ZachWilson

Nick Underhill·Aug 16

The third-year pro was outstanding with four catches for 77 yards (he was inches away from 78 yards and a TD before replay ruled that he

stepped out of bounds just shy of the pylon). His camp connection with quarterback Zach Wilson continued when they hooked up for both that 27-yard pass to the 1 and a 37-yarder that highlighted the two-minute drill before halftime. “I’m not gonna say I’m his favorite target – but I might be his favorite target at this point,” said Means, who said, “I’m making the best out of every opportunity I’ve been granted, and I feel like that’s the only thing I can do in my position right now. I can’t complain about the opportunities, but I can do what I can when the opportunity comes.” Means has had a nice camp, and this performance will force the Saints evaluators to take him even more seriously. But like running back, the wide receiver position is even more overcrowded with roster candidates. Chris Olave, Jordyn Tyson, Devaughn Vele, Bryce Lance and Barion Brown feel like locks (Maybe Tyson won’t be ready for Week 1, which could create an extra opening?) Kevin Austin also had a nice performance Saturday with three catches for 24 yards, including a clutch third-down conversion. Jalen Cropper also made some big catches on the final drive in the fourth quarter. Ronnie Bell has had a strong camp, though he had zero catches Saturday. Trey Palmer remains firmly in the mix (four catches for 33 yards Saturday). And Mason Tipton may return from injury at some point. If Means can back this up though, he can pass up a lot of people on that list.

Zack Rosenblatt·Aug 5

Maybe this is a product of watching Justin Fields practice last year — and Zach Wilson in years past — but it has been a welcome sight to watch a quarterback who, at the very least, can make all the throws and is willing to try them. He was perfect in Saturday’s practice (11 for 11 in 11-on-11 drills), though Smith came back down to earth Monday, throwing an interception on his first pass attempt. (Monday’s practice was affected by pouring rain.) Smith was far from perfect Tuesday — 7 of 12 with an interception in 11-on-11 — but that doesn’t accurately highlight the quality of some plays he made in team drills. The interception was a poor throw into traffic, deflected by Jamien Sherwood into the arms of cornerback Brandon Stephens. Then Smith nearly threw another pick a couple of plays later, but otherwise, he was mostly on the money. On one play, he stood strong in the pocket as pressure came and threw a laser across his body into a tight window, complete to tight end Mason Taylor. Later, he connected with Garrett Wilson down the sideline on a perfect throw, hauled in by a toe-tapping Wilson for a 15-20 yard completion. He later connected with wide receiver Isaiah Williams on another deep ball, 20-25 yards down the field.