JACKSON: Saints WR room needs a physical presence

By Ross Jackson

As the offseason progresses, free agency and the NFL Draft will arrive before teams know it. At that time, the New Orleans Saints will have their new leadership in place and will be focused on adding talent to their roster.

One of the most important positions to address on their depth chart will be wide receiver.

The team is set to return a few talented names. Star wideouts Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed should be ready and back to full strength before the season gets under way. Second-year receivers Bub Means and Mason Tipton are set to return for camp, as well. That shouldn’t be enough for the Saints to feel comfortable going into 2025, even at the top of the position. 

New Orleans could look to bring back veteran receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who finished 2024 as the team’s No. 5 player in receiving yards (385), despite not making his first appearance with the Saints until Week 9. 

Even then, the team would have some great field-stretching threats without having the complement they desperately need at the position. Adding a new wideout shouldn’t be looked at as a reduction of Olave or Shaheed’s roles, but instead in benefit of it. Having a contested-catch, go-to receiver with split-end ability and slot versatility could create even more opportunities for the game-breaking speed of Olave and Shaheed

Having those two without an alternative threat, while they were healthy, was perhaps one of the most ineffective elements of the Saints offense in 2024. Having a more complete room only makes the best parts of it better. 

Having another viable receiving option would also help the Saints do something they struggled to achieve throughout 2024—winning on early downs. New Orleans, along with the San Francisco 49ers, ran 11-personnel—three wide receivers—on only 37% of the time on first and second downs in 2024, per Sharp Football Analysis. That’s the league’s lowest rate. The league’s average last year was 62%.

New Orleans is in need of a dominating and physical presence at wide receiver next year. This year’s open market and draft class present a lot of opportunities for them to add that talent. 

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins will be a big fish in free agency, should he not remain in Cincinnati. At 6-foot-3 and more than 205 pounds, he fits the profile of exactly what the Saints should be seeking this offseason.

Higgins is the type of receiver who can line up as a split end, isolated on the weak side of the offense, and run a quick slant to pick up five yards on third-and-two. The Saints need what’s called an “X-receiver” to complement their extremely talented and speedy pass-catchers who can move across the offense.

Higgins, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Mike Williams, and veteran wideout Keenan Allen all check the boxes of this physical type going into free agency this season. While Allen is entering the twilight of his career, he is still a player with some gas left in the tank to serve a specialized role like what the Saints should be looking to add. 

In the draft, Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan should be near the top of the Saints’ board. At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, McMillan is a technician as a route-runner and is a classic box-out and win type of receiver. He’s bigger and stronger than anyone he lines up against and presents the dominant type that would be perfect in New Orleans. McMillan is likely to go high in the first round, possibly necessitating a trade up in order to nab him on draft day. 

A few other names to consider in this year’s draft would be TCU wide receiver Savion Williams, Iowa State wideout Jayden Higgins, and one of the most underrated names in the draft, Elic Ayomanor, the big-bodied wide receiver from Stafford who has a very similar scouting outlook as McMillan. 

Utah State wide receiver Jalen Royals will be another to watch, as well. His buzz is quiet now, but following the Senior Bowl and NFL combine, Royals will be one of the process’ fastest risers. 

New Orleans needs to add a physical presence at wide receiver and has every avenue to get it done this offseason.