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By Mark Schofield | Touchdownwire

Like everything else in the world, the Reese’s Senior Bowl is a bit different this year due to COVID-19. For the first time in six years I am not in attendance, but that does not mean we cannot evaluate the players who are participating. Thanks to Executive Director Jim Nagy and the rest of the Senior Bowl staff we have access to all of the practice film.

After a late night – and an early morning – of film-watching here are some observations from the first day of Senior Bowl practices. As Tuesday is more of a baseline day, these are not “winners and losers,” but more players that stood out and in some cases require more film study.

National team quarterbacks off to a cautious start

When studying quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl it is important to view the first day as a feeling-out period. They are running new offenses and throwing to players that they have often never targeted in the passing game. A good rule is to use the first day as a baseline day, and then see how the quarterbacks progress over the course of the week.

That being said, the passers on the National team took a more cautious approach to the first day. Particularly in the seven-on-seven drill, Ian Book, Sam Ehlinger and Feleipe Franks were more than willing to check the ball down and take what the defense gave them. Whether it was Book on a Flood concept to the left side of the field passing up the hole shot against Cover-2, or Ehlinger taking the checkdown on a mirrored Smash concept against Cover-3, the National QBs were willing to play it safe. ...

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By John Sigler | Saintswire

Trey Hendrickson was one of the breakout players of the year for the New Orleans Saints, finishing the regular season tied for second-best in the NFL for sacks (13.5) after logging just 7.5 sacks in his first 34 games. And it couldn’t arrive at a better time with his low-cost rookie contract set to expire in March.

That fact isn’t lost on Saints general manager Mickey Loomis, who set his expectations early on during a media availability session on Wednesday, saying: “He’ll be an attractive piece for everyone around the league.”

Loomis added that, certainly, the Saints want to keep Hendrickson in the building — he’s one of their biggest draft-and-develop success stories in recent years, and was clearly important to the team’s success in 2020. But he can’t say or do anything actionable until the NFL has set its 2021 salary cap, allowing his team to go through an obstacle course of restructures, releases, and maybe a trade or two before they can start re-signing anyone. ...

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By Kevin Patra | Around the NFL Writer

The New Orleans Saints head into the offseason with pressing questions at the quarterback position.

First, as general manager Mickey Loomis noted in an end-of-season press conference, the club awaits Drew Brees' decision on his future.

"I don't think it's a lot different from last year. We'll wait for him," Loomis said Wednesday.

Ten days since the Saints bowed out of the playoffs with a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brees still hasn't announced his intentions. Widely expected to retire, the future Hall of Fame quarterback said he'd give himself time before determining his future.

If Brees does retire, the question for Loomis, Sean Payton and the rest of the Saints' brass is who takes the torch from the legendary QB.

"The answers to that will kick out over the next few weeks as we go through evaluations and we talk about our roster, talk about every position," Loomis said. "Generally speaking, we target our own guys first. But again, the answers to that remain to be seen, and we'll get the answers to that over the next few weeks." ...

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