Every Training Camp Produces a Surprise. The Question Is…Who Will It Be?
Every NFL training camp begins with optimism.
Ninety players report believing they have a chance to make the roster. Veterans arrive looking to protect their jobs. Rookies hope to justify why they were drafted. Undrafted free agents dream about becoming the next feel-good story.
Then reality sets in.
By the end of camp, only 53 players remain.
That’s the harsh reality of professional football. Talent gets you invited. Consistency earns trust. Trust earns roster spots.
But history tells us the biggest developments in training camp rarely come from the biggest names.
Every year, someone forces the coaching staff to rethink the depth chart. Every year, someone enters camp as a long shot and leaves as an important piece of the football team.
This year, Kellen Moore enters his second season as head coach with a roster that feels much deeper than the one he inherited. That depth is a blessing—but it also creates difficult decisions. Several players are going to make this roster because they earn it, not because it was handed to them.
These are the five players I’ll be watching the closest when camp opens.
When the Saints selected Oscar Delp, many fans immediately looked at the depth chart and assumed this was a move for the future.
I don’t see it that way.
I think New Orleans drafted Delp because Kellen Moore wants to expand what this offense can become.
Throughout Moore’s career as a play-caller, he’s consistently looked for tight ends who can stress defenses in multiple ways. He wants players who can line up attached to the formation, flex into the slot, block in the run game, and become reliable targets over the middle.
Delp has the athletic profile to eventually check every one of those boxes.
The question isn’t whether he’s talented enough.
The question is how quickly he earns Moore’s trust.
With veterans already on the roster, Delp won’t be handed significant snaps. He’ll have to prove he can handle NFL blocking assignments, understand protection adjustments, and make plays when opportunities come his way.
If he does?
The Saints suddenly become much more versatile offensively.
Instead of showing defenses exactly what’s coming based on personnel packages, Moore can disguise intentions by keeping Delp on the field in multiple situations.
That creates matchup problems.
And matchup problems win football games.
Bino’s Take
Saints fans often judge rookie tight ends too quickly.
This is one of the hardest positions in football to learn because you’re essentially learning two jobs. You’re expected to block defensive ends one play and beat safeties in coverage the next.
If Delp flashes during camp, don’t just pay attention to catches.
Watch how often he’s still on the field during important situations.
That’s where coaches reveal what they really think.
Every training camp has that one player who makes everyone stop practice.
A defensive back turns to the coach and says, “Did you see that?”
A veteran walks back to the huddle shaking his head.
The crowd lets out that little buzz because they just witnessed something different.
Barion Brown has that kind of speed.
You can’t coach it.
You can’t scheme it.
You either have it, or you don’t.
The Saints drafted Brown because explosive plays were missing from their offense too often last season. Even when New Orleans moved the football effectively, too many drives required 10 or 12 plays to reach the end zone. Kellen Moore wants to change that equation.
Brown gives him a player defenses must account for every snap.
Whether it’s on a go route, a jet sweep, a bubble screen or a kickoff return, Brown forces defenders to respect his speed before the ball is even snapped.
That changes defensive spacing.
And spacing changes everything.
One false step from a safety can open the middle of the field for Chris Olave.
One linebacker cheating toward the edge creates a running lane for Travis Etienne.
One hesitation from a corner back creates an easy completion underneath.
That’s the value of elite speed.
It doesn’t just create explosive plays.
It creates opportunities for everyone else.
Film Room
Brown’s acceleration is what separates him.
Many fast players need ten or fifteen yards to reach top speed.
Brown reaches another gear almost immediately.
That first three-step burst is exactly what NFL offensive coordinators look for because it stresses pursuit angles before defenders can recover.
Bino’s Take
I don’t think Barion Brown has to become a starting receiver in Year One.
He doesn’t need 70 catches.
He just needs to become the player opposing defensive coordinators spend extra meeting time preparing for.
If he does that, he’s already making the Saints offense better.
Bryce Lance might be the quietest storyline entering training camp.
That’s exactly why I’m paying attention.
The Saints have several receivers battling for the final roster spots, but Lance brings something this room doesn’t have much of—a big target with a wide catch radius who can win contested footballs.
Today’s NFL has become obsessed with speed, and rightfully so.
But every offense still needs receivers willing to do the dirty work.
Move the chains.
Block on the perimeter.
Win 50-50 balls.
Finish in the red zone.
Those jobs aren’t glamorous.
They’re necessary.
Lance enters camp without the expectations attached to higher draft picks, which actually works in his favor.
He can focus entirely on stacking good practices.
One day at a time.
One route at a time.
One catch at a time.
That’s how roster spots are earned.
Bino’s Take
Fans fall in love with highlight catches.
Coaches fall in love with dependable players.
If Bryce Lance consistently lines up correctly, blocks with effort and catches everything thrown his way, he’ll force the Saints into some difficult conversations before final roster cuts.
Want to know one of the least exciting conversations during training camp?
Offensive line depth.
Want to know one of the most important?
Offensive line depth.
Championship teams don’t survive because their starting five stay healthy for 17 games.
They survive because someone is ready when injuries happen.
That’s why Jeremiah Wright deserves much more attention than he’s receiving.
The rookie guard enters a room led by Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruizand Taliese Fuaga—exactly the type of veteran leadership young offensive linemen need.
He’s not expected to start immediately.
He’s expected to develop.
And that’s perfectly fine.
The Saints have invested heavily in protecting Tyler Shough.
That investment doesn’t stop with the starting lineup.
It includes developing young linemen capable of stepping into meaningful snaps when called upon.
If Wright proves he can handle multiple interior positions, his value skyrockets.
Versatility wins roster battles.
Film Room
Watch how Wright finishes blocks.
He plays through the whistle.
His hand placement is consistent.
Most importantly, he rarely panics when defenders counter.
Those are coaching points that translate well to Sundays.
Bino’s Take
Nobody buys a ticket because of the backup guard.
But ask any NFL coach.
They’ll tell you championships are often saved by players nobody talked about in July.
Jeremiah Wright could become one of those players.
Final Thoughts
Every summer, Saints fans naturally focus on the stars.
Tyler Shough.
Chris Olave.
Alvin Kamara.
Chase Young.
They should.
Those players will shape the season.
But training camp has always been about discovering the next contributor before everyone else notices.
That’s why I’ll be watching Oscar Delp, Jonas Sanker, Barion Brown, Bryce Lance and Jeremiah Wright so closely.
None of them enters camp with guaranteed roles.
All five leave camp with an opportunity to change this football team.
And if even two of them exceed expectations, the Saints’ roster becomes deeper, younger and more dangerous than many national analysts believe.
Training camp doesn’t just reveal who makes the roster.
It reveals who changes it.
Bino’s Final Take
One thing I’ve learned covering this football team is that roster spots aren’t won because of one spectacular play. They’re won through consistency, preparation and trust.
Fans will remember the one-handed catches and the 60-yard touchdowns.
Coaches remember who lined up correctly, protected the quarterback, finished blocks and made the right read.
As training camp unfolds, don’t just watch the stars.
Watch the players quietly earning the confidence of Kellen Moore and Brandon Staley.
Those are usually the names we’re still talking about in December.
