After hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars for their first joint practice of the offseason, a handful of New Orleans Saints are still the talk of camp the next morning.
From a high-flying passing attack to a fearsome pass rush, here are five players that stood out against Jacksonville in the practice field.
QB Tyler Shough
The Saints’ starting quarterback had a strong day. Tyler Shough went 25/34 on the day for four touchdowns, though a fifth was heavily disputed. He also committed no turnovers on the day. About as clean and efficient a day as the passer and his offense could have asked to provide.
Shough appeared to be in complete command of the offense, being given multiple play calls in the huddle, from which he was able to pick at the line of scrimmage based on the defensive look from time to time. He executed that well and dialed up big plays in the process.
EDGE Chase Young
The Jaguars had no answer for the incredible heater that edge rusher Chase Young has been on all throughout training camp. He estimated six sacks for himself throughout the joint practice and that number is far from an exaggeration.
Sure, Jacksonville’s offensive line was banged up, but that doesn’t mean that the defensive line should dominate the way Young did. He’s taken a sizable leap from last year after already putting together an impressive performance.
DL Nathan Shepherd
An unsung contributor along the interior of the defensive line, Nathan Shepherd has had a strong and consistent camp so far. That continued against Jacksonville with at least a pair of sacks and a number of plays in the run game.
His importance became magnified the moment it was announced that starting lineman Bryan Bresee would be out for the season. Thus far, he’s answered the call.
S Julian Blackmon
On the first passing attempt of the day for Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, safety Julian Blackmon came down with an interception. He set the tone immediately for the Saints’ defense which, with the exception of the red zone, had an overall strong day.
Like Shough, his command of his defensive assignments make him a team asset for the defense. Blackmon said that he saw something pre-snap that led to a call that changed the way he and cornerback Quincy Riley played their side of the field, leading to the takeaway.
WR Chris Olave
Wide receiver Chris Olave saw a lot of attention throughout the day and he made good on it. His connection with Shough clearly remains strong and he retains his title as the team’s go-to player in the passing game.
Two, perhaps three, of Shough’s touchdowns went to the wideout in just eight targets in the day. The connection between Shough and Olave appears to be picking up steam heading into the season.
