The Saints are set to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in their first joint practice of the 2026 training camp on Thursday, marking the beginning of the most competitive part of the preseason.
New Orleans head coach Kellen Moore believes the joint practice will provide valuable learning tools for his players. "It's going to be good for our guys. I think sometimes just getting a different perspective, getting to see things from a different angle with a different defense. They're going to play things a little bit different. Their offense is going to present some different things that our offense doesn't for our defense. These are all great learning tools, and I think it's perfect for what we need right now," Moore explained.
The main advantage of a joint practice is extended reps for the starting unit. According to Moore, most of the starters will have a lot of reps in these joint practices, which means they won't play as much in the preseason opener on Saturday. This approach is not uncommon in the NFL, where teams often limit the playing time of their starters in the first week of the preseason.
Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley echoed Moore's sentiments, stating that the joint practice will give them an opportunity to see where their players command of their assignments and technique. "I think it gives us an opportunity to see where our guys command of their assignments and their technique is. I think it's a really good evaluation tool for guys to go against the different set of players and schemes and just see where our progress is. From there, we're going to see where we need to go for the rest of training camp," Staley added.
While the Saints' starters will likely take a backseat on Saturday, the team's coaches are excited about the opportunity to see their players in action against a different team. As Moore noted, the joint practice will provide a unique environment for the starters to get a lot of good work in.
The Saints will face the Jaguars in their first joint practice on Thursday, and the outcome of this session will have a significant impact on the team's approach for the rest of the preseason. The coaches will be closely evaluating their players' performance, and any adjustments made to the lineup will likely be based on the results of Thursday's practice.
Source: Yahoo Sports