By this time last year, safety Smoke Monday’s first season in the NFL was over. After sustaining a torn anterior cruciate ligament at practice, the former Auburn defensive back went on season-ending injured reserve on Aug. 5, 2022.

Despite Monday’s status as an undrafted rookie, the New Orleans Saints kept the safety on their IR all season, and he’s giving training camp another try after recovering from his knee injury.

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“I’m just glad to be back, to be honest,” Monday said on Monday. “I ain’t played football in a while, so just to be back out here and compete with these guys, it’s a blessing for me.”

Monday played in 50 games at Auburn. He recorded 172 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, six sacks and five interceptions.

Monday returned three of his interceptions for touchdowns – 29 yards in a 48-45 victory over Alabama on Nov. 30, 2019; 100 yards in a 30-17 victory over Tennessee on Nov. 21, 2020; and 36 yards in a 34-24 victory over Georgia State on Sept. 25, 2021.

But after his active career at Auburn, Monday spent his first season in the NFL rehabbing his knee injury and working on his football IQ.

“For me, it was just mental,” Monday said. “I never really had an injury like that, so for me to go down with that type of injury, it was just all mental for me. But I had people like Tyrann (Mathieu), Marcus Maye, older guys keeping me up – just made sure I stayed focused and I stayed in the playbook while I was down. That was really one of the main things. …

“An ACL, that’s hard to bounce back from, so I had to get my mind right for that long journey. And then also the football side of it, just staying on top of the plays, stack up every week, still picking the brains of the older guys getting what I can while I can.”

Monday was able to find the silver lining of his season on injured reserve.

“It definitely helped because I got to see it live,” Monday said, “watch the guys prepare for games and see how these older guys go through the week taking care of their bodies, also staying in the playbook, so it was a lot of things that they taught me throughout last year.”

Monday said he’s put that learning into practice by working as strong, free and dime safety in training camp.

The Saints have Mathieu and Maye returning, as well as former first-round pick and Las Vegas Raiders starter Johnathan Abram, fifth-round rookie Jordan Howden and former first-team All-Pro special-teamer J.T. Gray available at safety.

The existing depth means Monday’s path to the regular-season roster must include a role on special teams.

“I know (special-teams coordinator Darren Rizzi)’s got me in a lot of positions right now,” Monday said. “I’m playing a little (personal protector), I’m playing a little left wing, so as many positions as you can play on the special teams, that’s a win, so whatever they need me to do, I’m going to go out and do it to the best of my abilities.”

The Saints will kick off their three-game preseason schedule against the Kansas City Chiefs at noon CDT Sunday at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. NFL Network will televise the game.

Monday is in line to make his pro debut in the contest.

“I definitely think I’ve shown what kind of player I am,” Monday said of his training-camp work. “Just continue to go out and get better every day, that’s the main thing.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.