JACKSON – New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees should be a happy training camper after the moves general manager Mickey Loomis made this week.

At a Wednesday evening press conference to signal the beginning of the Saints’ third training camp at Millsaps College, Loomis announced that wide receiver Marques Colston was signed to a three-year contract extension through 2011.

On Monday, Loomis completed a trade with the New York Giants to bring four-time All-Pro tight end Jeremy Shockey to the Saints.

The moves should greatly benefit Brees and give the Saints another explosive offense.

Loomis admited he’s never given a contract extension to a player with just two years of experience but thought Colston far surpassed any expectations of a seventh round pick.

“Coming in as a seventh rounder, and be as productive as any wide receiver in Saints history, we felt he was deserving of a three-year extension,” Loomis said. “And because it’s just three years Marques will have another bite at the apple in 2011, so he’s excited.”

Colston has been Brees’ top target for the past two years, going over 1,000 yards receiving and becoming just the third player in the NFL since the 1970 merger to do that in his first two seasons. Last season, he caught 98 passes for 1,202 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The Shockey acquistion represents the second big offseason trade for the Saints. The other was for New York Jets linebacker Jonathan Vilma.

“We basically went after the two guys who could really help our team,” Loomis said.

The Saints tried to trade for Shockey at the April draft but the Giants wouldn’t budge.

“We tried a lot, before the draft, at the draft, after the draft. I can understand why they may have wanted to hold on to him. Then before training camp I called (Giants GM) Jerry Reese and asked if he was still interested. He wanted to make a deal,” Loomis said.,

When healthy, Shockey was one of the top five tight ends in the league. He was hurt for most of last season as the Giants went on to upset New England in the Super Bowl.

The big headache for Loomis now, is trying to sign the Saints’ top draft pick from 2008 in Southern Cal defensive tackle Sederick Ellis. On Friday, the Saints signed their second-round pick, cornerback Tracy Porter of Indiana.

“That’s our biggest concern, Ellis and Porter. It’s been very little progress with any of them and it’s like that for most of the first rounders,” Loomis said earlier this week. “I would like to see some logic to it, but don’t. You want to get these guys in to get them acclimated and get them going.”

The Saints’ No. 1 pick from 2007, wide receiver Robert Meacham of Tennessee, did not even dress in any of the team’s 16 games last year, but Loomis is expecting that to change in 2008.

“We know he did not live up to expectations last year, but we were glad to see that Robert sought out (veteran receiver) David Patten and asked him to mentor his offseason. That’s exciting for me to see a player with some determination who says that he wants to show people he was worth a first round pick. I’m anxious to see the results of that this training camp,” Loomis said.

On Friday, the Saints did manage to get a draft pick on the field when they signed Porter to a four-year contract. To make room on the roster, the Saints released veteran tight end Eric Johnson, whose starting job was in jeopardy after the Saints traded for Shockey.

Shortly after signing his first pro contract, Porter, a cornerback who was taken 40th overall in April’s draft, took the field for the Saints’ fourth practice of training camp.

“I’m glad the whole ordeal is over and I can come out here and develop chemistry with me teammates,” said Porter, a cornerback who is a Port Allen, La., native and started for four years at Indiana.

The Associated Press contributed to this report