Joint practices are some of the most exciting aspects of the offseason. We get to see and hear extensively about starters of opposing teams facing off, and the New Orleans Saints put a premium on it this offseason. They play the Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys in the preseason and are holding a joint practice with each of these teams. NFL insider Ian Rapoport shared the dates for these joint practices Monday morning.
It will be interesting to monitor how much the starters play after joint practices. Typically, joint practices can be used as a reason to keep your starters out of the actual preseason game due to the amount of reps each team gets. That may not be the case with the Saints' opting to host one day of joint practice each time, instead of multiple days with one team.
And these are the joint practices, by date and by home team: https://t.co/5C8qhLsTZ4 pic.twitter.com/DHVus9WMma
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 22, 2026
Starters and reserves win in joint practices
There's no bigger winner in joint practices than the starters for both teams. Most times you see a max of around 12 plays for starters in a given preseason game on average. That's 12 reps. Those 12 reps pale in comparison.
Not only are players getting more reps, they're also getting a larger variety of reps. The easiest example of a key difference is red zone snaps. There's no guarantee the opposing offense will get into scoring position in the short amount of snaps. Practice gives you the chance to manufacture these types of in-game scenarios. The same logic can be applied to third down distances, sudden change moments or two minute offense.
Of all the players, Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley could be some of the biggest benefactors. The Rams and Cowboys currently have two of the top receiver tandems in the NFL. McKinstry and Riley will get the opportunity to face Davante Adams, Puka Nacua, George Pickens and Ceedee Lamb.
It's not the same as shadowing these players all game, but there will be some valuable reps in there. Iron sharpens iron in these joint practices, and there won't be a better example for the Saints in these three practices.
McKinstry is already shaping up to be an offseason darling. Having standout moments in these joint practices will catapult it to another level. Dallas and Los Angeles is the main attraction in that department, but Jacksonville's Brian Thomas Jr. is far from an easy opening act in the Saints' first joint practice.
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