Andy Dalton leads New Orleans Saints training camp Day 12

Back to shorts, shells, and indoor facilities for Day 12 of New Orleans Saints camp. It was a little bit of a different feel in the building today with quarterback Jameis Winston sidelined with an injury. Andy Dalton jumped in to take those first team snaps while backup Ian Book saw a larger share of reps himself. Despite Winston not being a part of today’s workload, there were tons of things to take away from the practice session. Here are our key takeaways from today.

1
Biggest story: No Jameis Winston, but no concern

As aforementioned, Winston was not at practice today, but things didn’t take a noticeable step in the wrong direction in the slightest. Dalton did well getting in and out of the huddle and leading the first team throughout their drills, as did Book when he was given his chances to call the shots. There did not seem to be any kind of miscommunication or confusion, things moved cohesively and smoothly for players across the roster with Dalton in.

2
Jameis Winston injury update: Day-to-day

While Dalton led the way today, there never seemed to be any kind of concern around Winston’s status. We got a substantial update from head coach Dennis Allen, who said that Winston is day-to-day with a “sprained right foot.” Allen said that the team’s starting quarterback would be out for a few days of practice and will not participate in Saturday’s preseason matchup with the Houston Texans.

“We don’t feel like it’s anything significant.” the head coach mentioned, effectively curving any doubts about Winston’s status for the regular season. Doesn’t seem like there’s much to be concerned about here, and giving the third-year Saints passer a light week in response to a minor injury is a wise precaution.

3
Michael Thomas update: He’s still got it

Another huge day for the All-Pro receiver. From what I saw, quarterbacks were 5-of-5 when targeting him in 7-on-7s and 11-on-11s. Thomas did not participate much in the two-minute drills but before then, he thrived on the field even without Winston at the helm.

That’s not unusual when it comes to Thomas, though. In 2019, he caught 80.8% of the passes thrown to him by Teddy Bridgewater and 81.1% of the passes thrown his way by Taysom Hill in 2020. Catching passes is simply what Thomas does, and he does it well….