The Saints drew a crowd to practice on Thursday, and the scene matched the heat: hundreds of fans packed the facility for their first real look at the 2026 team. The bleachers were close to full as New Orleans worked through another short, sharp session that lasted a little over an hour but still packed in three team periods, two of them in the red zone, plus a 7-on-7 segment.
One of the biggest developments early in camp is that Jordyn Tyson is no longer being handled with kid gloves. After an offseason of caution, the Saints have opened things up for him through the first two practices, and Thursday was his busiest day yet.
Tyler Shough looked his way five times. One of those connections turned into a touchdown, with Tyson catching a short out route near the left pylon after going in motion.
Shough also found him on a swing pass built to put the ball in his hands and let him work after the catch.
It wasn’t spotless, though. Tyson and Shough missed on a similar goal-line look during 7-on-7, and Tyson’s biggest miscue came in the final team period when Shough expected him to break outside but Tyson cut inside instead. Quincy Riley jumped the throw for an interception.
That kind of timing issue is exactly what camp is for, especially with Tyson now getting real reps instead of being limited. And when he does get the ball, the burst stands out right away. The way he moves with it is different from every other Saints receiver on the roster.
The defense, though, made sure it had plenty to say about the day. On the second snap of practice, Chase Young beat the count perfectly and was in the backfield before Shough could finish his drop.
Young later powered through Kelvin Banks for another sack. Chris Rumph was credited with two sacks, and Fadil Diggs may have added two more.
By my count, the Saints defense finished with at least five sacks.
New Orleans also tightened things up in the red zone. On the second play of that period, Nathan Shepherd shot through the line and stopped Alvin Kamara for a tackle. Kamara did get his first touchdown of camp later on a draw play, using sharp vision to slip into the end zone.
The secondary nearly added another big play when Jayden Price jumped a Spencer Rattler pass on the goal line but couldn’t hang on as he turned upfield. If he secures that ball, he has a clear path to a pick-six.
There were a few other notable offensive moments mixed in. Audric Estime had two good runs, including one where he turned the left corner for a solid gain.
In 7-on-7, Zach Wilson spent a long time working through his reads before finding Bub Means for a touchdown. On the same segment, Rattler rolled right and, just before going out of bounds, hit Kevin Austin in the back of the end zone for a score.
Kool-Aid McKinstry, one of the early standouts of camp and the offseason, left practice early with an ankle injury. Kellen Moore said it wasn’t serious.
With Bryan Bresee sidelined, second-year pro Vernon Broughton got the first shot at those reps. That rotation could still change, but for now that was the setup.
The Saints are set to go 90 minutes on Friday, the next step in the gradual ramp-up during this acclimation phase of camp.
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