Saints training camp takeaways: Paulson Adebo stands out on Day 3
Day 3 of New Orleans Saints training camp is in the books. It was a run-heavy day today with three team sessions, all of which were filled with run install and reps. This gave media a great opportunity to get a look at the trenches, which running back is separating themselves in the backfield, and who could make the most of their passing reps. Here are our observations from the third day of Saints camp.
Biggest Story: Taysom Hill out with injury
It does not sound like the injury is of much concern, but according to head coach Dennis Allen, Hill took a shot to the ribs in Thursday’s practice which led to him sitting out on Friday. Allen said that he’ll be out for a bit, but things didn’t feel dire in his tone. He also reinforced that the absence was not related to his previous Lisfranc injury.
How soon Hill will be back remains to be seen of course, but there seems to be an optimism around the situation. Without Hill and Juwan Johnson out there, Lucas Krull got some additional reps and put together some standout moments including getting open on a crossing route and making a wide open catch in the intermediate area from quarterback Andy Dalton.
Play of the day: Paulson Adebo can't stop breaking up passes
I’ll happily put Adebo’s performance here for play of the day and playerof the day as well. The second-year rookie was back to taking first-team reps opposite Marshon Lattimore and continues to make his presence felt. He’s broken up a pass in every practice so far between 7-on-7’s and full team drills.
Adebo rotated with veteran cornerback Bradley Roby yesterday, stepping back into the spotlight of the first unit today. The former Stanford Cardinal has been sticky in coverage, very physical and has shown a great propensity to make plays on the ball. His former receiver experience continues to show itself on the field as he read receivers and displays his ball skills.
Jameis Winston update: keeping it close
We haven’t really gotten to see Winston unleash a long pass yet early on in camp. Perhaps that changes tomorrow when fans get in the mix. But Winston’s short-area accuracy is still valuable to see. Some off target passes can be hard to decipher whether they’re on the passer or route-runner. Others are obvious. I wouldn’t see I have seen many obvious issues in short-area accuracy for Winston, though he did have one miscue on an Alvin Kamara screen.
Other incompletions for Winston can be notched as drops by backs and receivers. There were a few of those instances throughout the day today which marred the offense’s day. One that Dennis Allen openly called “sloppy.”
Rookie Watch: Chris Olave looks good
Rookie wide receiver Chris Olave is hard to miss on the field. The way he works through his drills with full intensity, his speed and his remarkably safe hands all stand out whether you are looking for him or not. No. 12 is in for a huge rookie role in 2022, helping the Saints revitalize their passing game.
OL Trevor Penning continues to get looks on the first team. It is honestly hard to speak on his progress before pads come on. But seeing him get reps with the first unit is still a positive.
Second-round draft pick Alontae Taylor took second-team saps today and continued to get work with the special teams units. Will be interesting to see if he gets some first-team cornerback reps after this week, once he’s fully settled in. Every year we see veterans who have been through this process many time start camp strong, but the gap usually closes when the young guys start to get settled.
Linebacker D’Marco Jackson flashes from time to time. He has been taking snaps from all over the second level. His downhill attacking speed is impressive and he got a few call outs from a very vocal group of defensive coaches who were cheering their unit on loudly today.
Defensive tackle Jordan Jackson is simply in a crowded unit right now on the defensive line. His play style sticks out as he has a very athletic approach to the position as opposed to a pure power approach. Will be keeping a closer eye on his reps in the future.
Attendance: The heat factor
The biggest story when it comes to attendance was of course the aforementioned absence of Hill. Outside of that here are the players that we did not see in attendance today:
TE Juwan Johnson
LB Pete Werner
S Tyrann Mathieu (excused)
OL Sage Doxtater
WR/RS Rashid Shaheed (NFI)
DL Tanoh Kpassagnon (NFI)
DL Marcus Davenport (PUP)
There were also two early exits during today’s session: safeties C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Bryce Thompson. Allen clarified after practice that their exits were simply because “the heat got to them.” In their stead, free agent addition Justin Evans had a great practice with at least two pass break ups.
Position Battles: Devine Ozigbo separating from RB group
With Adebo performing well back with the first time and Penning getting first-team snaps, things are heading in a good direction for both. Though Hurst should be still considered the starter at left tackle. Now we can turn our attention to another position in need of rising talent: running back.
So far UDFA running back Abram Smith has not caught eyes the way some will have hoped, but it’s still very early. Again, vets usually stand out from their younger counterparts during the early portion of training camp. Instead, the back standing out the most continues to be Devine Ozigbo. Ozigbo’s reunion with the team is paying off thus far. He’s shown a penchant to hit holes with good vision, been solid as a receiver and has looked as good as one can in non-contact practice as a pass protector. So far, he’s the standout back.
Tony Jones Jr. did not do himself any favors today, on the other hand. Two big drops set the tone for his morning. It is worth mentioning that quarterback to pass catcher calibration (or thereof early in camp) could also be to blame. But when those passes bounce out of hands in the open field, it is hard not to put it on the receiver. Hopefully Jones can put together a bounce back day tomorrow and reinforce the confidence he generated in last year’s camp.
