The New Orleans Saints’ three-day mandatory minicamp begins this week, and for the first two days, fans will get the chance to watch them in person.

The franchise made tickets available to the public after holding training camp in California last summer, and they quickly were claimed.

“I think they’ll see a team that’s competing, having fun,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said when asked what he wants the fans to take away from the sessions. “Hopefully there’s juice and there’s energy. Come Sunday in the fall, we’ll be needing them as well.”

With several practices on deck — the last before a six-week break until training camp — here are four key areas worth monitoring when camp starts Tuesday.

Defense in full

With offseason workouts voluntary until this point, this week’s minicamp will present the first chance to see the Saints as a whole. And that should have a more significant impact on defense, with several key veterans set to return.

This week should provide a better look at how defensive coordinator Brandon Staley plans to use someone such as safety Tyrann Mathieu alongside Justin Reid, the marquee free-agent addition this offseason. With Mathieu not in attendance for the previous stretch, third-year safety Jordan Howden largely had worked with Reid.

And we’ll get a glimpse at the team’s defensive line rotation. The voluntary workouts, for instance, featured a lot of defensive lineman Jonah Williams. Will he see the same workload now that the others are back?

Rattler the front-runner?

The starting quarterback competition won’t be decided in June, but through the voluntary portion of the offseason, Spencer Rattler appeared to have a leg up on rookie Tyler Shough.

Is it his job to lose?

Rattler has not only received most of the first-team reps in practices open to reporters but he also appears much more decisive in his throws. That, in some ways, is to be expected: Shough is going against an NFL defense for the first time; when Rattler was in the same position a year ago, he also looked hesitant.

At the very least, mandatory minicamp will give coaches the chance to evaluate Rattler with a (mostly) healthy supporting cast — a luxury he didn’t receive last season.

“For Spencer’s situation, anytime you get a chance to play, there’s always value and lessons in that,” Moore said. “No matter the circumstance, I thought he handled himself well last year competing and navigating potentially a few that were a little bit of challenging situations. And then for any guy in general, your second offseason is always a huge jump.”

Rookie roles

The nine draft selections make for the Saints’ biggest rookie class since 2015. Even if Shough doesn’t start right away, there are good opportunities elsewhere for this class to carve out a role.

Danny Stutsman, a fourth-round linebacker, popped during OTAs (organized team activities) as he filled in with the starting defense during the few weeks that Demario Davis wasn’t present.

Devin Neal, a sixth-round running back, received ample work with the first-team offense with Alvin Kamara absent. Even with Kamara’s expected return, the Saints have an open competition for the spot behind him.

Defensive lineman Vernon Broughton, picked in the third round, has been used in a variety of spots so far. Will he see extended playing time because of it?

And of course, first-round tackle Kelvin Banks is in a prime position to win a starting job from the jump.

Injury updates

Though attendance this week is mandatory, there will be a few players sidelined with injuries. 

Jake Haener has missed most of OTAs with an oblique injury, and he told reporters that he expects to return in training camp. For now, the Saints’ three-man quarterback battle remains two. 

Tight ends Taysom Hill and Foster Moreau are both recovering from serious knee injuries, while offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri was sidelined last week reportedly with a calf injury. 

In positive news, rookie cornerback Quincy Riley may see an increased workload after returning for individual drills last week. He is recovering from an unspecified surgery.Â