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Saints Training Camp 2025: Key Takeaways from Wednesday, July 30

Tempo turned up as Jake Haener delivers standout performance

Jul 30, 2025 at 01:41 PM

Todd Graffagnini

1. Quick Hits:

Practice began at 9 a.m. at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center in front of fans. Under heavy cloud cover, it was almost pleasant at 85 degrees. As the practice continued, the sun came out and turned into a bit of a scorcher. … Wednesday's padded practice was the longest to date at 1:45. The Saints signed offensive lineman Jonathan Mendoza, a rookie from Louisville (wearing No. 79). Mendoza was a teammate of Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough and cornerback Quincy Riley at Louisville. ... Defensive tackle John Ridgeway III and tight end Juwan Johnson left practice and did not return. Coach Kellen Moore told the media he will update their condition later. …Defensive back J.T. Gray remained out with a right hamstring injury. … Tight ends Foster Moreau and Taysom Hill continue to be observers at practice as they rehab from last season's knee injuries. …. After Monday's padded practice that saw the offensive line go up against the defensive line in one-on-one drills, those were expanded Wednesday with wide receiver vs. defensive backs, and on the south field, tight ends and running backs vs. linebackers and safeties. …Kicker Charlie Smyth went four for five on his field goals Wednesday, with his miss coming from 49 yards on the left hash that went wide left. Smyth is now nine of 16 overall in camp, with another miss coming from 63 yards during two-minute drill that had the distance but fell just a bit right.

2. That's entertainment:

Without question, Wednesday's practice was the most aesthetically pleasing one if you happened to be a spectator, featuring big plays on both sides of the ball throughout. Kellen Moore continued his install featuring a two-minute situational drill at the end of practice. Running back Alvin Kamara broke a couple of long runs during 11-on-11 drills, showing that quick burst of speed through the line of scrimmage then quickly into the defensive backfield. Quarterback Jake Haener easily had his best day of the first week running the first-team offense. Haener shined in 11-on-11 drills, getting good protection and displaying mobility when he had to avoid the pass rush. He would also be involved in one of the many plays of the day. Cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry continues to solidify his position as right cornerback with another solid practice, featuring a nice pass break up of an intended pass to wide receiver Rashid Shaheed during two-minute. There were numerous chunk plays offensively throughout the practice coming from all three quarterbacks, including zone read runs for big gains by Spencer Rattlerand Tyler Shough, soliciting loud cheers from the fans. Rookie cornerback Quincy Riley intercepted Rattler during 7-on-7 drills on a deep post pattern intended for wide receiver Bub Means. It was Riley's second interception of camp, which leads the team.

All-Access Photos: 2025 Saints Training Camp practice 7/30/25