Westlake Village, Calif. – A quick turnaround won't lessen the work load for New Orleans Saints starters as they ready for Thursday's joint practice with the Rams, New Orleans' third joint practice in one week.
The Saints had a joint practice with Jacksonville at their Metairie practice facility Aug. 13, a joint practice with Dallas on Aug. 18 in Oxnard, Calif., and will complete the joint practice trifecta against the Rams on Thursday, Aug. 20. The Saints also played Jacksonville in the preseason opener Aug. 15, and will play the Rams in a preseason game Aug. 22 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
With the starters receiving the bulk of the reps Thursday against the Rams – after having done so two days earlier against Dallas – don't expect to see them in Saturday's preseason game.
"It'll be a similar structure (to Tuesday's joint practice)," Saints Coach Kellen Moore said Wednesday, after the Saints had a walk through at Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village. "Those guys will not be going on Saturday, so priority really is the 1s (on Thursday). Maybe there'll be a few less reps for the 2s."
The split has allowed Moore and his staff to maximize the evaluation process; game reps and evaluation for backups increase as starters sit, and joint practice work provides starters with game-caliber reps against opposing starters for more snaps than they would play in a preseason game.
There's also a benefit to the quick turnaround for a joint practice, linebacker Danny Stutsman said.
"Any time you get an opportunity to play – the No. 1 offense in the Cowboys, and now another really talented Rams squad – those are great opportunities for a defense like us, try to prove it to everyone that we can really play high-level ball," he said. "Every opportunity we get, we go out there, we make the most of it. Not a lot of time to prepare; that's the best time to do it. We're going out there just playing our brand of football – no gameplan, just go out there and play New Orleans Saints football."
A.K. AND Q: Running back Alvin Kamara (knee) and cornerback Quincy Riley (groin), who exited Tuesday's joint practice early with injuries, are expected to miss several weeks, Moore said.
"They'll be OK, they've just got to get back healthy," Moore said. "(Injuries are) the unfortunate part of football. There's risks associated with football as far as injuries, we try to control that environment as best we can. We're navigating it right now and I think our guys will be as well-prepared as they can for the season. And so, we'll be OK."
Two players who can take advantage of the missed time are cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. and running back Kendre Miller.
Emerson has been a standout the last two weeks, including a five-pass breakup day in camp and three pass breakups against Jacksonville in the preseason game. He started the preseason opener and, in Riley's absence, possibly will step in Thursday with the starters against the Rams in the joint practice. If that happens, he could sit out the preseason game.
He missed last season after rupturing his Achilles, but the third-round pick from 2022 (by Cleveland) has rounded into form.
"I would just say, I'm just doing what I love to do – playing ball, back at it," Emerson said. "So thankful because around this time last year, I was dealing with my Achilles injury and that was tough. So, just climbing from under that rock and trusting my work ethic and everything that me and my team have done to get back to this point to be on the field, to be able to compete at the highest level, is just a testimony itself. I'm just thankful to get my feet back underneath me. I feel like it's a lot more growing that I can do in my game and that's what we're attacking every day.
"I just want to come out every day and give my best to this team, because they deserve it. I just want to gain the respect of my teammates, my coaches and everybody, and just show everybody what I can do."
The joint practices and preseason games also will provide another chance for Miller to impress. The 2023 third-round pick missed time with a minor back injury, but returned on the same day Kamara injured his knee. Miller is one of several backs – including Devin Neal and Audric Estime – vying for a roster spot behind Travis Etienne and Kamara.
"This is going to be a hard group to sort out," Moore said. "They're all talented, they all can play on Sundays at a really high level. Love this group. There's going to be some more opportunities through these joint practices and these games, which will be great for them."
