Bauer: What I’m looking for during Saints minicamp

Mandatory minicamp for the New Orleans Saints starts on June 11th and runs through June 13th. With this being the first time that we’ll see a ramp up in action, it got me excited.

The offense will be what I’m interested in the most. In the offseason training activities (OTAs) we’ve already seen more motion than last year, and I’m hoping for more. That should all come from new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who was the passing game coordinator for the 49ers last season. If the New Orleans offense is at all similar to San Francisco’s, you won’t hear any complaints from me. They were one of the most fun offenses to watch last season, and they were still playing while the Saints were on the couch.

Motion is the name of the game with Klint Kubiak. His father, Gary Kubiak, helped create the offense that he uses today so it’s practically in his blood. His time under Kyle Shanahan is also worth noting, as Shanahan’s offense is one of the best in the league right now.

I hope that Taysom Hill is used in ways we haven’t seen before. His role was already similar to that of 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk - who new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak coached last year - running routes some from the backfield but mainly from the tight end slot. Hill has already been seen in the backfield more often and has even lined up at wide receiver as well as tight end. It seems that he’ll become an even bigger Swiss Army knife, which up until now seemed impossible.

It’s really the entire offense, not just Taysom Hill, that should reach a new form. That’s what makes this mini-camp so exciting to me, because it’s another opportunity to look at the shiny new offense. Alvin Kamara? Improving. Chris Olave? Improving. Rashid Shaheed? improving. It’s honestly a little crazy the amount of upwards arrows I’m seeing.

The defense too, has some exciting possibilities. It has a perfect mix of veterans and young players, which is already giving them great chemistry, and It’s the young players especially that I’m excited for. I’m really curious to see how players like Alontae Taylor and Jordan Howden will be used, as well as how much of a leap Bryan Bresee could make in his second year. It’s the depth pieces that make this defense interesting.

There is also of course the special teams battle. Charlie Smyth, who was signed via NFL’s international player pathway program, is set to compete with second year kicker Blake Grupe. New Orleans has also signed Matthew Hayball as a UDFA, bringing punter Lou Hadley some competition. I’m hoping that we see a battle for the ages in those respects.

After this week, we will not see the Saints again until training camp in late July.