The final open practice for the New Orleans Saints was held in front of fans at Tulane University’s Yulman Stadium on Wednesday night. It was the final chance for the Saints to put on a show in front of the home audience until the team’s home opener in Week 3 of the regular season.
From the action, here are three standouts aside from the obvious names like quarterback Tyler Shough and wide receiver Chris Olave, who had strong days.
WR Kevin Austin Jr.
A player that’s in line to potentially secure a roster spot with a strong performance to close out the preseason, wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. had some eye-catching moments during the practice.
He reeled in a pair of red-zone catches for touchdowns. One was on a great quick-breaking route that allowed him good position to help bail the offense out of what appeared to be an early snap. He was able to reel it in around the middle of the field with a good box-out in the endzone.
On the second catch, he tracked a back-corner throw from Shough that was perfectly placed. He was able to get under it despite a leaping defender with inside position and come away with another scoring play.
Austin is often overlooked in the wide receiver room conversation, but his versatility and willingness to serve any role is something that has him firmly in consideration to continue being a part of the team with growing opportunities to contribute.
TE Juwan Johnson
The team’s top tight end didn’t walk away with a long list of catches, though he did also bring in a red-zone touchdown reception of his own. But what caught the attention about tight end Juwan Johnson the most was the sheer number of places he contributed.
Receiving, run blocking, pass protection, getting out in front of a runner and finding work and more. The veteran tight end is hard to lose on the field, because he has so much lateral and vertical impact on the offense.
The tight end room is likely to be leaned on early in the 2026 season with rookie wide receiver Jordyn Tyson expected to miss the beginning weeks of the year. A player of Johnson’s caliber, with such an eclectic impact, is a highly-desired contributor for any offense looking to feature the position.
WR Devaughn Vele
The Saints really focused on wideout Devaughn Vele as a red-zone option. He received three targets in the area toward the end of Tuesday night’s practice and brought in a leaping attempt in the back corner of the endzone. He also had an impressive 50-50 catch in 7-on-7s earlier in the practice, despite a tough contest by physical cornerback Martin Emerson Jr.
Vele has a lot of value as a player that can run routes smoothly, showcases a large catch radius and can attack the middle of the field in the passing game. But his body type, listed at 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, makes him a perfect red-zone threat as well.
It’s a skill set the Saints should look to utilize during the 2026 season in order to boost their red zone-to-touchdown ratio.
