The New Orleans Saints are gearing up for the 2025 regular season with four weeks of training camp.
WDSU Sports Director Fletcher Mackel and WDSU sports anchor Sharief Ishaq will be giving daily reports from the Saints facility and Irvine, California, as practices lead into the preseason games.
Below is everything you need to know before practices begin:
Frequently asked questions:
When and where is training camp?
The New Orleans Saints will begin this year’s training camp on July 23 in New Orleans, and some practices will be held in Irvine, California.
Training camp runs for nearly four weeks and will end on Friday, Aug. 15.
Why are some training camp practices in California instead of Louisiana?
The team will practice in Irvine, California, for the second straight year, partially due to better weather.
There are also opportunities for team building, and they will go into one of the last practices ahead of their first preseason game, which is in Los Angeles on Aug. 10.
What is the time difference between New Orleans and Irvine?
The time difference between U.S. Central and Pacific time puts New Orleans two hours ahead of Irvine, California.
Can fans attend some of the practices?
This year, the Black and Gold will host nine practices scheduled to be open to the public in Metairie, starting with the 9 a.m. practice on Wednesday, July 23.
Free public parking is available at the Shrine on Airline in Lot B starting at 7 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis.
The dates for the open practices are as follows:
- Wednesday, July 23
- Thursday, July 24
- Friday, July 25
- Sunday, July 27 (SOLD OUT)
- Monday, July 28
- Wednesday, July 30
- Saturday, Aug. 2 (SOLD OUT)
- Sunday, Aug. 3 (SOLD OUT)
- Tuesday, Aug. 5
Gates will open to the public at 8:15 a.m.
To purchase tickets, click here.
How can I get updates from training camp every day?
WDSU Sports Director Fletcher Mackel and WDSU sports anchor Sharief Ishaq will be at training camp each day and will provide daily updates.
You can watch these updates on WDSU during our regularly scheduled newscasts.
Mackel and Ishaq will also provide the Rouses’ Saints Training Camp update each day, which you can watch in the video player above.
State of the Saints:
New faces with coaching staff:
The New Orleans Saints are starting the 2025 season with an entirely new coaching staff.
The head coach is Kellen Moore, who is coming off a Super Bowl win as the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Moore is the youngest head coach in the NFL.
He is rebuilding a franchise that has missed the playoffs for four straight seasons, coming off the Drew Brees/Sean Payton era when it last made it to the playoffs in 2020.
Moore brought his biggest assistant on offense, Doug Nussmeier. Nussmeier is no stranger to Louisiana. His son, Garrett Nussmeier, is the starting quarterback at LSU.
On the defensive side of the ball, Moore brought in good friend Brandon Staley as the defensive coordinator. Those two worked together in Los Angeles when Staley was the Chargers’ head coach and Moore was the offensive coordinator.
His challenge is to make the veteran pieces and young pieces work together to create a cohesive and productive defense.
Moore’s biggest test is going to be his quarterback choice and getting his modern offense up to snuff with this team.
How is the offense looking this year?
This is a great question. There are a lot of moving pieces this year, mainly with a new starting quarterback.
This will come down to second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler or rookie Tyler Shough.
Also, health is a big concern when it comes to the team.
The team would benefit from a healthy O-line to help out whomever the starting quarterback will be.
Running back Alvin Kamara is back for his ninth season with the team. He is probably the most important piece for the Saints’ offense outside of the starting quarterback.
Receiver Brandin Cooks returns this year after he was traded following the 2016 season. Cooks is looking to help young receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed.
How is the defense looking this year?
The Saints defense has several seasoned veterans, and a lot of eyes will be on the defensive line this year.
This could likely be Cam Jordan’s final season with the team as he is entering his 15th year with the franchise.
There are a lot of talented pieces on the defensive line, including Chase Young, Carl Granderson and Bryan Bresee.
Their biggest challenge will be production along the defensive line.
As for the linebackers, Demario Davis is entering his eighth season with the team. He and Pete Werner are expected to be the leaders in the middle of the defense.
They also drafted Danny Stutsman out of Oklahoma. He will have a chance to contribute in the linebacker room.
The defense will be solid when it comes to the secondary, especially at safety with Justin Reid and Tyrann Mathieu. However, there will be some questions when it comes to the cornerback.
Will Kool-Aid McKinstry and Alontae Taylor be able to handle the responsibilities of playing on the outside?
Biggest takeaways from Saints minicamp?
The biggest takeaway from minicamp was how quickly the new Saints coaching staff had the team working.
The pace of play was very quick.
Also, Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler alternated at being first-team quarterback.
Who is injured ahead of the season?
Below is a list of injured players:
- Taysom Hill, knee injury
- Foster Moreau, knee injury
Who is competing for a starting position?
The biggest competition this year will be at quarterback.
Rookie Tyler Shough and second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler will both be competing for the starting position after former Saints quarterback Derek Carr retired.
New Saints head coach Kellen Moore has not named a starter and says he will hold a competition between the two during training camp.
Both will play throughout the preseason to decide who will win the job.
Saints’ preseason schedule:
The Saints will play three preseason games. One game will be away, and two will be at home.
Here is the schedule breakdown:
- Saints vs. Charges, Aug. 10 at 3:05 p.m.
- Jaguars vs. Saints, Aug. 17 at noon
- Broncos vs. Saints, Aug. 23 at noon
Saints’ regular-season schedule:
The Saints have the third-easiest schedule in the NFL this season based on last year’s records.
A majority of the Saints’ best games are on the road. Those games include great locations such as Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Seattle and Nashville.
They will also play the league MVP, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, on the road in September.
At home, the Saints will face all their rivals in the Dome, with matchups against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers.
Both New York teams will also visit the Superdome this year, as will the 49ers, New England and the Arizona Cardinals.
The Who Dat Nation can head to these websites to snag tickets once they drop.
Saints season ticket holders can get information on their tickets here.
Below is the full breakdown of the Saints’ schedule this year:
2025 Saints schedule:
Week 1: Saints vs. Arizona, Sept. 7
Week 2: Saints vs. San Francisco, Sept. 14
Week 3: Saints at Seattle, Sept. 21
Week 4: Saints at Buffalo, Sept. 28
Week 5: Saints vs. NY Giants, Oct. 5
Week 6: Saints vs. New England Patriots, Oct. 12
Week 7: Saints at Chicago, Oct. 19
Week 8: Saints vs. Tampa Bay, Oct. 26
Week 9: Saints at Los Angeles Rams, Nov. 2
Week 10: Saints at Carolina, Nov. 9
Week 11: Bye week
Week 12: Saints vs. Falcons, Nov. 23
Week 13: Saints at Miami, Nov. 30
Week 14: Saints at Tampa Bay, Dec. 7
Week 15: Saints vs. Carolina, Dec. 14
Week 16: Saints vs. Jets, Dec. 21
Week 17: Saints at Tennessee, Dec. 28
Week 18: Saints at Atlanta, TBD
About ‘Game On:’
“Game On” is a half-hour weekly sports show recapping the biggest headlines and looking ahead at the biggest stories in local sports with a strong emphasis on the New Orleans Saints.
Each week, WDSU analyst Jim Mora and James Hurst will join the conversation with insight you will not find anywhere else.
“Game On” airs at 11 p.m. every Sunday, only on WDSU.
READ MORE:Everything you need to know about Saints training camp
