The New Orleans Saints returned to the field for their third day of training camp practices and with them returned wide receiver Chris Olave to team drills after landing his lucrative four-year contract extension.
The day was also filled with physicality, despite pads not having gone on yet and a sense of relief from every angle that the Saints’ biggest questions are behind them and what lies ahead is generating a groundswell of excitement.
Olave Returns To Team Drills
After being cleared from his offseason medical process surrounding the blood clot that sidelined him for the closing game of the 2025 season (his only absence of the year) and getting his long-term contract agreement settled, Olave returned to team drills immediately on Friday, taking the field during the first session of 11-on-11s.
By the end of practice, he saw more than a handful of opportunities with one downfield target that fell incomplete. He will continue to be on a ramp-up period as the acclimation process rolls along as he was limited throughout OTAs and minicamp as well. But seeing him return to the field and the relief he exuded having his deal finally done was a highlight of the day.
CB Kool-Aid McKinstry Gets Some Rest
As expected, McKinstry, who tweaked his ankle in the second day of camp, was mostly an observer throughout the third day. He participated in walkthroughs before heading outside to the practice field where he was an onlooker throughout individual and team/7-on-7 drills. He was present throughout the entire day, however, on the sideline taking in the action and talking to teammates.
McKinstry visited with the media after practice, typically a good sign for a player nursing even a minor injury.
“I don’t feel like it’s nothing to be concerned about at all,” he said about his ankle. “Just listening to the training staff and just calming it down a little bit so I can just get all the tenderness out of it.”
McKinstry did confirm that the initial injury took place during the second day’s 7-on-7 drills when he skied up to knock away a pass in the back of the endzone.
His absence from the field is expected to be brief, but the Saints are also likely to continue playing things safe. The team will have Saturday off before returning to practice on Sunday before the pads go on Monday. There would be little need to rush their top cornerback back too quickly.
Absences
The only players, aside from those on injury lists, that weren’t present were wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk, right guard Cesar Ruiz and defensive tackle Davon Godchaux. Head coach Kellen Moore attributed the absences of Polk and Ruiz as being due to personal reasons while Godchaux is on a rest schedule. There will be a variety of players whose involvement in practices day-to-day will shift based on rest plans.
Next Man Up
With McKinstry watching along, veteran cornerback Isaac Yiadom moved up to first team opposite Quincy Riley. Rejzohn Wright moved into second team corner reps. Veteran offensive lineman Dillon Radunz was in at right guard for Ruiz while defensive tackles Christen Miller, Nathan Shepherd, Vernon Broughton and John Ridgeway III were all among those to see first team defensive line opportunities.
A Physical Practice
Day three saw a lot of thumping and presumably bruising throughout the day, particularly with the defense continuing to have a strong outing. Quarterbacks continue to see a lot more incompletions than probably desired early in camp, but it’s all because of the defense making plays and establishing a physical tone right off the bat.
The physicality was reciprocated on Friday, with wide receiver Ronnie Bell providing an emphatic “welcome to the NFL” moment for rookie cornerback TJ Hall. The two collided along the left seam after Bell reeled in a catch while crossing the field. Bell lowered his shoulder and sent Hall to the ground on impact. Credit to Hall, though, for shaking it off, jumping back up and getting ready for his next rep.
The pads may not come on until next week, but the competitive fire is already burning on Airline Drive.
Kicker Competition
I missed adding kicker Tanner Brown’s attempts to the second day report, but he was 4/5 with a miss from extra point distance to lead things off. It appeared that the team may have re-kicked the missed extra point, but still a shaky way to start things off. Especially while incumbent leg Charlie Smyth is off to a hot start.
On Friday, Smyth made all five of his attempts again, ranging from extra point distance to 49 yards out. He’s kicking with a lot of confidence and it’s paying off thus far.
Smyth: 10/10
Brown: 4/5
Team Drill Session 1
Shough
- QB Tyler Shough complete to TE Juwan Johnson on the left side.
- RB Travis Etienne Jr. run to the left, LB Kaden Elliss with a stop short.
- Shough incomplete to WR Devaughn Vele (CB Isaac Yiadom in coverage) down the right sideline, Yiadom with a pass breakup.
- Shough incomplete to TE Oscar Delp (CB Quincy Riley in coverage) down the left sideline off of a scramble. S Justin Reid with pressure.
Rattler
- RB Alvin Kamara run up the middle.
- QB Spencer Rattler sacked by Miller and LB Jaylan Ford. Played through for an incomplete attempt to WR Bryce Lance (Howden in coverage) deep down the middle.
- Fumbled snap exchange between center Torricelli Simpkins III and Rattler, their second snap issue in as many days.
- Rattler incomplete to Lance (Howden in coverage), rollout to the right with a pass downfield, Howden extended for the pass breakup as the defense on the sideline erupted.
Wilson
- RB Devin Neal run mid-left
- QB Zach Wilson sacked by DT Khristian Boyd. Played through for a completion to WR Bub Means (LB Jackson Sirmon in coverage) in the deep-left area.
- Means run to the right (sweep).
- Wilson complete to WR Trey Palmer deep down the middle.
7-On-7 Session
Shough
- Shough incomplete to Vele (Riley in coverage) pass defended as they crossed the field.
- Shough complete to TE Moliki Matavao (S Julian Blackmon in coverage) over the middle.
- Shough complete to WR Jordyn Tyson (Yiadom in coverage) on a quick pass to the left.
- Shough complete to TE Noah Fant (Blackmon and LB Pete Werner in coverage) down the left seam. Had play of the day potential until Bell won the collision with Hall.
Rattler
- Rattler complete to Lance (Wright in coverage) on a dumpoff to the left.
- Rattler complete to Bell in the left area on a quick pass.
- Rattler complete to Lance (CB Martin Emerson Jr. in coverage) quick to the left.
- Rattler incomplete to WR Kevin Austin Jr. (CB Jayden Price and S Terrell Burgess in the area) Price with a diving pass breakup here.
Wilson
- WIlson incomplete to Palmer (Hall in coverage) dropped on the left sideline.
- WIlson complete to Bell (Hall and LB Isaiah Stalbird in the area) as he crossed to the right side of the field. Caught in stride and lowered a shoulder into Hall.
- Wilson incomplete to Hall (Sirmon in coverage) thrown behind, Sirmon with a breakup.
- Wilson incomplete to WR Brock Rechsteiner (Hall in coverage) along the right sideline.
Team Drill Session 2 – Down and Distance
Each series includes reps of First-and-10, Second-and-9, Third-and-6 and Third-and-9, respectively.
Shough
- Shough complete to Etienne (Elliss in coverage) on a dumpoff to the short-middle area.
- Etienne run left for a nice gain.
- Shough sacked by EDGE Chase Young. A few defenders got into the backfield here.
- Shough complete to Vele (Yiadom in coverage) on a quick pass to the right. Yiadom stopped Vele short of the sticks.
Rattler
- Neal run up the middle.
- Rattler complete to WR Barion Brown for a nice gain after the catch.
- Rattler complete to RB Audric Estime (Stalbird in coverage) to the left side.
- Rattler sacked by Boyd.
Wilson
- Wilson incomplete to TE Treyton Welch (S Elliott Davison in coverage) deep to the left side. Couldn’t corral it.
- Estime run up the middle, S Lorenzo Styles Jr. in place for a tackling attempt in the backfield.
- Wilson complete to Means (Sirmon and EDGE Mike Heldman in the area) over the middle.
- Flag – reset
- Heldman sacks Wilson. Played through for an incompletion to TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden on a drop.
Team Drill Session 3 – Behind the Sticks
Each series includes reps of Second-and-17 from the 50, Third-and-12 from the plus-45 and Third-and-13 from the plus-30, respectively.
Shough
- Shough complete to Etienne for a nice pickup on the left side.
- Shough incomplete to Johnson (Elliss in coverage) over the middle.
- Shough incomplete to Olave (Yiadom in coverage) deep down the left sideline, going for the endzone.
Rattler
- Rattler complete to Matavao (EDGE Anfernee Jennings in coverage) over the middle.
- Rattler complete to Lance (Burgess in coverage) on the left side off of a quick pass.
- Rattler incomplete to Palmer (Wright in coverage) deep down the left sideline. Defensive Pass Interference called.
Wilson
- Wilson scrambles up the middle.
- Wilson complete to Mitchell-Paden (Ford in coverage) over the middle.
- Wilson incomplete to Lance (Hall in coverage) deep down the left sideline, thrown out of bounds.
Ryan Wright’s Got a Leg
Wright got his first opportunity to really lay in on some punts from backed-up field positions on Friday and the leg is considerable. He had more than a few punts with a hangtime deep into the four-second range while also sending returners retreating on a number of occasions. His leg stands to be a major upgrade from the punts of the Saints’ recent past and an asset in flipping the field position game this year.
Lagniappe
- WR Mason Tipton was out on the field watching along today as he recovers from offseason surgery linked to a tibia injury.
- Etienne cast a quick, but polite, shot across the bow when asked about his former Jacksonville Jaguars club coming to town for joint practices next month when he said the experience would be a double-edged sword. While he’s excited to see familiar faces, he’s also looking forward to making an impression. “Excited to just go out there and show them what they’re missing out on,” he said after practice.
- Friday’s punt returners included: Brown, Tyson, Palmer and WR Jalen Moreno-Cropper
