Andy Dalton leads the way with Jameis Winston out during Day 12 of Saints camp

Back to shorts, shells, and indoor facilities for Day 12 of New Orleans Saints camp. It was a little bit of a different feel in the building today with quarterback Jameis Winston sidelined with an injury. Andy Dalton jumped in to take those first team snaps while backup Ian Book saw a larger share of reps himself. Despite Winston not being a part of today’s workload, there were tons of things to take away from the practice session. Here are our key takeaways from today.

Biggest story: No Jameis Winston, but no concern

As aforementioned, Winston was not at practice today, but things didn’t take a noticeable step in the wrong direction in the slightest. Dalton did well getting in and out of the huddle and leading the first team throughout their drills, as did Book when he was given his chances to call the shots. There did not seem to be any kind of miscommunication or confusion, things moved cohesively and smoothly for players across the roster with Dalton in.

Jameis Winston injury update: Day-to-day

While Dalton led the way today, there never seemed to be any kind of concern around Winston’s status. We got a substantial update from head coach Dennis Allen, who said that Winston is day-to-day with a “sprained right foot.” Allen said that the team’s starting quarterback would be out for a few days of practice and will not participate in Saturday’s preseason matchup with the Houston Texans.

“We don’t feel like it’s anything significant.” the head coach mentioned, effectively curving any doubts about Winston’s status for the regular season. Doesn’t seem like there’s much to be concerned about here, and giving the third-year Saints passer a light week in response to a minor injury is a wise precaution.

Michael Thomas update: He's still got it

Another huge day for the All-Pro receiver. From what I saw, quarterbacks were 5-of-5 when targeting him in 7-on-7s and 11-on-11s. Thomas did not participate much in the two-minute drills but before then, he thrived on the field even without Winston at the helm.

That’s not unusual when it comes to Thomas, though. In 2019, he caught 80.8% of the passes thrown to him by Teddy Bridgewater and 81.1% of the passes thrown his way by Taysom Hill in 2020. Catching passes is simply what Thomas does, and he does it well. Regardless of who is throwing passes his way.

Getting back in action: Marcus Davenport returns

A great sign for the 2018 draft selection as he found his way back out to the field for walk throughs and individual drills. Allen updated that this would likely be the “routine” for Davenport until they eventually get him into pass-rush drills and 9-on-7s. Like Winston, he won’t be participating in this weekend’s exhibition game.

Davenport peaked with 9.5 sacks last year, his best production to date. He said after practice that his biggest goal right now is staying healthy and on the field. That goal just because a bit more in reach with his return to the field in the practice facility.

Play of the day: Adam Trautman attacks the seam

During two-minute drill simulations in the final team period, Dalton connected with Trautman as he flew down the seam. The officials that were present were in mid-season form blowing the play dead when it shouldn’t have been. But we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt in a non-contact practice.

Trautman has had a very good camp so far. It’s clear he’s much healthier this year than he was at this time last season. If he can continue to prove that he’s a threat downfield that demands attention, the Saints offense is going to be very hard to keep pace with once firing on all cylinders.

Andy Dalton leads two minute drill touchdown drive

While the Trautman touchdown was blown dead, it didn’t stop the offense from winning this simulation after the defense won both periods on Monday. Dalton would connect on 4-of-6 passing (plus one additional incompletion being negated by a defensive pass interference call) with a touchdown to wide receiver Kirk Merritt. The third and Goal play was snapped from the 7-yard line with just 10 seconds left on the clock. Merritt worked his way open in traffic on the far side of the endzone and reeled in a well-placed bullet pass by Dalton.

Getting attention: Kirk Merritt catching Dennis Allen‘s eye

Merritt’s touchdown is far from the only play he’s made in camp, however. He’s a ton of fun to watch in 1-on-1’s and he’s shown some explosive ability with the ball in his hands. When asked about Merritt, Allen had some high praise for the Destrehan native.

“I’ve seen a player that has gradually kind of caught my eye,” Allen said of Merritt. “Probably early on in OTAs, I don’t think he caught the ball as well as I would have liked. But then after two or three days, the next thing you know, he’s making all these sideline toe-tapping catches. So he’s a guy that’s caught my eye, I like his ability to run after the catch.”

A nice step forward for Merritt as he looks to catch on with his hometown team. Many media members have acknowledged that he could be the star of camp were it not for cornerback Paulson Adebo and the other big storylines ongoing this offseason. One thing is for sure though, everyone (Allen included) is looking forward to seeing what he can do in full-speed game action.

Early exits: Bryce Thompson carded off

These are the toughest moments when covering a training camp. During 1-on-1s Thompson and Merritt had a formidable battle downfield. Thompson went to the ground in the endzone finishing a rep that I would call a win for the former Tennessee Volunteer, but it became quickly apparent that there would be no celebrating the victory. In immense pain, Thompson writhed on the ground grabbing at what looked to be his left knee. The lower leg injury resulted in his being carted out of the indoor facility. With what looked to be a significant injury, it’s reasonable to expect the worst for the talented and physical player who was having a very promising camp.

Another secondary player made an early exit on Tuesday as well. Rookie cornerback Alontae Taylor reportedly left the field under his own power. A similar situation unfolded with starting corner Marshon Lattimore late last week and we have not seen him return to the field outside of side work yet. Hopefully Taylor and Lattimore will make their way back soon, but it wouldn’t surprise me to not see at least Lattimore until the start of next week.

Attendance: new face in the building

Players we did not see at today’s practice:

• QB Jameis Winston

• CB Marshon Lattimore

• LB D’Marco Jackson

• LB Zack Baun

• DT Jaleel Johnson

The missing list has shrunk for both good and bad reasons. With some players like Smoke Monday and Jerald Hawkins headed to injured reserve, that helps the list shrink. But returning players such as Marcus Davenport are the brighter side of the equation.

There was also a new face today with former Kentucky defensive end T.J. Carter making his Saints camp debut.

It looked like left tackle James Hurst, wide receiver Jarvis Landry, and defensive end Cameron Jordan were given light, veteran days, exiting after stretch.

Taysom Hill participated in routes on air today, another step forward in his ramp up.

Other practice notes: Steve Gleason takes in practice

Saints legend Steve Gleason and his family were on the sideline today taking in  practice. He visited with a long list of players, media members, and staffers throughout the day. Gleason was recently awarded with the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE award.

Tyrann Mathieu continues to move all around the defense. He’s hard to keep track of sometimes. He’ll take a snap at free safety, dropping back into coverage on the weak side one play, then he’s blitzing off the edge on the strong side the next. His ramp up progressed quickly, which is great news for the Saints and their multiple defensive scheme.

Despite moving to a larger tight end role, Hill still expects to throw passes.

Running back Devine Ozigbo would benefit from a heavy preseason workload. The former Cornhuskers was listed as the co-second team back alongside Mark Ingram in the team’s unofficial depth chart. While we can’t draw conclusions from an unofficial list, it’s worth mentioning that he’s been the most consistent running back behind Ingram and Alvin Kamara.

Ian Book will likely see more preseason snaps this Saturday then he saw the entirety of 2021‘s exhibition lineup. Which shouldn’t be hard to do considering he only took 24 snaps last year. The canceled Arizona Cardinals exhibition game certainly didn’t help. But it looks like Book, who has had two solid practices this week, should get a lot of opportunities this season.

Story originally appeared on Saints Wire