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5 questions facing the Saints in training camp

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

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Last season proved to be a humbling one for the New Orleans Saints, with defensive coordinator Rob Ryan admitting in December that the team got caught up in the preseason hype and "drank the Kool-Aid a little bit too much."

New Orleans looks like a much different team following their massive roster overhaul this offseason, and it will be interesting to see how their new faces get acclimated.

Here are five questions facing the Saints heading into training camp:

Who will replace Graham?

The Saints took a risk by shipping tight end Jimmy Graham off to the Seattle Seahawks, but they obviously did so with the belief that they could still be competitive. After all, they did win a Super Bowl without him.

There are currently four tight ends on the roster, with Josh Hill and 12-year veteran Benjamin Watson both primed to take on bigger roles. Filling the starting tight end job is only half the battle, though. The team must also figure out how to replace Graham's production.

In five seasons with the Saints, Graham racked up 386 receptions for 4,752 yards and 51 touchdowns. That's more than Hill, Watson, and Orson Charles combined (the Saints' tight end group also includes Jack Tabb, but he's entering his first NFL season).

With Kenny Stills also gone, Marques Colston and 2014 first-round pick Brandin Cooks are the obvious choices to emerge as the team's top pass catchers, provided both can stay healthy. Colston finished second behind Graham with 99 targets last season.

Is Browner the "real deal"?

Brandon Browner has been a Saint for all of four months, but he's already being touted as "the real deal" by his teammates.

New Orleans is the third destination for the 30-year-old cornerback following stints with the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, both of whom he won Super Bowls with. That experience, coupled with his size and skill, will be a welcome addition to a defense that ranked 31st in the NFL last season.

Head coach Sean Payton has said he envisions Browner as a "bump-and-run player," lining up at right corner opposite his old college teammate, Keenan Lewis. Browner's physicality can sometimes work against him – as evidenced by the league-high 15 penalties he racked up in just nine games last season – but it's also something the Saints' secondary lacked in 2014.

Can Peat win a starting job?

Right tackle Zach Strief acknowledged in May that first-round pick Andrus Peat will eventually take his starting job. The question is: how soon?

Peat was unable to practice with the Saints until early June due to academic obligations at Stanford, and has had to play catch-up with the playbook and his conditioning. Players have yet to practice in full pads, either, making it difficult to evaluate Peat's progress so far.

Elsewhere on the offensive line, the Saints have had Tim Lelito practicing with the first team at left guard, Terron Armstead at left tackle, Jahri Evans at right guard, and Max Unger at center.

Is Brees in decline?

Numbers can be misleading. Take Drew Brees, for example. He led all quarterbacks with 4,952 passing yards in 2014 and finished with the second-best completion percentage at 69.2, which would lead you to think that he had an above-average season. However, it was actually one of his most inconsistent.

Brees can't be blamed entirely for the Saints' struggles, but at 36 years old, it's reasonable to wonder just how much football he has left in him.

The Saints drafted Garrett Grayson in the third round, a sign they've started to prepare for life after Brees, whenever that may come. They also revamped their offensive line to ensure Brees is better protected this season. The key now is to see how Brees responds to the changes on offense.

What does Galette's future with the Saints hold?

Linebacker Junior Galette has been a key part of the Saints' defense the past two seasons, but after a series of off-field issues, his future in New Orleans is looking a lot more murky.

First, there was his January 5 arrest for simple battery involving domestic violence. Although the charge was dismissed in February, Galette faces a civil suit related to the incident and possible discipline from the NFL.

In June, a poor-quality video surfaced appearing to show Galette and some of his friends taking a possible jab at Saints head coach Sean Payton. As if that wasn't bad enough, Galette was identified in another video as the person shown striking a woman with a belt during a beach brawl (his agent has denied it's him).

Galette carries a cap hit of $5.45 million, so the Saints must decide whether it's worth it to cut him or keep him and hope he stays out of trouble.

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