1. **Full strength:** It was good to see the return of running back Alvin Kamara and wide receiver Michael Thomas on the practice field Thursday, Aug. 15 after missing some time at camp before the trip to Costa Mesa, Calif., but they only appeared in the individual portion of practice and moved to the conditioning field when the teams started to work against each other. Friday though both were back and at full speed, participating fully in the workout. Kamara showed that patented burst a few times both rushing and receiving and Thomas made his presence known immediately on the first play of team period catching a 15-yard cross from quarterback Drew Brees and turning upfield for a big gain.

2. **Where's Josh?** Staying with the who was there theme, tight end Josh Hill was not at the Jack Hammett Sports Complex. Hill is an important cog to the offense, especially as a run blocker, so hopefully we'll see him back out there soon.

3. **Bouncing back:** It was an interesting team portion of practice for wide receiver Cyril Grayson Jr., who is grinding hard to try and make this roster. First, the bad. Grayson dropped a potential touchdown pass from quarterback Teddy Bridgewater on a perfectly thrown deep ball 40 yards down the left sideline. Grayson had his man beat by two steps, Bridgewater hit him in stride, only to see the ball go right through Grayson's hands, much to the dismay of Cyril, who was visibly upset. Obviously, a catch that needs to me made. Now, the good. He would bounce back in a big way a short time later, making a very difficult catch on a comeback route from quarterback Taysom Hill, a throw actually behind him with a defender draped on his back. Then on the last play of team period, two-minute drill edition, Grayson snagged a deep cross from Hill for a touchdown. A great way to end the joint practice, and good to see Grayson able to come back and be productive after the drop earlier.