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2025 New Orleans Saints training camp: Latest intel, updates

Will Spencer Rattler win out as the Saints starting quarterback for Week 1? AP Photo/Matthew Hinton

Training camps have kicked off around the NFL, 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 file the latest updates. Who will emerge with the starting quarterback job? Who are the breakouts to watch, especially for fantasy football? And which players on the roster bubble could make the final 53?

Let's get into it all, and be sure to keep checking back for more information until the first full week of the preseason begins on Aug. 7.

Camp updates for all 32 teams

Latest news from Saints camp


Tuesday, July 29

The Saints had a light day on Tuesday, moving to the indoors for the first time for a short walk-through. Quarterback Spencer Rattler took his turn with the first-team offense, although coach Kellen Moore said that will not factor into the overall quarterback rotation since it was such a light day.

The Saints worked on two-minute and hurry up situations, including a hurry-up field goal scenario, and had a lot of special teams focus in the short practice. Moore said the idea of a light practice was for the players to recover after a tough practice the day before. The next two practices will be in pads.

More:

  • J.T. Gray returned to practice after leaving early on Monday. Moore said Gray is week to week with a hamstring injury.

  • Saints RT Taliese Fuaga said the team was going bowling for a team activity on Tuesday.

  • DT Davon Godchaux, who is going into his ninth season, said, "This is the best training camp I've been a part of," and appreciated how Moore and the staff focused on recovery and trying to save the players' bodies. "I hope they continue to take care of us and we'll continue to give them good days once we're out on the field."


Monday, July 28

The Saints put full pads on for the first time on Day 5 of training camp and rotated Tyler Shough back to the first team in the quarterback competition. Shough got significant reps in 11-on-11 drills but had an uneven day, with several would-be sacks. His best play of the day came on a completion to Brandin Cooks.

"I think there's patience," Cooks said. "I think there's trust obviously from offensive line being able to gear down, give him a clean pocket and you got an opposite receiver that's taking the top off, a bunch of unselfish play, and at the end of the day he made a great throw."

Spencer Rattler, working with the second unit, had one of the best plays of the day when he found Rashid Shaheed deep downfield going up against rookie Quincy Riley down the sideline.

  • Foster Moreau (knee) was working off to the side during practice. Taysom Hill also did work off to the side.

  • Demario Davis returned to practice after an excused absence on Sunday.

  • Blake Grupe made all five of his field goals, including one of at least 50 yards. He has missed only one field goal during camp, which occurred during a rain shower.

  • Coach Kellen Moore said he incorporated TV timeouts into practice, partially to have water breaks in the heat but also as a way to getting ready for what a game will be like. "There are TV timeouts in games ... You have to train your body to sit there for two or three, four minutes, kind of bring it back down and you got to bring yourself back up for the next period. So it's creating a game-like environment as well."

  • Safety Julian Blackmon said that he told defensive coordinator Brandon Staley that his first interception of camp Sunday was for him after Staley yelled "I've waited five years for this," referencing Staley's attempts to draft Blackmon in 2020 when he was the Rams' DC.


Sunday, July 27

Spencer Rattler took his turn with the first team offense again on Sunday following a day off for the team on Saturday. All three quarterbacks -- Rattler, Tyler Shough and Jake Haener -- had their ups and downs on a day where several defenders got a chance to shine. Rattler was intercepted by rookie linebacker Danny Stutsman at the goal line while targeting Cedrick Wilson Jr. in 7-on-7 drills. In 11-on-11 red zone drills later in the practice, he completed a pass to tight end Juwan Johnson for a touchdown, and ran in for a touchdown himself two plays later.

Shough had two big gains in 11-on-11 drills when opting to carry the ball himself, and Haener stepped up into a throw that went to Bub Means for a touchdown during red zone work. In the Saints' final 7-on-7 session, which was completed indoors due to the heat, he was picked off by newly signed safety Julian Blackmon.

  • Taysom Hill was seen working off to the side for the first time since injuring his knee last December, while Foster Moreau (knee) watched practice. Demario Davis was excused from practice and was not present.

  • Charlie Smyth went 3 of 5 in his kicking session and is 5 of 10 total for training camp. He has been rotating days with veteran Blake Grupe.

  • The Saints were in shells on Sunday and will be in full pads for the first time on Monday


Friday, July 25

The quarterback rotation continued for a third day, with Jake Haener taking the first-team snaps. Spencer Rattler had previously gotten snaps with the first team in Practice 1 and rookie Tyler Shough got first-team snaps on the second. Haener admitted he didn't come in as the favorite to win the job in the three-man race when speaking to reporters Thursday, but he won't let that stop him. "When you're the underdog ... and your back is kind of up against the wall, that's when I play my best," Haener said.

Rattler made a good case for the play of the day while working with the second-team. He threw a deep pass to wide receiver Mason Tipton, who ran for about 40 yards into the end zone while being trailed by rookie Quincy Riley. Rattler, who threw an interception yesterday, completed all of his passes in both 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills.

Shough, working with the third-team, did not get as many reps as the first two days, which is not unusual for the rotation. His best pass came on a completion to tight end Juwan Johnson on a crossing route during 7-on-7 drills.

More:

  • Rest days for several vets: The Saints are heavily leaning into director of sports science Ted Rath's system. Cameron Jordan, Alvin Kamara, Erik McCoy, Brandin Cooks and Davon Godchaux all got rest days. Will Clapp subbed in for McCoy as the first-team center.

  • Return of Tipton: He made the team last year with an excellent camp but caught only 14 passes in the regular season. He had a good day, catching passes from all three quarterbacks and making some highlight plays.

  • Kicker takeover: Blake Grupe took over kicking duties, going 4 of 5 while missing one 49-yarder that occurred during a light rainshower.


Thursday, July 24

The defense won the second day of training camp in a red zone-focused practice.

Tyler Shough got first-team reps while Spencer Rattler worked with the second team. There were mistakes to go around, especially toward the end of practice, which saw two false starts with the second-team and then another one with the third team a minute later. Rattler threw the first interception of camp, but followed it up by running in for a touchdown. Shough had to throw away a few passes in the end zone but finished with a touchdown to Rashid Shaheed, and Jake Haener had a highlight throw to Juwan Johnson in the end zone in 7-on-7 drills with the third team.

  • It was a surprisingly poor showing from kicker Charlie Smyth, who missed 3-of-5 attempts. Smyth, a second-year player who joined the team via the International Player Pathway last year, is competing with veteran Blake Grupe.

  • The team saw its first fight of camp when Brandin Cooks ended up in the middle of a scrum that grew in size as more players rushed in to break it up. The skirmish ended quickly with no players thrown out of practice.

  • Recently signed players safety Julian Blackmon and defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard were both at camp and participating.


Wednesday, July 23

Second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler took the snaps with the first team during the team's first practice, but expect him to rotate with rookie Tyler Shough.

"Spencer obviously took ... all the ones today. Tyler will take them tomorrow and we'll continue to rotate all these guys," Saints coach Kellen Moore said Wednesday.

This is the first true quarterback competition for the Saints since Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston competed in 2021. Moore said he does not feel a rush to define a starter right away.

"Obviously the sooner you make a decision, the sooner you can focus in on certain personnel groups and consistencies. But we'll let the process take as long as it needs to," he said.

  • Practice lasted for about an hour as the team ramps up camp. Moore said this is the shortest practice the team will have and he expects a similar shorter practice on Thursday.

  • Taysom Hill and Foster Moreau were the only players not participating, as they will begin camp on the physically unable to perform list. Tyrann Mathieu was also not present after announcing his retirement yesterday.