IRVINE, Calif. — The New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen was pleased with practice on Day 10 of the team's 2024 NFL training camp at UC-Irvine in Orange County, Calif., on Sunday.
"Another good practice, took the shoulder pads off, shells on today," Allen told media afterward. "We'll be back in full pads again tomorrow, but I thought we got a lot accomplished. We worked 2-minutes today at the end of the first half. I thought a lot of really good situations came up there. There will be a lot of good stuff to teach off, and look, we just keep coming out here grinding away and keep trying to get a little bit better every day. I think we're doing that."
Allen was particularly pleased with the offense's execution of the 2-minute drill, where quarterbacks Derek Carr and Jake Haener drove down the field for scores.
"We were able to get a couple of touchdowns offensively at the end of the first half, and again there's a lot that goes into that, it's not just about going and scoring touchdowns, it's about managing the game, too."
However, Allen admitted there were some mistakes made that could have negated those chances to score, and those are teachable moments from which the offense can learn.
On the injury front, the Saints continue to add names to a growing list. Allen said linebacker Pete Werner was not at practice due to a shoulder. Defensive end Payton Turner is dealing with an injury on the same toe that Allen believes is the one that cost him most of 2023 with a torn ligament.
When asked about Turner's injury, Allen did not seem overly concerned.
"Again, I'm not going to get into severities or anything, I'm not concerned about it right now," he said. "And so we'll see how he responds to treatment, hopefully, it'll be sooner rather than later."
Defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd is also out with a toe. Defensive back Paulson Adebo missed due to groin tightness.
While offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri (calf), cornerback Marshon Lattimore (hamstring), running back Kendre Miller (hamstring) and linebacker Demario Davis (hamstring) are all out recovering from injuries,
Allen did say cases like Davis were more precautionary.
More from training camp:
Dennis Allen, Head Coach
Coach Allen says Saints will be a 'tough, smart, competitive' team
Bryan Bresee, Defensive Tackle
Saints second-year DT back healthy, ready to compete for championships
Jordan Howden, Defensive Back
2023 5th round pick talks where he fits in a talented Saints secondary room
Jordan Mims, Running Back
Saints RB looks to use versatility to move from up practice squad this season
D'Marco Jackson, Linebacker
Saints special team standout ready to make his mark at linebacker when called
Hear more from 'Locked on Saints Podcast' host Ross Jackson below:
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.