Saints camp Day 4 observations: Jameis Winston has star-crossed day in front of fans

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Fans enjoyed their first chance to see the 2022 New Orleans Saints on Day 4 of training camp Saturday, and the players rewarded their attendance with the best workout of the week.

The energy and enthusiasm was evident throughout the two-hour practice, despite wilting heat and humidity.

Afterward, coach Dennis Allen said he was “much happier” with the execution and effort from his players Saturday than he was from practice the previous day.

“Our guys are really pushing through (the weather conditions) and competing,” Allen said. “I thought that this was a good, spirited practice.”

Here’s the pertinent information, the highlights and, in some cases, the lowlights.

Attendance
Taysom Hill, Tyrann Mathieu and Bryce Thompson did not practice and were not present.

Tanoh Kpassgnon, Sage Doxtater and C.J. Gardner-Johnson returned to action.

Marcus Davenport, Pete Werner and Juwan Johnson once again were held out of workouts and worked on the side with trainers.

Mixed results for QB1
It was a classic Jameis Winston day. Some spectacular throws and some head scratchers.

The veteran quarterback showed off his powerful right arm with a beautiful 62-yard bomb to Chris Olave during team drills. The rookie speedster got behind the secondary thanks to a coverage bust, but Winston’s impressive arm strength was on full display on the play. His pass traveled about 60 yards in the air and hit Olave perfectly in stride.

Earlier, Winston was intercepted by Gardner-Johnson and Bradley Roby on back-to-back plays during 7-on-7 drills. Gardner-Johnson quickly diagnosed Deonte Harty’s out route and jumped the route to make the pick in the right flat and take it to the house, drawing a huge roar from the fans.

Afterward, Allen praised Winston for the way he responded after the interceptions by throwing a pair of sharp completions.

Three stars
K Wil Lutz: The veteran Pro Bowler was in midseason forms. He drilled all seven of his field goal attempts, the longest from 46 yards. The Saints have limited Lutz’s work so far, but his right leg could not have looked better Saturday.

LB Zack Baun: The third-year linebacker flashed a couple of times during team drills. He had a tackle for loss on Abram Smith and then tipped a pass from Andy Dalton that somehow managed to fall into Kevin White’s arms for a completion. Bad luck aside, it was a remarkably athletic play.

WR Chris Olave: In addition to the aforementioned bomb, the Ohio State product hauled in a couple of nice throws from Winston and Dalton during 7-on-7 drills. The initial thought on Olave was that he would primarily line up outside, but the Saints have employed him all over the place so far, including the slot.

Lineup notes
The Saints are being cautious with Michael Thomas. The veteran receiver was given a scheduled day off Saturday, Allen said. Thomas conducted a few individual drills early and went through pre-practice calisthenics, then took the rest of the afternoon off.

Veteran James Hurst continues to hold down the fort at left tackle. We’ll get a better evaluation of the offensive line when the pads go on Monday and full-contact drills take place. Trevor Penning hasn't played poorly. He's just behind, which is to be expected for a rookie.

Up next
The Saints have the day off Sunday. They’ll return to action on Monday for their first practice in full pads.