New Orleans Saints training camp will again be primarily based in Metairie this year, with the hope that joint practices will be sprinkled in.
"Once the preseason schedule comes out, then we'll hopefully accommodate some joint practices. That's our goal," Coach Kellen Moore said Monday, during his news conference from the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix. "Hopefully, the games we were hoping for come our way, because we've got some plans ahead for that just to create some joint practice environments. I think that's going to be really beneficial for our team."
Last year, New Orleans had a joint practice against the Rams in California. In 2024, while conducting the majority of training camp at Cal-Irvine in Irvine, Calif., the Saints did not have a joint practice; the anticipated work against the 49ers was canceled due to San Francisco's myriad injuries.
Moore said he expects quality work this year due to New Orleans entering its second year in its offensive and defensive schemes.
"Last year we were heavy into the scheme installation, we were putting in two new schemes on offense and defense," he said. "This year, I think with the continuity, I think it's going to allow us to get some really good work in some joint practices. It's just a matter of us getting the games that will complement that."
FREE AGENCY
New Orleans' most recent free agent addition was quarterback Zach Wilson, a No. 2 overall draft pick in 2021 who has played with the Jets (2021-23), Broncos ('24) and Dolphins ('25).
The Saints had two quarterbacks on the roster, Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler, before adding Wilson, who will compete with Rattler for the No. 2 spot.
"I think we were really excited to have an opportunity to sign Zach," Moore said. "Our job is always to make those environments as competitive as possible. We feel good about watching Zach over the time of his journey. (I) have followed him, evaluated him a number of times now, so we felt like the opportunity was right. We feel really good about Tyler and Spence and we feel like both of those guys progressed really well last year. There's always competition (in) every NFL environment. I think it will be a really good spot for us."
Overall, Moore said the Saints made good strides in free agency with the additions of running back Travis Etienne Jr., guard David Edwards, tight end Noah Fant, punter Ryan Wright, and running back Ty Chandler, among others.
"I think free agency was a really good process," Moore said. "(Executive Vice President/General Manager) Mickey (Loomis) and our personnel group, I thought they did an excellent job of having a clear objective, identifying guys that fit what we may be looking for. I felt like it was a really clean operation where we were able to add some really key pieces.
"Everyone hopes and everyone says the same thing — everyone hopes that you can go into the draft saying 'However this thing falls, we have some flexibility within this draft.' Because there's always unpredictability of who's going to get drafted above you. I feel like we're in a healthy spot in that case."
