The New Orleans Saints got their toughest August exam on Thursday, and it came with unfamiliar faces lined up across from them.
After a lighter session Wednesday, the pace picked up at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center as Jacksonville joined New Orleans for a joint practice ahead of Saturday’s preseason opener. For Kellen Moore’s staff, this was the big one: a live, unscripted look at how the Saints hold up when the playbook gets stress-tested against another team.
The roster news kept moving, too. The Saints placed offensive lineman Dillon Radunz on Injured Reserve after his knee injury and added former Kentucky defensive tackle Kahlil Saunders to help deepen the interior rotation behind Bryan Bresee and Khalen Saunders.
That addition matters because Thursday’s work was always going to expose the trenches. With Radunz out and the interior offensive line depth shifting around rookie guard Jeremiah Wright and second-year backup William Sherman, the Saints needed bodies and needed answers.
Saunders, listed at 6-foot-4 and 287 pounds, arrives after 12 starts and 3.5 tackles for loss for Kentucky in 2025 and a brief stint in Miami. Defensive line coach Todd Grantham now has another physical interior option to mix in.
But the real spotlight was on the secondary.
Brandon Staley’s young corners, Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley, drew the kind of assignments that tell you plenty about where a defense stands. Jacksonville brought speed and firepower in Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter, and that’s exactly the sort of matchup that can either harden a cornerback room or expose it.
McKinstry and Riley have already flashed in camp with physical press coverage and interceptions, but Thursday was a different level of examination. Staley’s 3-4 defense leans on boundary corners to survive isolated one-on-ones without much help over the top, and the red zone is where the details get loud. How those two handled Travis Hunter in tight spaces was always going to be a key tell.
If they held up, it would open the door for Staley to get more aggressive with pressure, including blitz packages featuring Demario Davis and newly signed local product Deion Jones.
The practice also offered a useful look at how the Saints want to use their skill players. Sixth-round pick Barion Brown continued to get high-leverage motion work, while Bryce Lance stayed in the red-zone mix as a perimeter threat. In an offense leaning into multi-tight end looks, Juwan Johnson and rookie Oscar Delp should also remain important outlets when the blitz comes.
Friday brings one more light walkthrough before the Saints host the Jaguars at the Caesars Superdome on Saturday, August 15, at 3:00 p.m. CT. That game will give Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler their first snaps under the Superdome lights, and the staff will be watching two things closely: how clean the quarterbacks are operationally, and how well the team handles live tackling.
In Other News...
Jayden Price Is Making Noise In A Saints Battle That Isnt Settled
The Saints cornerback competition has been one of the more watchable parts of camp, and Jayden Price has kept himself in the conversation with a steady training-camp showing. His value is tied to versatility, and that kind of flexibility matters for a secondary still sorting out its backups. For now, he looks like a player the staff can trust in the slot if needed, which is exactly the sort of foothold that can turn a camp performer into a real roster candidate.
Still, nothing about his spot is locked in. Price is in a crowded fight for a place on the depth chart, and the Saints will keep sorting through preseason reps before making any final decisions. The next few weeks will matter for a player who has already made some noise, but still has to prove that the early momentum is enough to stick. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Preseason Opener Could Shake Up More Than A Few Roster Spots
With the starters staying on the sideline for the preseason opener against Jacksonville, the Saints are turning the night into an extended audition for the depth chart. Training camp has already put a few rookies and fringe veterans on the radar, and that group now gets a game setting to back up the momentum they have built in practices. Among the players worth watching are running backs Audric Estime and C.J. Donaldson, wide receivers Bryce Lance, Barion Brown and Kevin Austin, plus linemen Jeremiah Wright and Christen Miller.
The stakes are straightforward even if the roster math is not. New Orleans still has to sort out who can help now and who is merely camp noise, and injuries have kept some contenders from showing everything they can do. For players on the bubble, the opener is one of the first real chances to make a case, and the Saints will be looking closely at which performances translate beyond the practice field. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Offense Has One Concern Bigger Than Tyler Shoughs Progress
Tyler Shough had some encouraging moments in joint practice against the Jacksonville Jaguars, including multiple touchdown passes that gave the Saints a glimpse of what the passing game might look like when it clicks. For a unit trying to take a step forward, that kind of work matters, especially with a young quarterback trying to settle in and build confidence against another defense.
The bigger concern, though, was what kept happening around him. The offensive line allowed plenty of pressure on Shough, a familiar problem for a quarterback who was sacked 31 times last season, and it remains a central issue as New Orleans tries to sharpen its passing attack. The Saints did bring in David Edwards to help the protection, but practice showed there is still work to do before the offense can feel truly comfortable. [Read more 🡒]