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Summer is here, and it's shaping up for a busy couple of months for the New Orleans Saints. Between workouts at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center ahead of training camp and a three-game preseason series, there are plenty of moving parts to keep track of. So grab your calendar and pencil in these dates. Here's what's ahead for the Saints in Year 2 under head coach Kellen Moore.
The Saints will hold their next wave of voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) on June 1, June 3, and June 4; typically these practices are closed to the public, with one session allowing media to observe, and another date dedicated to a team-building activity. They've gone bowling, played paintball, and toured historic sites, among other group outings. After that, it's another series of OTAs on June 8, June 10, and June 11. These will be voluntary workouts, too, so we'll see if more players participate. The only veterans not around for the first OTAs in May (not due to injuries, but because of unspecified personal things) were running back Alvin Kamara, defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd, quarterback Zach Wilson, and punter Ryan Wright.
Finally, two mandatory practices will be held during the minicamp on June 16 and June 17. Any players not participating in these sessions will be fined $15,515 for each absence. This is typically when guys like Kamara, who trains privately away from the team, first report for work. But this is also the last activity before training camp in late July.
The NFL hasn't announced when teams will regroup for training camp, but we know it'll begin in late July (with rookies reporting a week sooner). Last year, training camp began on July 23, while it started on July 24 the year before. Both of those dates were the second-to-last Wednesday in July, which lines up with July 22 this year. Stay tuned to see if that's accurate and when practices will be open to the public.
The Saints will play their first preseason at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars, on Aug. 15. They'll also share the practice field with the Jags for a couple of joint practices before that exhibition game. After that, the team will fly out to California for a week and meet with the Los Angeles Rams for a joint practice before their preseason game at SoFi Stadium on Aug. 22. It's not clear when they'll fit it in, but the Saints also plan to have joint practices with the Dallas Cowboys (who hold training camp in nearby Oxnard, Calif.) ahead of their final preseason game at AT&T Stadium on Aug. 28.
It's a quick turnaround for roster cuts. This year, teams must reduce their 90-man offseason rosters to just 53 names by Aug. 30. Waiver claims will be processed on Aug. 31 and practice squads will fill up after that. Then we're off and running into the regular season in September.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints summer calendar: Offseason practices, preseason games, and more
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June
The Saints will hold their next wave of voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) on June 1, June 3, and June 4; typically these practices are closed to the public, with one session allowing media to observe, and another date dedicated to a team-building activity. They've gone bowling, played paintball, and toured historic sites, among other group outings. After that, it's another series of OTAs on June 8, June 10, and June 11. These will be voluntary workouts, too, so we'll see if more players participate. The only veterans not around for the first OTAs in May (not due to injuries, but because of unspecified personal things) were running back Alvin Kamara, defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd, quarterback Zach Wilson, and punter Ryan Wright.
Finally, two mandatory practices will be held during the minicamp on June 16 and June 17. Any players not participating in these sessions will be fined $15,515 for each absence. This is typically when guys like Kamara, who trains privately away from the team, first report for work. But this is also the last activity before training camp in late July.
July
The NFL hasn't announced when teams will regroup for training camp, but we know it'll begin in late July (with rookies reporting a week sooner). Last year, training camp began on July 23, while it started on July 24 the year before. Both of those dates were the second-to-last Wednesday in July, which lines up with July 22 this year. Stay tuned to see if that's accurate and when practices will be open to the public.
August
The Saints will play their first preseason at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars, on Aug. 15. They'll also share the practice field with the Jags for a couple of joint practices before that exhibition game. After that, the team will fly out to California for a week and meet with the Los Angeles Rams for a joint practice before their preseason game at SoFi Stadium on Aug. 22. It's not clear when they'll fit it in, but the Saints also plan to have joint practices with the Dallas Cowboys (who hold training camp in nearby Oxnard, Calif.) ahead of their final preseason game at AT&T Stadium on Aug. 28.
It's a quick turnaround for roster cuts. This year, teams must reduce their 90-man offseason rosters to just 53 names by Aug. 30. Waiver claims will be processed on Aug. 31 and practice squads will fill up after that. Then we're off and running into the regular season in September.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints summer calendar: Offseason practices, preseason games, and more
Continue reading...
