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1. Attendance report: 4 players still out, but Ethan Wolf is in
The following players did not participate in Wednesday’s practice session:

LG Andrus Peat (broken thumb, per reports)
TE Josh Hill (managing “a tweak,” per Sean Payton)
CB Tino Ellis
LB Anthony Chickillo
Of that group, only Chickillo was spotted at the team facility, and those on the scene noted that his activity was limited to work on an exercise bike. That might suggest some sort of leg injury, but we can only speculate without word from the team. Ellis was later waived with an injury designation, so he could revert to injured reserve.

However, the Saints did have their newest addition on hand: tight end Ethan Wolf. Alvin Kamara’s college teammate signed with the Saints after going through a group tryout earlier this week, and Payton characterized his arrival as a developmental prospect. Expect him to get some looks in the practice rotation while Hill recovers. He immediately caught a few passes in individual drills.

Two important veterans rested during team drills: right tackle Ryan Ramczyk and linebacker Demario Davis, each named to the All-Pro list last season. Ramczyk had a knee scope earlier this year and has been practicing in a brace, while the Saints have a lot of younger linebackers in need of snaps.

2. Cesar Ruiz still lining up at right guard
Payton said Monday that the Saints would give Ruiz two or three days of work at right guard before rotating him in at center, with Erik McCoy trying out the other alignment. And so far he’s been true to his word. While both players spent the bulk of their college careers playing center, Ruiz did start off on the right side early in his Michigan days. It makes sense to work him in somewhere familiar where he can pick up the offense’s cadence without any added pressure to call protections or snap the ball.

3. Ty Montgomery might be more than a backup running back
While his resume more closely resembles Travaris Cadet’s than Alvin Kamara’s, Montgomery has some tools that Payton likes to work with. Namely his speed and vision — maybe the play of the day was a nice cutback by Montgomery, who successfully followed his blockers to drive the defense to the play side before cutting back to the open field, where he outran everyone.

He’s also looked impressive when catching passes, out of the backfield and split out wide. Payton admitted his fandom of Montgomery’s skills after practice: “I thought he had a good practice today. From a flexibility standpoint, he’s a unique player, and we’ll try to take advantage of those things.”

4. Down day for Jameis Winston
Winston only logged two pass attempts in team drills, and just one pass was completed (to Deonte Harris, on a route underneath the coverage). The other ball was dropped by rookie running back Tony Jones Jr. and snatched up by linebacker Chase Hansen, who sprinted upfield. It’s unclear whether the coaches killed the play due to an incomplete pass, but they’ve been hammering the “takeaway” attitude home to defenders for years, and it’s good to see the lesson is sticking.

We shouldn’t read too much into a quiet outing from Winston, though. He was still active in individual passing exercises and didn’t lack for any pop in his release. Some variance in his volume of opportunities should be expected with Drew Brees and Taysom Hill both active, especially during the limited minutes in these early-camp practice sessions.

5. Is Sheldon Rankins on the way back to his old self?
The Saints missed Rankins badly last year; even when active, he didn’t have the same explosion out of his lower body that made him such an effective pass rusher in 2018 (when he bagged 8 sacks and 15 quarterback hits). A preventative surgery on his Achilles tendons resulted in a shorter timeline to recover this summer, and he’s already making his coaches happy in practice.

“I think he’ll have a really good year for us and I really don’t see a whole lot of negative things coming off that injury,” said defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. “I really see a guy that really looks good moving and looks explosive and powerful and certainly, we feel like he brings a lot to us in terms of the ability to rush the passer.”

Defensive line Ryan Nielsen agreed: “He’s moving without a hitch. I don’t see it at all. He’s done a couple things, and it’s exciting.”

We haven’t seen much of the Saints playing football in pads yet, and they’ve done even less work running at full speed. But it’s awful encouraging to hear so much positive buzz about such an important part of the front four.

6. Tommy Stevens is a work in progress
The Saints’ decision to sign Ethan Wolf shouldn’t say much about their tight ends room beyond the obvious absence of Josh Hill, and a need for more bodies in the rotation during practice. But it’s worth noting what Stevens did well on Wednesday — and, well, where he looked like a quarterback trying out a new position.

First, the good: he beat a linebacker in tight coverage on a contested catch over the middle of the field, and moved really smoothly with the ball in his hands on a pass from Taysom Hill in walkthroughs. Veteran tight end Jared Cook talked up Stevens’ natural receiving ability earlier this week, and this is proof of it.

Now, the less than good: Stevens probably needs to get his weight up if he’s going to throw blocks at the line of scrimmage. He was smothered on a few tries in running plays, and probably needs a lot of work as far as timing his punch and hand placement. But that will come with time and coaching.

7. The starting secondary is still winning their battles
When the Saints first reunited with Malcolm Jenkins, their own former first-round draft pick, the expectation was that he would play a lot of coverage in the slot while also lining up in the box — much like Vonn Bell, a breakout star of the defense who signed with the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency.

But on Tuesday the Saints tried out a two-high alignment that put Jenkins and Marcus Williams deep downfield, where their long strides allowed them to cover a lot of the field and keep plays in front of them. That created opportunities for cornerback Janoris Jenkins and backup safety J.T. Gray, each of whom made emphatic pass deflections when quarterbacks were forced to hold onto the ball too long.

That’s by design, and it’s a good omen of things to come. Jenkins especially has impressed early on, providing a quality No. 2 cornerback to pair with Marshon Lattimore, and Jenkins’ experience on the back end should help erase some mistakes. So should Williams’ offseason training program, which helped him bulk up to help his tackling; he said after practice that he’s now weighing in at 208 pounds after playing his first three years around 195.