2026 New Orleans Saints training camp: Latest intel, updates

          play
          Olave joins McAfee, has some high praise for Moore, Shough (1:12)

          • Katherine TerrellAug 11, 2026, 03:39 PM ET
            Close
              Katherine Terrell came back to ESPN to cover the New Orleans Saints in the summer of 2022. She left the company in 2019 after joining in 2016 to cover the Cincinnati Bengals. Katherine is a graduate of LSU and a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native, and she has covered the NFL since 2013.
            Follow on X

          The 2026 NFL training camps have kicked off around the league, and our team reporters are on the ground each day following all the action. The New Orleans Saints' camp is taking place in Metairie, Louisiana, and Saints reporter Katherine Terrell has the latest intel on standouts, highlights, position battles, depth chart movement, cut decisions and of course the quarterback room.

          What follows is everything we are seeing and hearing at Saints camp. We will update this file often. Kellen Moore enters his second season as head coach, and expectations are higher after Tyler Shough impressed while starting the final nine games of the 2025 campaign. Who are the breakout players to watch, especially for fantasy football? And which players on the roster bubble could make the final 53?

          Dive in to all the updates and be sure to check back for more information until the first full week of the preseason begins Aug. 13.

          Camp updates for all 32 NFL teams

          Latest Saints news

          Tuesday, Aug. 11

          Offense and defense went at each other in an unscripted red zone scenario to end practice. The first side to 18 points won, with four points given to the defense if they held the offense to a field goal, three points to the offense for a made field goal, and seven points for a touchdown or turnover.

          The defense went up 4-3 after Charlie Smyth kicked a field goal for the first unit. Tanner Brown kicked a field goal for the second team after after Martin Emerson Jr. broke up a Spencer Rattler pass on third down. With the defense up 8-6, Carl Granderson almost picked off Tyler Shough and then did manage to snag the ball three plays later, before punting it in celebration. That put the defense up 13-6, and Zach Wilson took advantage of an offsides penalty to throw a touchdown to Barion Brown to tie things up.

          The first-team offense took over with a chance to win outright, but Quincy Riley picked off Shough in the end zone, giving the defense the win. Coach Kellen Moore said the idea was to create a competitive environment. "It's just play ball and defense has the opportunity to score and obviously they won the day in the red zone," he said.

          Other observations:

          Sunday, Aug. 9

          Sunday's practice featured the most 11-on-11 work yet, and it was an up-and-down day for the first-team offense.

          Quarterback Tyler Shough got off to a quick start with completions to Chris Olave, Devaughn Vele and Jordyn Tyson in his first session. He was able to roll out and find Olave after an incompletion to Juwan Johnson. Later, Shough had three straight completions to Johnson, Olave and Tyson after a miss to Olave, but the offense was flagged for a false start, and then Shough was sacked on the next play. Shough targeted Olave downfield on the next session but couldn't connect and then was sacked before a completion to Travis Etienne Jr. His next period had completions to Etienne and Olave before he ran it himself for a first down. The unit finished the day working specifically on third down, and Shough had a completion to Noah Fant, incompletions to Vele and Barion Brown (with good coverage by Kool-Aid McKinstry), and a completion to Tyson.

          Other observations:

          Saturday, Aug. 8

          It was Drew Brees day at practice as the former Saints quarterback goes into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

          The Saints painted a No. 9 on the practice field, and the staff, including coach Kellen Moore, wore No. 9 shirts. Running back Alvin Kamara, defensive end Cameron Jordan and long-snapper Zach Wood, along with coaches Josh Hill and Joel Thomas, were absent to watch the enshrinement in Canton, Ohio, but are expected back tomorrow.

          But the excitement of Brees being enshrined wore off early as the Saints dealt with some injuries. Offensive guard Dillon Radunz (knee) limped off the field after going up against Vernon Broughton in a one-on-one rep and did not return, while starting safety Julian Blackmon also left with a knee injury.

          Wide receiver Chris Olave walked to the sideline late in practice and had his wrist inspected and taped by athletic trainers before returning to take part in a "run down the clock" sequence at the end of practice, where he made a contested catch across the middle.

          Jordyn Tyson also had back-to-back catches from Tyler Shough in team drills, including one that Shough floated over the head of a defender attempting to break up a pass.

          Other observations:

          Thursday, Aug. 6

          Rookie wide receiver Barion Brown continues to be the rising star of camp after he concluded Thursday's practice with a 46-yard touchdown from Spencer Rattler to finish out the two-minute drill.

          "Spencer got out of it -- we'll watch the film to see if there's a sack. There's always a debate of sack/no sack, it's never ending. So we let it play out and Barion did a great job adjusting to that ball, tracking it, those are deep balls and the ball usually tails one way or another because the QB is running, so awesome job making a play," coach Kellen Moore said.

          While Brown has mostly been with the second team to start camp, he's starting to get more opportunities, including some snaps with the first team in the two-minute drill, where he caught a pass from Tyler Shough for about a 15-yard gain.

          More observations:

          • Chris Rumph (ankle), Devin Neal (hamstring) did not finish practice. Christen Miller (toe), Jeremiah Wright (shoulder) and Kendre Miller (back) are day-to-day and did not participate Thursday.

          • Alvin Kamara was not at practice, which Moore said was due to a rest day.

          • It was a rough day for kicker Charlie Smyth, who went 3-for-6 and missed three straight field goals in the indoor facility. Smyth missed from 39, 45 and 51 yards, so the team backed things up to 39 yards again. When he made that, they attempted another 51-yarder, which was good. He is now 17-of-22 for camp.

          • The first-team two-minute drill was won by the defense after a sack (pressure from Cameron Jordan) and an interception of Shough by Quincy Riley (pressure from Carl Granderson) as time expired. The offense was moving the ball well prior to that, with Shough completing two passes to Juwan Johnson and then passes to Travis Etienne Jr., Chris Olave and Brown before spiking the ball to stop the clock.

          • Shough was also picked off by Kool-Aid McKinstry in the previous set of team drills in the end zone. Moore said it looked like the pass came up short in a throwaway situation. Etienne had the ball four plays in a row prior to the interception.

          Wednesday, Aug. 5

          Wide receiver Barion Brown, a sixth-round pick in April's draft, has seemed to find his stride since the pads came on. Brown has taken advantage of the one-on-one drills vs. defensive backs and made several nice catches during that period Wednesday. He also had a 36-yard catch-and-run from Spencer Rattler over safety Jordan Howden in the two-minute drill to end practice. That play helped the Saints get into field goal range.

          Brown was the third receiver the Saints drafted this year and he came in with the potential to make the team as a kick returner. Saints coach Kellen Moore said they saw more than that when they drafted Brown, who played at Kentucky and LSU.

          "We watched a lot of evidence of him playing receiver and playing impactful plays in the SEC for a number of years, not just the LSU year, but the Kentucky years. And when you watch all that exposure and get to know Barion, you're really fired up to have this guy," Moore said.

          More observations:

          • Cesar Ruiz was back at practice following the birth of his son, which he described as the best experience of his life.

          • Running back Kendre Miller is dealing with a back issue that has kept him limited in the past two practices. Christen Miller has a toe issue and Jeremiah Wright left early with a shoulder ailment.

          • The Saints worked the two-minute drill to end practice. The scenario was that the offense was down 3 with less than two minutes and one timeout. Both the first- and second-team offenses kicked a field goal to tie.

          • Tanner Brown made 5 of 6 field goals, with a miss from 39 yards. He also kicked the two-minute field goals. Charlie Smyth is now 15-for-16 in camp and Brown is 17-for-19.

          • Linebacker Kaden Elliss, who is sometimes used as a pass rusher, worked in one-on-one drills against the OL. That drill is usually OL vs. DL but Moore said Elliss wanted to do the drill to get more reps.

          Monday, Aug. 3

          The Saints' offense bounced back in the team's first day in pads. It was a run-focused day featuring some usage of 12 and 13 personnel (sets with two and three tight ends).

          Saints quarterback Tyler Shough and the offensive unit had a solid end to practice when he completed a pass to Alvin Kamara, hit Travis Etienne Jr. near the sideline and connected again with Etienne, who found running room thanks to a hole opened up by Erik McCoy.

          Shough also had completions to Jordyn Tyson and Juwan Johnson (the last one coming with pressure from several defensive linemen). Rookie wideout Barion Brown had what might have been the play of the day, catching a deep pass down the sideline from Spencer Rattler while going against cornerback Martin Emerson Jr.

          More observations from the day:

          • Charlie Smyth made five of six field goal attempts, missing his first kick of camp (wide right from 55 yards). Smyth kicked a 44-yarder again after his miss and made it.

          • Quincy Riley and Isaac Yiadom substituted in with the first team at outside cornerback. Linebacker Danny Stutsman also got first-team reps.

          • The Saints practiced one-on-one individual drills for the first time. Tyson did not participate in those to limit his overall reps for the day, but Bub Means had a few solid reps.

          • Cesar Ruiz had another excused absence after the recent birth of his child.

          • Coach Kellen Moore did not say whether the Saints planned to bring in another receiver after the unexpected retirement of Ja'Lynn Polk.

          Sunday, Aug. 2

          The Saints' defense had a solid showing in a day that involved a lot of 11-on-11 red zone work. It specifically shined in the final period of the day. Linebacker Pete Werner punched the ball out of running back Travis Etienne Jr.'s hands after he caught a pass from Tyler Shough; safety Jonas Sanker blitzed and had a pressure to force an incompletion; and Chase Young had a pressure on an end zone interception from Shough that was caught by Julian Blackmon.

          On the first play of team drills, Shough made a nice downfield throw from the Saints' 35-yard line to Chris Olave in the end zone, but it was hard to tell if Olave, working against Quincy Riley, came down with the ball in bounds.

          More observations from the day:

          • The Saints practiced in their indoor facility because of a rainstorm, so practice was closed to fans.

          • Saints coach Kellen Moore said defensive tackle Bryan Bresee will have surgery for a torn ACL.

          • Tanner Brown rotated in as kicker and went 5-for-5 in field goals. So far he has missed one field goal in camp and Charlie Smyth has missed none.

          • Shough was knocked to the ground at one point in 11-on-11 drills, marking the second time this has happened in the first week of practice despite his red noncontact jersey.

          • Cesar Ruiz and Ja'Lynn Polk were excused absences again. Ruiz recently posted on social media that he and his wife welcomed their first child.

          • Edge rusher Michael Heldman, who signed with the Saints as a UDFA, had a nice series with the third team where he had two pressures on Zach Wilson in four plays, including one where the ball fell incomplete.

          • Rookie wideout Bryce Lance had back-to-back touchdowns while working with Spencer Rattler and the second team in 7-on-7s.

          Friday, July 31

          Chris Olave was a full participant in practice for the first time this offseason after agreeing to a contract extension on Thursday. For the first two days of camp, Olave did only individual position drills as they worked out the final details of the contract.

          "It was kind of a deal where we kind of had to meet halfway [because of] the injuries and everything that happened," Olave said of the extension. "The uncertainty in the future, especially with the blood clot and concussions. We kind of met halfway. They did a great job of communicating that. And I feel like, my agent and them came to a good deal for both of us."

          On Friday he participated in 11-on-11 drills, at one time lining up outside rookie wide receiver Jordyn Tyson. Olave and Tyson have been establishing their chemistry throughout the offseason, including a cohesive charity event set for Saturday. They showed off their bond in front of fans for the first time Friday.

          More observations from the day:

          • Guard Cesar Ruiz and wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk were excused from practice for personal reasons. Dillon Radunz subbed in for Ruiz with the first unit

          • Nose tackle Davon Godchaux was given a rest day, while cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry had a light practice after tweaking his ankle the day before. Isaac Yiadom got snaps in McKinstry's place.

          • Charlie Smyth went 5-for-5 on field goals again on Friday. Smyth is kicking with a cast on his thumb after a summer injury, but joked to the media that he is the only player who doesn't actually need to use their hands.

          • Coach Kellen Moore said the team doesn't have a planned scrimmage like last year, so they can prep for their three joint practices instead.

          • Center Erik McCoy said his confidence has never wavered after two years of injuries and has tweaked his workout regimen to try to strengthen past problem areas.

          • Former Saints first-round pick Andrus Peat (No. 13 overall in 2015) announced his retirement after 11 seasons.

          Thursday, July 30

          Defensive tackle Bryan Bresee was the only notable absence from Day 2 of training camp after injuring his right knee Wednesday. Saints coach Kellen Moore said Bresee is getting a second opinion on a likely torn right ACL, but said initial results are "not great."

          Moore said that "it's tough" to lose Bresee and that younger players will have to be ready to step up. Veteran Nathan Shepherd and Vernon Broughton, a 2025 third-round pick who did not play most of last season because of injury, took snaps with the first string. The Saints will have to find a new combination of players to generate success from the interior of the defensive line without their 2023 first-round pick.

          "The goals don't change," Moore said. "We've still got plenty of guys in there that will be able to take advantage of an opportunity."

          play
          0:55
          Why Schefter has high hopes for the Saints this season

          More observations from the day:

          • The defense had a key sequence toward the end of practice in red zone work. Chase Young ran into Tyler Shough, knocking him to the ground, and Quincy Riley intercepted Shough on the next play when Shough was looking for rookie Jordyn Tyson. Shough shook that off and responded with a touchdown throw.

          • Tyson got plenty of reps in his second day of camp, including a touchdown in red zone work.

          • Wide receiver Chris Olave, who was taking part in the second day of his hold-in before it was announced that he got his new deal, was again limited to individual drills, watching 11-on-11 drills from the sideline.

          • The Saints had fans in attendance for their second practice, a trend that will continue for most of their practices in Metairie.

          • Kicker Tanner Brown went 4-for-5 and missed a PAT.

          • CB Kool-Aid McKinstry's day ended early after he rolled his ankle late in practice. Moore said taking him out was a precautionary measure.

          Wednesday, July 29

          Wide receiver Chris Olave didn't participate in 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 drills, but his absence wasn't medically related, according to Saints coach Kellen Moore. Olave is electing to "hold in," as they work through a contract extension and did individual position drills but watched the team drills from the sideline.

          "I think it's just respecting the business side of this thing, I think they're just working through that," Moore said. "Everyone has been great about this whole process. No issues there."

          Olave has been around the team all offseason and has been a participant in most of the team's offseason practices on a limited basis. The Saints held him out of team drills while he was on blood thinners due to a blood clot that developed at the end of last season.

          While Olave didn't fully participate, first-round pick Jordyn Tyson had a noticeable step up in participation. While he was limited earlier in the offseason due to previous hamstring issues, he did both 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills in the team's first practice on Wednesday.

          Other observations:

          • Charlie Smyth went 5-for-5 in kicks today. He'll be rotating reps and competing with former UFL kicker Tanner Brown

          • Travis Etienne Jr. and Alvin Kamara both got first team reps, while Kendre Miller got reps with the second team. Miller tore his ACL last October but is starting camp healthy.

          • The Saints gave Taysom Hill's number to quarterback Hunter Dekkers. Hill is now a free agent after spending nine seasons with the Saints.

          • While the Saints started camp injury free, that quickly changed, as defensive lineman Bryan Bresee is feared to have torn his ACL during practice.

          Tuesday, July 28

          Saints wide receiver Chris Olave won't have any limitations after spending the offseason on blood thinners due to a blood clot he had at the end of the 2025 season. And because of his health issues, New Orleans approached his usage cautiously throughout OTAs and minicamp.

          Olave trained with quarterback Tyler Shough and several other Saints players in California earlier in July. He still doesn't have a contract extension in place as camp opens, but Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said Tuesday that he has appreciated the way Olave has conducted himself throughout the process and during his time in New Orleans, calling him a "joy to have on our team."

          Rookie wideout Jordyn Tyson was also limited during OTAs and minicamp because of hamstring injuries from college, so his usage during the acclamation period of training camp this week will be something to watch -- along with Olave's.