Quick hits
Tuesday's full padded closed practice was held outside at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center and lasted two hours under 90 degree heat and a NE wind at around 10 mph.
...The heat was definitely a factor today with numerous pre snap penalties on both sides of the football.
... Absent for his second straight practice was edge rusher Cameron Jordan, who head coach Kellen Moore said could miss some time with a hamstring injury that could possibly linger into the regular season.
...Running back Devin Neal worked on the side today, still nursing a hamstring injury.
...Running back Kendre Miller remained out with a back injury.
...Linebacker Pete Werner and defensive tackle Christen Miller both returned to practice on Tuesday and participated in team drills.
...Newly signed New Orleans native Deion Jones got third team reps at linebacker in all team periods and recorded two tackles, including a tackle for loss (TFL) on a swing pass to running back Ty Chandler.
...Both placekickers saw action today with Charlie Smyth going 4 of 5 on his attempts — the only miss coming from 54 yards from the right hash. Tanner Brown made all five of his attempts including the 54-yarder. Both made their field goals during the Lockdown period.
...The defense won today's "Red Zone Lockdown" period, ending practice by holding the offense out of the end zone and getting to 18 points first with interceptions by edge rusher Carl Granderson and cornerback Quincy Riley. Both interceptions were against Tyler Shough.
Outstanding performance from Martin Emerson Jr.
If there were a Day 10 MVP of Saints Training Camp, it was fifth year cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. The Pensacola, FL native and former Mississippi St. Bulldog was everywhere on the field, running with the second unit at right cornerback. During team two-minute drills, Emerson intercepted Spencer Rattler two plays after Emerson was flagged for a holding call that extended the drive. I also counted four more pass breakups (PBU's) by Emerson, one of which could have been intercepted, but he was unable to bring the football in. Emerson last played in Cleveland, but missed the entire 2025 season with an Achilles injury that he suffered in late July at training camp. With days like today, Emerson's confidence should continue to grow, and more importantly, add solid depth to a position that will be counted on heavily this year in the Saints defense.
Play of the day
Pretty clear-cut here. The team two-minute situation period came down to this: End of game, ball at midfield, 1:20 left on the clock with one timeout and the offense trailing 14-20. Tyler Shough would be the only QB to lead the team to any points. In what turned out to be a ten play drive, Shough would convert a big third down to Chris Olave for ten yards to the 24-yard line with 24 seconds left.
Four plays later, it came down to a fourth-and-1 from the 11-yard line with 10 seconds left. Shough would drop back and throw a fade to the back left pylon of the end zone to Juwan Johnson, who was completely blanketed in coverage by cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry. Despite all the contact, Johnson was able to bring down the football for a touchdown, much to the delight of the offensive unit, who quickly surrounded Johnson in celebration. Definitely one of the top plays of this training camp and yet another example of Johnson's big play ability, which we have seen since Day 1 of camp.
