Training camp is where talk starts turning into football.
Every team has optimism this time of year. Everybody looks faster in shorts. Everybody says the right things. But once camp opens, you start finding out who is ready — and who still has work to do.
For the Saints, this year feels especially important. New faces, young players, veterans trying to hold roles, and a team trying to prove it can take a step forward in 2026.
Here are five Saints with the most to prove.
1. Tyler Shough
This one is obvious.
Shough showed flashes last season, but now the question changes. It’s not “can he survive?” anymore. It’s “can he lead?”
He needs to show command, consistency, and control of the offense. The Saints gave him more weapons. Now he has to prove he can use them.
2. Zach Wilson
Wilson is getting another chance, and those don’t come forever.
The talent has always been there. The arm is real. But training camp will show whether he can make smart decisions, play within the system, and push the quarterback room the right way.
He doesn’t have to be perfect.
He does have to look dependable.
3. Jordyn Tyson
First-round picks don’t get to hide.
Tyson made a good first impression at rookie minicamp, but training camp is different. Pads come on. Veterans test you. Expectations get louder.
The Saints drafted him to add explosion to the offense. Now he has to show he can separate, learn quickly, and become more than just a camp headline.
4. Oscar Delp
Delp could become one of the more important rookies on this offense.
A reliable tight end helps everybody — the quarterback, the run game, the red zone, third down. If Delp can block and become a dependable target, he gives the Saints something they badly need: balance.
Camp will tell us how quickly he can handle the NFL game.
5. Kool-Aid McKinstry
The secondary needs answers, and Kool-Aid has a chance to be one of them.
Talent isn’t the question. Consistency is.
He has to show he can hold up against top receivers, limit mistakes, and become a player the defense can trust every week.
Bottom Line
Training camp won’t decide the whole season.
But it will tell us a lot.
If Shough looks steady, Tyson looks ready, Delp earns trust, Wilson pushes the room, and Kool-Aid takes a step forward, the Saints have a real chance to look different this year.
Not just younger.
Better.
That’s what I’m watching.
Who Dat.
— Anthony “Tony” from the Westbank
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