The New Orleans Saints welcomed the Jacksonville Jaguars for joint practices on Thursday, offering themselves a chance to face off with an unfamiliar opponent. In doing so, the team answered some of its biggest questions of camp, including whether or not an offense brimming with talent was ready to take its next step.
Offense Arrives
Saints quarterback Tyler Shough and the offense got off to a hot start. Shough completed each of his first four passes, including a touchdown pass to rookie wideout Bryce Lance and another big catch on the right sideline by receiver Chris Olave that may have been a sack in live action, but still a much-needed positive day for the offense.
Shough completed nine of his first 10 passes and ultimately finished the day 25/34 with four, potentially five touchdowns. One potential redzone scoring strike to Olave was called incomplete, but many of the Saints offensive players vehemently protested the ruling.
Overall, it was a strong day for the side of the ball that hasn’t been bad, but also hasn’t met the expectations that were looming over it going into training camp. This joint practice offered a strong counter argument to the prevailing concern that the unit was underwhelming.
EDGE Chase Young Dominates
Perhaps the star of the day, despite the offensive statement, was edge rusher Chase Young. Young was asked to estimate the number of sacks he had on the day after having such a disruptive performance all throughout and he confidently said “half a dozen.”
In our charting, he recorded four definitive sacks that forced plays to be blown dead. He was also in position for at least two more would-be sacks but pulled up or allowed the quarterback to play through the pressure.
By that count, Young’s estimate may be spot on. He also forced the opposing linemen to flinch on another snap, causing a false start.
It was just the latest example of Young’s remarkable camp, during which he has been the top standout for the Saints’ entire team.
More Defensive Line Wins
Along with Young, edge rusher Carl Granderson and defensive lineman Nathan Shepherd consistently shared the backfield with Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Both have had consistently impressive training camps and have been surging as of late.
Offensive Highlights
Wideouts Olave, Lance, Devaughn Vele, Jordyn Tyson, Trey Palmer and Barion Brown were all the beneficiaries of the Saints pushing the ball downfield a bit more thanks to what was available against the Jaguars defense.
Meanwhile, the team’s run game looked to catch a rhythm against the league’s top rushing defense from a year ago. Running backs Travis Etienne Jr., Alvin Kamara and Audric Estime each had standout moments throughout the day.
Quarterback Zach Wilson found wide receiver Bub Means down the sideline for another touchdown connection between the two. The pair has had a strong connection all of camp and should be a fun one to watch during the preseason matchups.
The Saints were successful in the redzone, where Shough tossed at least three touchdown passes. A number of Shough’s better plays came with a check or call at the line of scrimmage.
Offensive Lowlights
Pressure. The Jaguars defensive line, which is loaded with talent, spent a lot of time in the backfield of New Orleans, particularly hounding Shough. Shough was the victim of a trio of sacks at least while a total of 8 were easy to chart.
Defensive Highlights
In addition to the pass rush impressing, the secondary made its fair share of plays, as well.
On the second play of the day, safety Julian Blackmon was able to pick off Lawrence on a pass downfield. He said after practice that he made a call before the play as he and cornerback Quincy Riley reacted to the offensive formation of Jacksonville. The call put him in position to establish the tone early in the day.
The Saints’ secondary also tallied five pass breakups in coverage.
Defensive Lowlights
The red zone defense took a beating, surrendering six passing touchdowns and a clear rushing touchdown. Several defensive players elevated the importance of experiencing these blemishes early on in camp so that they have a chance to make corrections moving forward.
This will be an interesting element to track throughout the preseason and future joint practices.
A positive is that the touchdowns surrendered in the redzone all came from inside the 10-yard line except for one and were the only touchdowns surrendered on the day.
Jordyn Tyson Injury Scare
After making a catch on the sideline, the rookie wide receiver left the field with a lower body injury. Early beliefs are that the ailment is a minor one, which would be a major relief for the team. Head Coach Kellen Moore said after practice that he plans to have more information so that he can provide an update after the team’s short walk through practice in the Caesars Superdome on Friday.
Kickers Return To Battle
After a day off of kicking field goals on Wednesday, Charlie Smyth and Tanner Brown were back at it on Thursday and Smyth had the perfect day this time around.
Smyth went 6/6 including a 51-yard field goal in two-minute drills while Brown went 5/6. Brown hit his two-minute drill attempt as well from 54. Brown’s miss came during field goal drills in which he and Smyth alternated kicks from 37, 42, 46, 51 and 56 yards out.
Brown’s miss was on the 51-yard attempt when his attempt careened off of the left upright.
Running Totals
Smyth: 33/41 with misses from 39 (x2), 44, 45, 47, 50, 51 and 56.
Brown: 33/38 with misses from extra point distance, 39, 45, 51 and 54.
Attendance
Vele returned after a day away for rest. Running backs Kendre Miller and Devin Neal remained absent, though Neal may have been spotted observing off to the side. Defenders Cameron Jordan, Davon Godchaux, Chris Rumph III and Rejzohn Wright were all seen watching practice alongside the defense.
Tyson and Burgess left early, as did edge rusher Tyree Wilson and defensive lineman Brien Taylor Jr. for a short while.
Safety Jonas Sanker finished the day on the sideline after experiencing what appeared to be a cut above his right eye. After it was tended to by a trainer, he remained with the defensive unit watching along with a helmet in his hand.
