The New Orleans Saints are set to report to training camp on July 29th, and there’s no shortage of storylines waiting to be sorted out once the pads come on. After the breakout of Tyler Shough, the Saints have a real shot at the NFC South in 2026, and camp should start revealing how this roster is being shaped for that push.
One of the biggest questions centers on Alvin Kamara and where he fits now that his contract has been reworked. Just a couple of weeks before camp, the Saints settled the noise around whether the 30-year-old running back would still be in New Orleans in 2026.
He is. But the bigger issue now is how he’ll be used.
The contract adjustment came after the Saints signed Travis Etienne to a four-year $47.4 million deal, a move that made it clear Etienne is the team’s RB1 moving forward. Kamara’s pay dropped from $11.5 million to $6 million, with incentives that can push it to $8.5 million.
That doesn’t make him less important, though. It does suggest a different kind of workload.
He’s not expected to handle 20-plus touches every week anymore, and that could actually work in his favor. Fewer collisions, more tailored play calls, and a better chance for the staff to use his skill set the way it wants.
It also reduces the wear and tear that has been an issue in recent seasons. Camp won’t show the whole plan, but it should offer the first look at what Kellen Moore has in mind for the Kamara-Etienne pairing.
The secondary is another spot worth watching closely, especially at cornerback. The Saints were quiet in the 2026 NFL Draft when it came to adding help there, waiting until the seventh round to take Iowa defensive back T.J.
Hall before later adding Martin Emerson Jr. New Orleans already had Quincy Riley handling CB2 duties as a rookie last season, and he flashed enough to make the role look promising.
But the mistakes were there too, and some of them are the kind that come with being a first-year player while others point to a need for real growth.
Emerson brings a different résumé. Before his injury with the Cleveland Browns, he was a high-level CB2, and when asked about whether he would line up in the slot or on the boundary, he said the conversations with the team when he signed pointed to him being an outside corner.
That leaves the Saints with a few possible paths. Riley could move to nickel.
Emerson could slide into the starting mix on the outside. Or another player could end up handling the slot work while the two corners battle it out elsewhere.
Camp should start to clear that up, and it will say a lot about who the team trusts in that spot.
Then there’s Jordyn Tyson, the rookie wideout the Saints took eighth overall after swinging big on an enticing but risky talent. Tyson has the kind of upside that made him one of the most intriguing receivers in the 2026 NFL Draft, and he gives Shough another weapon alongside Chris Olave.
But the injury concerns came with him. Even though he played in over 10+ games in just one college season, his career has been shaped by injuries, and he has already missed time during OTAs and rookie minicamp.
Coach Moore has already tried to cool that conversation, saying the absences were only precautionary while Tyson recovered from strains in both hamstrings that he suffered during his senior year. Still, the real test is coming now. How Tyson looks and how often he’s available in training camp will tell the Saints plenty about where he stands and whether he’s on track to be ready when the season gets rolling.
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Keenan Allens next stop may not be obvious, but the Saints have emerged as a logical fit for a veteran receiver who still knows how to separate and move an offense. New Orleans already has Chris Olave as its top target, but the rest of the wideout room leans young and unproven, which makes a player with Allens rsum easy to picture as both insurance and a stabilizer.
The appeal goes beyond name value. Allen has already worked with Kellen Moore, and that familiarity matters for a team trying to add reliability without forcing a long ramp-up. For a Saints offense looking to round out its receiver group, the question is whether that connection is enough to make the idea real, or just another sensible link in a crowded free-agent market. [Read more 🡒]
Tyler Shough Just Earned The Kind Of Saints Praise Fans Notice
Offseason workouts can be easy to overread, but when a figure with Todd Durkins Saints ties takes notice, it tends to carry some weight. Durkin, who has long trained Drew Brees, has been around enough winning NFL quarterbacks to know what the position looks like when a player is putting in the right kind of work, and his praise for Tyler Shough during New Orleans summer sessions adds another layer to the buzz already building around the rookie.
What stood out in those workouts was not just Shoughs effort, but the way he handled himself with the group around him, a detail the Saints will appreciate as training camp approaches. Brees presence and influence around the sessions only sharpened the spotlight on Shoughs development, and with New Orleans trying to carry late-season momentum into a new year, the quarterbacks next steps are going to matter a lot more than any offseason compliment. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Fans Are Starting To Feel Better About Their QB Future
Tyler Shoughs first NFL season gave Saints fans a reason to breathe a little easier about the quarterback future. Drafted in the second round, he made an immediate imprint with his accuracy and early production, enough to finish runner-up for Offensive Rookie of the Year after starting nine games and to stand out as one of the most efficient first-year passers in recent memory.
Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus did not place Shough among the 10 players facing the most pressure in Year 2, which says plenty about how his trajectory is viewed compared with some of his draft peers. Even so, the next step is still the same one for any young quarterback in New Orleans: keep stacking consistent starts, because the early promise only matters if it turns into something the Saints can trust long term. [Read more 🡒]