordinary to see a player that is actively negotiating a new contract show up for training camp but only participate on a limited basis. That’s exactly what was seen from Olave on Wednesday afternoon as the team took the field for its first practice of camp.

The fifth-year wide receiver participated in walkthroughs and individual drills before remaining on the sideline during team and 7-on-7 drills.

This is a standard “hold in” for players negotiating big deals, like the one that Olave is in line to receive. Keeping himself healthy throughout the negotiations is a plus from the leverage side of the conversation, therefore passing on competitive offensive vs. defensive drills early in camp is a logical first step.

Head coach Kellen Moore framed the decision as one that the Saints took part in.

“We just talked through it,” Moore said after practice. “Everyone’s communicated really well, and everyone has the same goal.”

“I think everyone’s on the same page,” he added.

Jordyn Tyson Cuts It Loose

After being “super cautious” with Tyson throughout the offseason practice period, the Saints finally got their top draft pick involved in team drills throughout the first day of camp. Tyson moved well and was constantly working at top pace. He also spent quite a bit of time doing some additional conferencing off to the side with quarterback Tyler Shough, coaches and other receivers. 

He caught his first pass of team drills during the second session from Shough on a quick pass to the left side. His explosive nature and ability to separate off of the line of scrimmage are very easy to see, even in a training camp environment. 

Kool-Aid McKinstry Shows Out

Perhaps no player received more praise after practice than McKinstry, who the team expects a big leap from in his third year. The club’s top cornerback had a stellar day that got off to a strong start with three incompletions heading his way including a diving pass breakup in 7-on-7s against wide receiver Devaughn Vele. 

McKinstry received a boatload of praise on the day both from Moore and starting safety Justin Reid, who slowed down his media availability to drive a point home about McKinstry’s development going into his third year. 

“Kool-Aid McKinstry is a baller,” Reid said of his teammate. “What he did in OTAs and what he’s doing today, it showed up again today, that cat is going to be something special.”

A Devastating Loss Already

Just one day into camp, the Saints may already have a major loss on their defense due to injury. After the opening day, it was reported by NFL Network that Saints defensive end Bryan Bresee may have suffered a torn ACL. He’s set to undergo further testing, but if those tests confirm the injury, Bresee will be shut down for the 2026 season. 

A budding playmaker and integral part of the team’s interior defensive line, losing Bresee is going to be a massive hit for the Saints’ defense, propelling young draft investments like Vernon Broughton and Christen Miller into the forefront.

Attendance

Aside from the team’s quartet of players on injury lists, every player was present to start camp. Wide receiver Mason Tipson and defensive tackle Keeshawn Silver are both starting on the Physically Unable to Perform list while defensive tackle Zxavian Harris and tight end Cody Hardy are on the Non-Football Injury list. 

Competition Already Heating Up

Moore said that the ball was on the ground a bit more than they would have liked as a team on Wednesday, but for an opening day of camp, hiccups are to be expected. The Saints leapt into team drills and 7-on-7 drills early and often throughout the day’s practice. This drove a lot of the energy for the day and paved the way for early competition. Here’s a breakdown of each period.

Team Drill Session 1

Shough
  • Shough incomplete to RB Travis Etienne Jr. with LB Kaden Elliss in coverage in the short-middle area. Shough and Etienne looked out of sync here.
  • Etienne run up the middle.
  • Shough incomplete to RB Alvin Kamara in the short-left area.
  • Kamara run right.
Rattler
Wilson

7-On-7 Session

Shough
  • Shough complete to TE Moliki Matavao (McKinstry in coverage) on the left sideline.
  • Shough incomplete to WR Ja’Lynn Polk (McKinstry in coverage) toward the left side.
  • Shough incomplete to Vele (McKinstry pass breakup) on a scramble drill to the right.
  • Shough complete to Polk (S Jonas Sanker in coverage) on a quick pass to the left side.
Rattler
  • Rattler complete to Matavao (Ford in coverage) in the middle-left area short.
  • Rattler incomplete to WR Bryce Lance (CB Isaac Yiadom in coverage) to left area.
  • Rattler complete to WR Barion Brown (CB Martin Emerson Jr. in coverage) on a diving catch cross to the right side.
  • Rattler incomplete to Brown (Emerson in coverage) to the right side.
Wilson

Team Session 2

Shough
  • Shough complete to TE Juwan Johnson, dump off to the right with pressure sealing a potential sack.
  • Shough complete to Vele (S Julian Blackmon in coverage) to the left area, DT Nathan Shepherd with pressure.
  • Shough complete to Johnson (Justin Reid in coverage) on a quick pass to the right area.
  • Shough complete to Tyson (CB Quincy Riley in coverage) on a quick pass to the left area.
Rattler
  • Miller run up the middle.
  • Rattler complete to Lance (Ford in coverage) for a nice catch and run to the left side off of play action.
  • Estime run left.
  • Rattler complete to Bell (Burgess in coverage) for another catch and run off of a quick pass.
Wilson
  • WIlson incomplete to Bell, overthrown out of bounds on the right side.
  • Donaldson run right.
  • Wilson and Chandler fumble handoff exchange.
  • Wilson incomplete to Polk.

Team Drill Session 3

Shough
  • Etienne run right.
  • Shough incomplete to TE Noiah Fant on the left sideline.
  • Shough complete to Johnson (LB Pete Werner in coverage) over the middle of the field in the short area.
Rattler
  • Rattler complete to Matavao (Burgess in coverage) off of a quick pass to the left side.
  • Fumbled snap exchange.
  • Rattler complete along the right sideline in the intermediate area to either WR Kevin Austin Jr.
Wilson
  • Donaldson run up the middle.
  • Wilson complete to Welch on the right side.
  • Wilson complete to Welch on the left side.

Not a lot of high-flying passing going on to open up camp. A lot of emphasis on down and distance and the short/quick passing game early.

Shough – 7/12

Rattler – 8/10

Wilson – 7/10

Kicker Competition

Kicker Charlie Smyth started the rotation Wednesday as he and fellow boot Tanner Brown will alternate kicking days throughout camp. Smyth drilled all five of his attempts with distances ranging from extra point to about 48 yards out. Smyth starts camp a perfect 5/5.

Moving forward, we’ll keep a running total for both kickers in each camp report.

Smyth: 5/5

Brown: Yet to kick

Lagniappe

  • Sanker remained the STAR/slot defender, as expected. Cornerback Jayden Price was his backup.
  • Punt returners included Brown, Tyson, WR Trey Palmer and Riley.
  • The backups tackles are currently Barry Wesley at right tackle and Asim Richards at left. 
  • The energy all through the day was high, matching the competitive edge of the day which was bolstered by the team’s immediate leap into a heavy workload of team drills.
  • The next practice will be open to fans.

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Ross Jackson

Ross Jackson

New Orleans Saints Content Writer

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