The New Orleans Saints wrapped up their final joint practice of the offseason by facing the Los Angeles Rams in Woodland Hills, Calif. The practice provided the team some elite competition against one of the Super Bowl favorites.

Against them, the Saints’ offense, led by quarterback Tyler Shough, had its standout moments while the defense was tested all day.

A Clean Practice

Unlike the practice against the Dallas Cowboys, the Saints’ practice with the Rams was focused more on the football portion than the extracurriculars. New Orleans held clean and easy practices against the Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars this year, despite the display that set in against the Cowboys.

Both the Saints and the Cowboys bear the burden of Tuesday’s actions, however, with both teams being fined $500,000 for the brawls. Both teams can appeal and no individual players were fined, though the teams could certainly make their own decisions to fine players that contributed to the wild practice day.

WR Bryce Lance Shines Again

While rookie wide receiver Jordyn Tyson is sidelined for the near future with a hamstring injury, questions arose concerning which wideout would step up in his absence.

The answer has been fourth-round pick Bryce Lance.

Lance was targeted five times by Shough in first-team drills, reeling in all five for receptions, two of which in the endzone.

While Tyson focuses on his recovery, the Saints’ focus appears to be on Lance to be one of the players that can contribute to the passing game early in the season.

WR Chris Olave Gets Some Rest

Two veteran players received rest days against the Rams after full workloads against the Cowboys: wide receiver Chris Olave and linebacker Kaden Elliss. While Olave rested, wideout Devaughn Vele returned to action. Meanwhile, linebackers Pete Werner and Danny Stutsman held down linebacker responsibilities.

Stutsman, in particular, stood out with his play. He found opportunities to impact all over the field and was very active throughout the practice in Elliss’s stead.

Olave’s camp has been excellent so far, and he was outstanding against the Cowboys and clearly earned a day off going into the Rams joint practice.

New Quarterback Rotation

The Saints have recently begun to blend and rotate their second and third teams during joint practices. With that, on Tuesday against Cowboys, quarterback Spencer Rattler was up first with veteran passer Zach Wilson to follow.

Against the Rams, the order reversed with Wilson taking the first spot in the rotation.

Head coach Kellen Moore said after practice the team hasn’t yet made a decision on which quarterback will star Saturday’s second preseason game against the Rams. With the way the rotation has gone, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Wilson and Rattler reverse their roles from the exhibition opener against Jacksonville.

Shough Passing Stats

Shough went 15-of-21 with another incompletion wiped out by defensive pass interference. A yardage estimation put him around 115-120 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns and no interceptions that added up to a strong day overall.

However, he was under constant pressure from the Rams defensive front that, minus edge rusher Myles Garrett on the field, was still loaded with talent. Our practice observation noted five sacks that led to plays begin blown dead. Pass protection is an obvious area of growth after the joint practices with the Rams and Jaguars, during which Shough was under constant pressure.

An overall rough day for the defense with some bright spots

On the flip side, the Saints’ defense got after Rams’ starting quarterback Matthew Stafford as well. The team recorded four sacks, while also getting one against rookie quarterback Shough Passing Stats.

Edge rusher Chase Young was again a nuisance for the Rams. Meanwhile, edge Carl Granderson continued to impress with constant pressure.

Cornerbacks Dalys Beanum and TJ Hall Jr. each had interceptions.

Stafford also found three receivers for touchdowns, leading the Rams’ offense into the endzone four times (including one rushing score). With only 10 red zone plays, the percentages weren’t in New Orleans’ favor much like their practices with Jacksonville.

An overall rough day for the defense with some bright spots

Four players did not finish practice. Offensive lineman Ceaser Ruiz, Beanum, defensive lineman John Ridgeway Jr. and wide receiver Trey Palmer. Ridgeway appeared to suffer the most serious injury, while Ruiz and Palmer appeared to be minor with both players walking around fine after practice. Beanum will be one to keep an eye on going forward.

Attendance

Not Seen WR Jordyn Thompson (hamstring), WR Mason Tipton (leg), CB Rezjohn Wright, CB Quincy Riley (groin), RB Audric Estime (ankle), RB Alvin Kamara, DL Christopher Miller (shoulder), LB Chris Rumph II (ankle), EDGE Cameron Jordan (hamstring)
Observing Olave and Ells
Returning DL Davon Godchaux

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Kent Masson era begins at Opelousas Catholic with emphasis on strong defense

By Eric Narcisse | Staff writer
21 hrs ago
4 min to read

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Opelousas Catholic leaders include: top row from left, Ethan Belleau, Carter Savant, Braxtin Harris, Colt Thomas and Daylan Edward. Front row from left are Emmett Boyd, Jacob Glynn, Parker Theriot and Peyton Nguyen.Photo by Eric Narcisse

What we know

Opelousas Catholic’s first-year coach Kent Masson wasted little time responding when asked the strength of his team.

“It’s our defense,” Masson said. “We have a really, really good linebacking corps,” said Masson, who replaced Cullen Matherne. “On our defensive line, we are going to be rotating people in and out, but I think we’re going to be pretty good up front. And our defensive backfield is going to cover people really well. Overall, we’re in really good shape on defense.”

Leading the way for the Vikings’ defense are linebackers Ethan Belleau, Braxtin Harris and Colt Thomas along with free safety/quarterback Kaleb Tezeno.

“Ethan is a menace on the field,” Masson said. “He does a great job of reading and reacting to where the ball is. He is quick to where he wants to go. Our linebackers make very few mistakes. They do a good job of understanding what is that we want to do.

“Kaleb is a student of the game. He understands what everyone is supposed to be doing in defense. He’s a leader.”

The Vikings’ defense line has talent, but is young, Masson said.

“I like where we are up front,” he said.

What we don’t know

While the defense is a definite strength, the offense could be termed a “work in progress.”

“We gave a pretty good offensive line,” Masson said. “We have a couple of freshmen at tackle, but we have some big kids. It’s a group that is learning as we go.”

Tezeno, who has the arm strength and accuracy to excel in the passing game, is a talented runner. But considering Tezeno and Harris will start on both sides of the ball the Vikings will need other players step up to establish a rushing attack.

“I think our offensive line is good enough for us to run the football effectively,” Masson said. “We have a solid running back corps; we just have to get these mistakes out of the way.”

If the Vikings are going to prevent opposing defenses from stacking the box to stop the run, Tezeno and the receivers will have to be efficient when passing.

“We have a couple of guys at receiver who can make plays in the passing game,” Masson said. “They just haven’t been consistent enough. They know the route tree, so once they are consistent, we will be pretty good.”

How we see it

Masson said he likes how the Vikings match up with their opponents on their schedule and said the sky is the limit as to what they can I accomplish.

“I have so much confidence in this team that I believe that there’s not a game on the schedule that we can’t win,” Masson said. “I truly believe that. But I also know that we have to make sure that if we do get down in a game that we are not dropping our heads and feeling sorry for ourselves. We have to find that perseverance.”

Masson said the key is staying healthy and improving every week.

Five to watch

Colt Thomas

LB/WR, 5-7, 165, Jr.

Thomas is set to start one year after being forced to sit out a season after transferring. He has a high football IQ, is an aggressive tackler and has proven to be a good route runner.

Kaleb Tezeno

QB/FS, 5-10, 180, Jr.

Set to go both ways for the Vikings, Tezeno will be a vital part to Opelousas Catholic’s success. He tackles well and has good ball skills from his free safety position, while possessing a strong arm and the ability to run as a quarterback.

Ethan Belleau

RB/LB, 5-8, 185, Sr.

Described as a “menace on the field,” Belleau is a physical tackler who diagnoses plays quickly and gets to the ball in a hurry. A student of the game, Belleau rarely makes assignment mistakes.

Braxtin Harris

RB/LB, 6-0, 180, Sr.

Another two-way starter for the Vikings, Harris will be counted on to lead the rushing attack on one side of the ball and stop it on the other. He’s extremely quick, runs hard and doesn’t shy away from contact.

Aiden Lafleur

K/TE/LB, 6-1, 175, Sr.

While Lafleur will see time in all three phases of the game, he will be counted on to solidify the Vikings’ kicking game. He has a strong leg capable of forcing touchbacks on kickoffs and making 50-yard field goals.

Offense

WR Lane Dugas (6-2, 185, Sr.)*

WR Colt Thomas (5-7, 165, Jr.)

WR TySean Tolbert (5-7, 135, Jr.)

TE Bennett Citron (6-2, 210, So.)*

LT Jack Nugent (6-0, 200 Fr.)

LG Owen Richard (6-0, 270, Fr.)*

C John Parker Fontenot (6-1, 280, Sr.)*

RG Kye Latiolais (6-0, 265, Sr.)*

RT Cole Daigle (6-1, 220, Soph.)

QB Kaleb Tezeno (5-10, 180, Jr.)

RB Braxtin Harris (6-0, 180, Sr.)

Defense

DT John Parker Fontenot (6-1, 280, Sr.)

DT Cole Daigle (6-1, 220, So.)

NG Bennett Citron (6-2, 210, So.)

LB Ethan Belleau (5-8, 185, Sr.)*

LB Braxtin Harris (6-0, 180, Sr.)*

LB Colt Thomas (5-7, 165, Jr.)

LB Jacob Glynn (5-8, 175, So.)

CB Carter Savant (5-9, 165, Jr.)*

CB Ben Minyard (6-, 155, Sr.)*

SS Evan Duplechain (5-8, 160, Jr.)*

FS Kaleb Tezeno (5-10, 180, Jr.)*

* Returning starter

Coaches

Kent Masson

Head coach: Kent Masson (0-0)

Assistant coaches: Chris Schexnayder (DC), Steven Dye (OL/DL), Yves Prince (DL), Sammy Griffin (OL), and Jacob Tonglet (TE).

2026 schedule

Sept. 4 BREAUX BRIDGE

Sept. 11 Welsh

Sept. 18 Covenant Christian

Sept. 25 SACRED HEART

Oct. 2 Westminster

Oct. 8 JS Clark

Oct. 16 HANNAN

Oct. 23 ST. EDMUND

Oct 30 North Central

Nov. 5 BERCHMANS ACADEMY

2025 results

Beat Iota 14-7

Beat East Beauregard 43-6

Beat Port Barre 47-6

Lost Sacred Heart 3-0

Beat St. Edmund 52-30

Lost Westminster 24-22

Beat North Central 57-6

Lost Vermilion Catholic 50-15

Beat Berchmans 47-6

Lost Catholic-PC 45-14

Playoffs

Beat Ascension Christian 35-7

Lost Westminster 48-35

Past five years

2025: 7-5

2024: 8-4

2023: 7-4

2022: 9-4

2021: 9-2

Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.

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A Clean Practice

WR Bryce Lance Shines Again

WR Chris Olave Gets Some Rest

New Quarterback Rotation

Shough Passing Stats