New Orleans Saints welcome return of several players to training camp practice on limited basis

Three receivers return for injury-depleted position

Aug 13, 2024 at 06:04 PM

John DeShazier

Senior Writer

Full coverage of the New Orleans Saints workouts during 2024 Training Camp at the University of California, Irvine on Tuesday, August 13.

Irvine, Calif. – All of the New Orleans Saints weren't at training camp practice Tuesday at Cal-Irvine, but quite a few came marching back in.

Receivers Rashid Shaheed , Bub Means and Equanimeous St. Brown all wore red (non-contact) jerseys. Linebackers Demario Davis and Pete Werner came out to practice with their helmets (it was a full-pads practice), and cornerback Marshon Lattimore got in some pre-practice work on the side with trainers.

The receivers especially were missed; New Orleans had six available receivers for the preseason opener against Arizona last Saturday.

"Got a few guys back out here on a limited basis, a few of the receivers back out on a limited basis today," Coach Dennis Allen said. "Some of the guys that are injured are starting to find their way back to the field."

Unfortunately, two others had to leave the field: Receiver A.T. Perry exited late with an ankle sprain and running back Alvin Kamara left early with back tightness.

"This is something (Kamara) has dealt with before, so I don't anticipate it being a big deal," Allen said.

STILL HASN'T FOUND WHAT HE'S LOOKIN FOR: The safety spot opposite Tyrann Mathieu still is up for grabs. Allen wants someone to claim it. "I haven't seen anything from any one of those safeties yet – with the exception of Tyrann Mathieu – where somebody has just jumped out at me and said, 'It's my job.' And that's what I'm looking for.

"I think ultimately what you're looking for is guys that can make plays, guys that have production – that's interceptions, that's PBUs (pass breakups), that's tackles. Guys that are going to play a physical brand of football. Those are all the things that I'm looking for.

"I'm seeing good things out of the safety position, and yet I haven't seen where somebody has just taken the bull by the horns and said that this is my job. That's what I'm looking for."

RETURN OF THE REFS: Officials were scheduled to be at camp this week for the joint practices with San Francisco on Thursday and Friday, but since those practices were canceled due to the 49ers' massive injury list, the officials will come in on Wednesday. The Saints previously had a crew in for Aug. 2-4.

"I think it's going to be beneficial for us," Allen said. "You get out here and you're in practice and when you don't have officials: Well, was it a false start, was it not a false start? Was it offsides, was it not offsides? Was it a defensive holding or a pass interference, or was it not?

"All those things are things that having the officials out here and trying to make it as much game like as we can so that our guys will understand what's going to be acceptable in terms of what's going to be called or not called. I think it's important for our guys to see."

GAME TIME: Saints coaches did as much as they could to simulate game conditions Tuesday.

"Tried to work as much game like as we can – everybody off on the sideline, substitutions in and out, all of those things," Allen said. "Just trying to simulate a game as much as we possibly can."

All-Access Photos: 2024 Saints Training Camp practice 8/13/24