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Tyler Shough knows how to play up a crowd. During a special teams period of Wednesday’s practice, normally an idle time for the quarterback, the 26-year-old grabbed a ball and started tossing it with fans in various sections of Yulman Stadium. As Shough played catch, a large portion of the 7,948 in attendance went into a bustle. There really was the Saints’ starting quarterback, roaming from section to section. Wherever Shough jogged, noise followed — almost as if “the wave” had hit each row. But while Shough’s interaction was likely the highlight for the crowd’s night, the Saints also got in another competitive practice before they took off Thursday for Friday’s preseason finale against the Dallas Cowboys. Here’s what stood out for the session. Kicking battle Credit whoever controlled the music for queuing up Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” as the Saints’ three-man kicking battle took place. The song fit the mood for the tense competition, with Charlie Smyth, Tanner Brown and newcomer Daniel Carlson closely watched every time they went back to kick. After all, the competition is no stranger to you and me. *Insert drum solo* Anywhoo, each kicker got in eight attempts in Wednesday’s session. The only one to go perfect? That was Tanner Brown, who bounced back from Saturday’s preseason blunder with a strong showing. Smyth and Carlson, meanwhile, went 7-of-8. Smyth’s miss came from 56 yards, while Carlson’s was from 49. Coach Kellen Moore said the Saints will create a “tier system” to determine what order the kickers will kick in Dallas, if they get an opportunity. Better red zone In a non-padded practice, the Saints got in a lot of red-zone work. This was one of the offense’s better showings in that area as Shough fit the ball into tight windows to a variety of playmakers. In one stretch, albeit 7-on-7, Shough threw three consecutive touchdowns. He first hit tight end Noah Fant in the middle, then connected with Chris Olave and then completed the sequence with a strike to Devaughn Vele. That trio should present good options for Shough in the regular season, and that doesn’t even include Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) and Juwan Johnson — threats in their own right. While the offense did appear to win the batch of red zone work, cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry finished the practice with an absolutely terrific pass breakup on Olave, knocking the ball out of his hands to the ground right upon the catch point. During a summer full of highlights for McKinstry, that was undoubtedly one of his best plays. Odds and ends Moore confirmed almost all the starters won’t play Friday, but did not mention which quarterback will start in Shough’s place. The Saints had Spencer Rattler first up with the 2’s, followed by Zach Wilson for most of this week. The two did alternate series occasionally. It wouldn’t be surprising to see if running back Zamir White, who the Saints acquired this week from the San Francisco 49ers, gets a lot of volume in Friday’s game. The former fourth-rounder practices hard, often running to the end zone on each of his runs. After a brief scare near the end of Tuesday’s practice in which he got the wind knocked out of him, Olave was a full participant for Wednesday’s session. The wide receiver also stayed 30 minutes after practice to sign autographs. Punter Ryan Wright called it “surreal” to be practicing back at Tulane, his alma mater. The punter joined the Saints on a four-year, $14 million contract in free agency. This was the Saints’ first practice at the stadium since 2024.