Saints 2022 Training Camp: Top 3 takeaways from Day 12

Day 12 of New Orleans Saints training camp is in the rearview mirror. What did we learn about the black and gold during Tuesday’s practice? 

With the New Orleans Saints preseason opener taking place on Saturday evening, these training camp practices are starting to ramp up as guys are hoping to stake out their spot on the depth chart.

Tuesday’s practice was led by Andy Dalton quarterbacking the offense due to Jameis Winston leaving Monday’s practice early after sustaining a foot injury. With that in mind, let’s get to the takeaways and we’ll start with Winston.

No Winston at practice

As mentioned earlier, Winston left Monday’s session early. At first, no one knew what was going on and some had said that Winston tweaked his foot. Dennis Allen then spoke to the media and said that Winston had rolled his ankle. There had also been rumblings that it was a foot issue.

Fortunately, both Nick Underhill and Adam Schefter tweeted that the injury didn’t seem to be anything serious. Even with that being the case, Winston was not at practice on Tuesday, paving the way for Andy Dalton to lead the offense, something he’s more than capable of handling.

After speaking to the media following Tuesday’s practice, Allen said that Winston sprained his right foot and the quarterback is day to day. He also noted that he didn’t feel like it was significant.

Injuries in the secondary

The Saints look to have one of the strongest secondaries in the league and a big reason why they’re set up well in that department is the depth they have. Even a former undrafted cornerback in Bryce Thompson could play a factor in the Saints’ secondary but unfortunately, Thompson was carted off with an injury during Tuesday’s practice.

Second-round rookie Alontae Taylor (who also played college football at Tennessee, oddly enough) also suffered an injury on Day 12. Taylor left practice early but Nick Underhill noted that he was able to walk off the field on his own.

Merritt showing off

Entering training camp, I wouldn’t have pegged Kirk Merritt as the under-the-radar wide receiver to step up and make a strong case for why he should be on the final roster… yet here we are. Merritt has put together a really strong campaign in training camp through the first two weeks. Head coach Dennis Allen has definitely noticed what Merritt has been doing.

Merritt still has to show that he can make it count in the preseason games but it’d be hard for the team to cut him after seeing what he’s done through camp so far. Maybe he ends up as the WR5/6 but no one else buried on the depth chart is really making the same impact that he is.

Want your voice heard? Join the Who Dat Dish team!

Write for us!

Day 12 of New Orleans Saints training camp is in the books! What will learn about the team in the next practice?