Saints Camp: Encouraging start for Kamara, Young; Miller latest with chronic injury concerns

7/24/2024

Photo Provided By: CCS

Da Boot Sports
7/24/2024
Courtesy of: Crescent City Sports
By: Ken Trahan

The first day of training camp for the New Orleans Saints included positives and a clear negative.
The positives, including the weather in Irvine, California, were Alvin Kamara and Chase Young.
Despite seeking a new deal, Kamara not only showed up for camp but participated in full and said all the right things. Kamara is important, make that very important for the 2024 Saints as he enters his eighth year in the league.
Coming off a subpar season, Kamara is motivated to prove he is still a top-level back in the NFL as he looks to hit one last big payday in his career. With Jamaal Williams ineffective last season and with injury concerns for Kendre Miller, Kamara’s value would seem to be increasing, not decreasing.
Young has been cleared for some activities and participated in part, though he did not participate in team drills.
He would seem to be making good progress from neck surgery and appears on track to
be available for the 2024 season, a proving ground, contract year for the talented former first-round draft pick. Young missed 23 games in 2021 and 2022 combined with the Washington Football Team due to a knee injury.
Then, there is the negative and it is a genuine concern.
Miller is a player whom the Saints felt strongly about.
Now, the feeling is getting stronger every day, borrowing from a Chicago hit song, that Miller may not be a player you can count on.
Miller suffered a hamstring injury during individual drills and left practice today.
That drew the ire of Dennis Allen.
“That’s a player who’s got to figure out how to stay healthy,” Allen said.
The frustration was palpable.
Miller fits the age-old description of oft-injured players of “you can’t make the club in the tub.”
Coming off an injury which caused him to miss the national championship game while at
TCU, Miller played in just eight games as a rookie for New Orleans, accounting for just 273 total yards and one touchdown.
Unfortunately, the Saints have a recent history of investing heavily in players who fit
that description.
Marques Davenport, a first-round pick in 2018, never played in more than 13 games in his first four years with the team, a total of 18 games he could have played in.
Davenport did play in 15 games in his final season (2022) with New Orleans but was largely ineffective. He was a miss, a poor pick by the organization. Davenport played in just four games with the Vikings last year. The pattern is clear. The Lions are the latest to take a flyer on Davenport as he is reunited with Dan Campbell.
Payton Turner, a first-round pick in 2021, has played in just 15 games in three seasons with the Saints despite the team playing 51 games over that time. Turner played in just two games last season. The time is now for Turner to prove that he was not a mistake, another big miss.
Trevor Penning, a first-round pick in 2022, missed 11 games in his rookie season after a painful turf toe injury in the preseason. Fortunately, Penning was healthy in 2023.
Unfortunately, Penning was not effective in 2023, losing his starting job and ultimately being moved this season from left tackle to right tackle. Penning must prove this season that he was not a mistake, another miss.
Andrus Peat, a first-round pick in 2015, never played in every game in his nine seasons with New Orleans. From 2018-2022, covering five seasons, Peat did not play in 30 games.
Peat was valuable in 2023, moving out to left tackle by necessity and did a solid job, playing in all but one game. The Saints attempted to re-sign him but Peat took a solid offer from the Las Vegas Raiders.
Terron Armstead, a third-round pick in 2013, was an excellent player for the Saints in his nine seasons with New Orleans, making three Pro Bowls. Armstead was not durable, missing 34 games between 2016-2021.
Veteran players have broken down in recent years, including Armstead, Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramczyk and Michael Thomas, though that happens in many instances as careers progress.
Ramczyk may be done. Armstead has missed 11 games over the last two seasons with Miami, Lattimore has missed 17 games over the last two seasons. Thomas missed 48 games of a possible 68 games in his last four years with the Saints and remains unsigned, a free agent after being released March 13 by the Saints.
Perhaps the Miller injury will prove to be minor and he will see the field soon.
Perhaps Turner will finally get healthy and fulfill the potential the Saints saw in him.
Perhaps Penning will prove he can play.
We certainly hope so.

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