METAIRIE, La. (WLOX) — It appears the tides are beginning to turn for the new-look New Orleans Saints.
The black and gold held its first open OTA session on Thursday after adding new weapons for Tyler Shough and Chris Olave in the offseason.
“They’re going to have to respect everybody, especially with [Travis] Etienne in the run game and [Alvin Kamara] back there,” said Olave. “I feel like it’s going to be huge for us getting the run game going. I feel like once we get the run game going and things like that, we’ve got multiple weapons on the outside with Juwan [Johnson], [Jordyn] Tyson, [Oscar] Delp — the tight end we just got — we got [Noah] Fant, we’ve got a lot of guys that could add in and use some production. So, I feel like it’s going to be great for everybody.”
“Speed’s a weapon, and speed allows you to threaten the defense in multiple ways,” said Head Coach Kellen Moore. “Certainly, I think just the size and the speed combination of some of our skill positions obviously is really valuable. I think for our receivers, there’s speed, but there’s also size. I think that goes into the run game. You know, receivers have to block in this league for you to run the football really, really well. I think you watch when we line up, there’s some size there that I think is going to be beneficial for us in the run game.”
Among the additions are runningback Travis Etienne, tight end Noah Fant, first-round receiver Jordyn Tyson and former second-round pick Ja’Lynn Polk, a wideout who was acquired from the New England Patriots towards the end of last season.
“I’ve just seen it as a blessing,” described Polk. “Another opportunity, coming somewhere where they’re bringing me in and they want me here. I think it’s a great opportunity just to find ways and build and just be in the new atmosphere and find ways that I can grow and help the team as much as I can.”
“[Polk’s] a good player,” said Olave. “I remember him in college when he was at Washington. They had a good team with Michael Penix and those three receivers. He’s a hard worker. I learned that about him… He brings it every day. No matter what, I know he’s going to work hard and bring his best.”
“I feel like I’ve seen Ja’Lynn so much this whole past almost calendar year now, so it was great to see him out there,” said Moore. “I mean, you know, obviously we thought really highly of him, being able to acquire him from New England… I’m just excited for him.”
After participating in just one rookie minicamp practice, Jordyn Tyson was heavily limited in the first OTA session open to the media.
See a spelling or grammar error in this story? Report it to our team HERE.
Copyright 2026 WLOX. All rights reserved.