New Orleans

Saints

Apparently, the rookie tight end picked up a hamstring injury during organized team activities last week. He participated in punt drills as well as walkthrough today. The Saints have one last practice tomorrow before going on a brief break until mandatory minicamp, which begins on June 16th, so hopefully he can increase his workload without issue tomorrow. That said, we are not overly concerned about Delp’s status. He may only be limited to TE2 duties behind veteran TE Juwan Johnson this season.

As a result, Olave has been held out of team drills thus far. Olave has reportedly looked great in individual drills, but apparently, he still has some limitations. His camp is also currently attempting to negotiate a long-term extension with the Saints’ front office. He said recently that he believes the two sides will come to an agreement before training camp begins next month. Olave largely assuaged health concerns by remaining active for much of the 2025 season and finishing sixth in the NFL with 151 targets. Hopefully, he can put this issue behind him soon enough. When the blood clot was initially discovered, New Orleans Football’s Nick Underhill reported that the blood clot was “caught early before anything bad could happen” and that he will “be fine.” Olave showed up to offseason workouts in great shape, so it does not appear as though he was limited by the blood clot during the offseason.

Moore didn’t outright confirm that Kamara would be with the team this year. When asked whether Kamara would be on the team, Moore only said, “I think that’s how you always prepare.” Kamara and the Saints are in a bit of a standoff, with the Saints seemingly wanting him to take a pay cut while having no leverage to force the issue. The veteran runner made a surprise appearance at OTAs last week to make his presence known, though he was only with the team for a single day. Moore said he expects Kamara to be present at minicamp next week. For now, it looks like Kamara will be a Saint this year. He will likely play a change-of-pace role behind Travis Etienne.

Underhill outlined his thoughts on the run game in a lengthy piece, exploring how run game coordinator T.J. Paganetti plans to build the run game around his players’ strengths. With RB Travis Etienne set to operate as the lead back, the team can use Kamara selectively in space, running routes, on screens and by exploiting matchups. It remains to be seen whether Kamara, 30, will remain in New Orleans, but it sounds like he could end up with a PPR-friendly FLEX role if he does.

Underhill believes RB Travis Etienne’s skillset “is exactly what the Saints need if inside zone and outside zone are going to remain the base.” That said, the Saints are also excited about Etienne’s versatility. Paganetti praised his intelligence, pass protection, route running ability and added that Etienne is more than just a one-cut runner. If RB Alvin Kamara, 30, remains with the team, Underhill believes Etienne’s presence allows the team to use Kamara selectively, rather than relying on him all game long. Underhill adds that the Saints’ play-action passing game was very efficient in 13 personnel, albeit via a small sample size. The front office added multiple tight ends this offseason and the coaching staff wants the running game “to feed the passing game,” which could mean more runs out of three-tight end sets. Etienne is looking like an RB2 with RB1 upside in an ascending offense.

Underhill’s colleagues, Mike Triplett and John Hendrix, agree. Triplett was the most bearish of the bunch, saying he is not sure that Shough will be able to crack the position’s top 10. Underhill notes that Vegas sports books have Shough in a five-way tie for the sixth-best odds to lead the NFL in passing yards. He adds that he is “not sure” if he can get to sixth, but he knows for sure that he can’t get to 13th. Shough was the QB10 in per-game fantasy scoring from Weeks 8-18, and the upgraded offense is expected to take another step in Year 2 under head coach Kellen Moore. Shough’s top-12 passing potential seems legit, and he has a shot to finish in that range in fantasy as well.

Kamara showed up for practice while his 2026 contract situation is very much in flux. Several reports over the past couple weeks have suggested Kamara, entering his age-31 season, won’t return to the Saints for the 2026 season after the team signed Travis Etienne during free agency. Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said in mid-May that he’s “trying to see” how Kamara might fit on the team’s roster. Kamara carries a $10.4 million cap hit coming into the 2026 season if the Saints keep him on the team in the coming weeks. Kamara, who had 471 rushing yards over 11 games last season, ranked 32nd out of 75 qualifying running backs in missed tackles forced per carry. He ranked 70th in yards after contact per carry.

Olave is currently set to play 2026 on the fifth-year option, but the two sides have been rumored to be in extension discussions for a while. “I feel like we’re going to come down to that before training camp,” Olave said. The Saints haven’t exactly been in a rush to settle their in-house contract issues this offseason, with Alvin Kamara also sort of dangling in the void.

Toure is a former seventh-round draft pick who spent parts of last season with the Broncos and Saints. He appeared in just one game last season, catching 1-of-3 targets for nine yards, and has a career receiving line of 14-163-1. Toure will have to battle for a spot on the 53-man roster this season, and faces an uphill battle to make the team even if A.J. Brown is traded.

Fowler adds that “there is some interest in potentially coming back there,” and suggests the two sides might be able to agree to a revised deal. Fowler’s commentary — SportsCenter bits are quick and sometimes rushed — was a bit convoluted to follow. New Orleans Football’s Nick Underhill points out that Fowler may have misinterpreted Kamara’s current contract numbers as well. Regardless, we believe Fowler is saying that Kamara would like to remain a Saint, but the team has not been interested in the suggested resolutions coming from Kamara’s camp. Per Over The Cap, the team would save only $376,000 by releasing him after June 1. Beat reporters have recently opined that releasing Kamara would create the need for outside help at the RB2 spot. Retaining Kamara on a revised deal could benefit both sides.