The goal for New Orleans Saints training camp Day 13 was to watch some of the guys that will get real opportunities in this weekend’s Houston Texans matchup. But it’s hard to do that when a superstar just keeps making big plays. In front of the fans and in full pads, Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas dazzled yet again. Here are some of his highlights and more key observations from today’s practice:
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Biggest story: Michael Thomas just can't stop
Every single day two players catch the eyes of those in attendance at Saints practice; Paulson Adebo and Thomas. The battles between the two in 1-on-1s are becoming the stuff of legend on Airline Drive. It happened again on Wednesday with Thomas making a spectacular back shoulder grab in against the sideline of the endzone with the second-year corner in tight coverage.
In 7-on-7s, quarterback Andy Dalton found Thomas for three of his first four redone passes. Thomas reeled in all three targets for touchdowns including a violent cut on a slant, a catch in traffic, and jump ball over safety Justin Evans in the back of the endzone.
He would then later kick off team passing drills with a jump ball along the sideline, this time with cornerback Bradley Adebo in tight coverage. There were officials in attendance and the tight rope act was emphatically called a catch by two officials in the vicinity of the play. I didn’t see any additional targets to No. 13 for the rest of the day, but honestly, what more did he have to show? Another dominant display by Thomas.
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Play of the day: Tony Jones Jr. houses a screen pass
While a couple of Thomas’ plays could have been selected here, a very well-executed screen pass led to a big breakaway touchdown for Jones. He’s had an up and down camp thus far, but this was a big moment for the former Notre Dame running back, getting to show secure hands and an ability to follow blockers downfield.
The play was set up well with pass rushers closing in on passer Ian Book. The former Notre Dame teammates connected on the screen pass which was delivered with touch and good accuracy. Jones was able to turn upfield and follow offensive linemen Khalique Washinton and Josh Andrews down the right sideline as the fans cheered for the big play. Jones had one defender that could have caused him trouble down the field, but very likely would have scampered cleanly to a 60 or so yard score.
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Another scuffle: Trevor Penning not involved
We got another camp fight today and this one did not involved the first-round offensive line selection. Instead, after getting tangled up in a run game rep tight end J.P. Holtz and defensive end Taco Charlton got into a bit of a swing match. Punches were thrown and the two were removed from practice. Would make sense to see the two back tomorrow just like we saw with Penning and defensive tackle Malcolm Roach.
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Trevor Penning update: Ups and downs
While Penning was not involved in the scuffle, he still drew some attention today. He had a couple of nice reps in the run game, but also let up a pressure to edge defender Carl Granderson that would have resulted in a sack. Granderson beat fellow tackle James Hurst on an earlier snap as well. Penning will benefit from the live game snaps he’ll see on Saturday.
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Taysom Hill progress: big catch in 7-on-7s
Hill continues to get more and more involved in practice throughout this week as he works his way back from a rib injury. Hill detailed after Tuesday’s practice that he had suffered a displaced rib. This is a key detail in his observation today as he skied over Evans, the Saints safety, for a touchdown catch during 7-on-7s.
Hill came down on his back after making the catch and was able to pop right back up to his feet and continue competing. This was a really good sign for a guy with a rib injury. He did mention that he has a custom rib protector, which may have come in handy on the play. The tight end was still in his red non-contact jersey for practice.
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Attendance: Pete Werner dealing with groin injury again
Players we did not see today:
- QB Jameis Winston
- LB Pete Werner
- CB Marshon Lattimore
- RB Malcolm Brown
- CB Alontae Taylor
- LB Zack Baun
- DB Bryce Thompson
- DT Jaleel Johnson
It’s a little concerning to see Werner not participating again. He told New Orleans media that he was dealing with a groin injury last week, but was getting back in the act. However today, head coach Dennis Allen detailed that Werner’s absence today was again tied to that same injury. The Saints are already thinning at linebacker with Baun continuing his absence and rookie D’Marco Jackson being placed on injured reserve. We may see Werner back sooner rather than later, but until he’s back out on the field, it’s reasonable to ask questions about the position.
It seems inevitable that Thompson will eventually end up on injured reserve. The injury he sustained on Tuesday did not look good, but worth hoping for the best. Always unfortunate when a player gets hurt, but in Thompson’s case he was having a particularly strong offseason.
Rookie cornerback Taylor left practice early under his own power yesterday and was not spotted today.
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Other practice notes: Andy Dalton feels comfortable in offense
Dalton expressed his comfort in the Saints offense as well as his confidence in it during his post-practice presser. “I feel really good about where I’m at,” Dalton said. “Just having the offseason and just throughout training camp and getting back in and through the installs and everything. I feel really confident in everything that we’re doing. I feel like I’m in a really good place.”
Allen said that one of the things the team was workin throughout Wednesday’s practice was headset communication. Something we don’t often thing of during this time of year. We’re so fixated on what’s going on on the field that we miss these kinds of nuances.
Preseason games will be a major part of the Saints evaluation of players fighting for roster spots. “I think they both matter,” Allen said of preseason and training camp practices. “But ultimately, this game is about results. And results in game situations. So the games way more than the practices. But they’re all an important part of the evaluation.”
Book’s mobility will finally be able to show its value on Saturday. There are moments where it’s clear he wants to take off with the ball and show what he can do in those evasive moments, but can only get so far before the play is blown dead. Going from non-contact practices to full-speed game action will allow him to finally put on display what he can do in that area of the game. He has shown a greater acuity as a passer over the last few practices in the meanwhile.
Tackle Ryan Ramczyk was given a light day as a part of his “up and off” ramp up.
The Saints former Mississippi State quarterback K.J. Costello, per Nick Underhill of neworleans.football. The signal caller was no present for today’s practice, but seeing him Thursday would not be a surprise. Lightening up the workload for Dalton and Book ahead of their preseason game this weekend makes a lot of sense while starter Jameis Winston is out.
Saints star linebacker Demario Davis saw the success of the offense in 7-on-7s, but didn’t let them hang their laurels on it. He challenged the offense to see what happens when they went into team drills. The back-and-forth between the offense and defense has been a lot of fun to watch. There’s a great balance of intensity and camaraderie.
