Training camp might still be two months away, but the competition on the New Orleans practice fields is already beginning.
New Orleans opens the formal practice sessions of its offseason program with a rookie minicamp that spreads five practices over three days and serves as an introduction for the 24 rookies the Saints added during and after the NFL draft at the end of April.
For everybody other than the Saints’ five draft picks and a few hand-picked undrafted free agents, this minicamp carries big stakes. In addition to the rookies already under contract, New Orleans will be hosting a sizable contingent of unsigned rookies and a handful of veterans who are bent on earning their own shot at making an NFL roster.