re: Training camp day 7 tweet thread (practice moved indoors, closed to public)

He's so dreamy. Can we just give him like another 10 million

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#Saints LB Craig Robertson on the competition between the linebackers:

"We've got bigger goals than this competition that we've got going on in the room."

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LINK

Notable observations from New Orleans Saints training camp, Day 7 from The Advocate's Nick Underhill:

Dress code: Shorts and shells

Attendance: S Kamrin Moore (hamstring), OL Cameron Tom (chest), DE Marcus Davenport, TE Ben Watson, RB Shane Vereen and WR Brandon Coleman did not practice.

Returned: TE Michael Hoomanawanui

Overview: The practice moved inside due to the outdoor fields being wet from the rain. The session focused heavily on fundamentals during the first half before breaking into team drills.

Defensive shifts: New Orleans got a little deeper into its playbook on Wednesday. The defense worked on different looks with three and four defensive linemen and also used a lot of three-safety looks. Both Vonn Bell and Kurt Coleman can play in the box, which allows for some flexibility in how those players get used. As far as personnel, New Orleans used a bunch of different players at the defensive tackle spots. Sheldon Rankins, David Onyemata, Tyeler Davison and Taylor Stallworth received reps with the first team.

Competition rising: It is always fun to see guys competing during training camp. One of those moments came during Wednesday’s practice when Taysom Hill and J.T. Barrett both connected on deep throws down the left sideline. Hill dropped a pass right into Keith Kirkwood’s arms over Justin Hardee, who provided good coverage. The play was even more impressive because Bell was closing as Hill released the ball. Barrett responded during his next series by connecting with newly-signed wide receiver Brandon Tate on a similar throw with rookie cornerback Natrell Jamerson in coverage.

Defensive highlights: The New Orleans defense isn’t letting the offense get any easy yards. There was another round of defensive highlights during team drills, with perhaps the best one coming on the first pass of the day when Kurt Coleman went up the slot to knock away a Drew Brees pass to Michael Thomas. Just look at the play-by-play to see how well the group performed for a stretch. The first four plays for the defense against Brees: A.J. Klein run stuff on Alvin Kamara, Coleman’s play, a short run by Mark Ingram and an Alex Okafor sack. The next four: Incomplete to Kamara, incomplete to Cam Meredith while under pressure, a dropped pass by Tommylee Lewis and a Vonn Bell sack.

Good for Hill: This felt like one of the better practices Hill has had this camp. The pass to Kirkwood was a big one, but he had several other good plays. He showed his athleticism on by fleeing the pocket and hitting Cam Meredith on an out route while on the run and did a good job otherwise of taking what the defense was giving him. Another highlight came when a play broke down, and he took off for a long gain.

Meredith heating up: And speaking of guys having good practices, it is starting to feel like Meredith is heating up. After making a highlight-worthy catch on a pass from Barrett late during Monday’s rain-soaked practice, the wide receiver carried the momentum into Wednesday’s session. He started off by making an impressive back-shoulder catch over P.J. Williams during one-on-ones, and then caught a pass from Hill during team drills. It is easy to forget Meredith has been out of action for a year due to a knee injury. It is going to take some time before he is fully up to speed, but it looks like he’s starting to get on the right path.

Holders: Hill and Thomas Morstead both continue to hold on field goals. That did not change on Wednesday, as Wil Lutz connected on all of his attempts except for one that rang off the upright.

Running back watch: It is still early, and judging running backs is not the easiest thing to do from the media’s vantage point at practice, but there were a few moments worth discussing. Jonathan Williams had a pair of long gains on Wednesday. But he wasn’t alone. Trey Edmunds also had a long run, while Terrence West seems to be one of the more consistent members of the group. West hasn’t had a big highlight, but he also doesn’t seem to lose yards very often.

Other notes: Bell has been putting together a nice string of practices. He seems to pop out every practice, in many different ways. He could be an interesting piece for this defense if he manages to take the next step in his third year on defense. … While Jamerson gave up a long reception, he had two other passes defensed. … De’Vante Harris came very close to intercepting two passes. … Tate worked on returning kicks. Lewis, Kamara, Boston Scott and Josh Huff also got work there. … Thomas had a what might have been the most physical catch of came on a curl route against Ken Crawley during one-on-ones. … Arthur Maulet continued his good run in one-on-ones by winning both of his reps.

Quarterback stats in team drills:

Drew Brees: 4-for-9 (Camp total: 41-for-72, 1 INT)

Taysom Hill: 4-for-6 (16-for-41, 2 INTs)

Tom Savage: 5-for-7 (20-for-28)

J.T. Barrett: 1-for-5 (two dropped passes) (10-for-25, 2 INTs)

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De’Vante Harris

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