The New Orleans Saints ended their Thursday minicamp practice an hour early, giving players and coaches a quick start to the summer after weeks of hard work. For some players, this was a final opportunity to make a positive impact on the practice field. For others, it was an opportunity to cut loose, a little.
Saints running back Alvin Kamara shared a video on his official Instagram account of himself wearing quarterback Teddy Bridgewater’s No. 5 jersey around the Saints locker room; Bridgewater was later spotted at the team facility sauntering around in Kamara’s No. 41 jersey. Each player shared some laughs with coaches and teammates before swapping back to their assigned jerseys at the beginning of practice.
The shenanigans continued into the practice session, in which Kamara lined up at quarterback and Bridgewater at receiver during an early series of passing drills. “I’ve probably got the best hands in the NFL,” Bridgewater joked to Mike Triplett of ESPN after practice. “Well, first Michael Thomas. But then Teddy Bridgewater.”
Drew Brees may have felt a little envious of Bridgewater’s opportunity to run a few routes. He was shifted to a receiver alignment sometimes last season, whenever Taysom Hill entered the game to go under center on option plays. “I was ready the whole year. Most of the time they just had me stand out there and look handsome,” Brees said to Josh Katzenstein of the Times-Picayune.
Antics aside, the Saints were able to exit their series of minicamp practices mostly-intact, with few prominent injuries beyond those they went into it with. It’s encouraging to see players like Kamara, Bridgewater, and Brees feeling comfortable enough to let loose before a long summer break.
