NOLA Saints: 3 quick takeaways from 2nd day of padded practice

The New Orleans Saints had their second practice with pads and while it’s just another day of practice, there were both good and bad nuggets from this recent practice.

Let’s take a look at three quick takeaways from the Saints’ second padded practice.

NOLA Saints training camp takeaways

1. Quarterbacks didn’t distinguish themselves

The biggest takeaway from Wednesday’s practice was that it was another not-so-good showing for the quarterbacks. Jameis Winston started camp impressing everyone while Taysom Hill was more of a rollercoaster but recently, neither guy has shown enough to put fans’ minds at ease.

Winston had probably his worst practice so far, throwing his first interception of camp while targeting Kawaan Baker. Speaking of interceptions, rookie Ian Book threw his second of camp and that’s not great for him moving forward. Sure, it’s just camp but Book needs all of the help he can get if he wants to stick on this roster.

2. Cornerbacks are looking good

Fans didn’t expect the cornerbacks to be a positive talking point at this point of the offseason but here we are. Jeff Nowak noted that Wednesday was a “good day for the cornerbacks in 1-on-1s”, noting that Patrick Robinson had a nice pass breakup.

Paulson Adebo was someone who was discussed frequently throughout the day, grabbing his first interception of camp. Sean Payton spoke highly of Adebo during his press conference, noting that Adebo is “picking things up quickly”.

Adebo looking good is one of the best things Saints fans can hear right now. No one is sure what to expect from the rookie cornerback but if he can step into this defense and play with the intensity he’s shown over the past few days, perhaps cornerback won’t be a weakness this year.

3. Wil Lutz is back!

The Saints know how lucky they are to have a kicker of Wil Lutz’s caliber and fortunately, he was back on the practice field during Wednesday’s practice. John Hendrix noted that Lutz went a perfect 6-for-6 and “made it look effortless”.

Having Lutz back out there looking like the clutch version of himself is a great sign, as he’s someone the Saints know can put points on the board when called upon.

Here were a few other takeaways from Wednesday’s practice:

• There was a brief scuffle on the field, per Katherine Terrell. Payton Turner got into a bit of a shoving match before Terron Armstead put a stop to it.
• Chris Hogan was named the “unofficial leader of tough catches” by Mike Triplett.
• Turner was “very disruptive”
• Sean Payton didn’t think Tre’Quan Smith’s or Deonte Harris’ injuries were long-term.
• Keith Washington was placed on IR.

While Wednesday’s practice was another good one for the defense, fans would feel better if the quarterbacks could get back to having better practices. It hasn’t been good for them the past two days but it’s still early in camp.