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There’s high expectations for Rashid Shaheed as he begins his second season with the New Orleans Saints, with the latest positive forecast coming at Pro Football Focus from Zoltan Buday. Buday listed a breakout candidate for all 32 teams, and he likes Shaheed as a Saints player ready to spend more time in the spotlight:
Injuries at the receiver position allowed Shaheed to get on the field for the Saints — and he did not disappoint. The undrafted free agent started to play a bigger role from Week 11, and over the last eight weeks of the season, he averaged 2.40 yards per route run to rank eighth out of 105 qualifying receivers.
Shaheed initially got into games as a gadget player for New Orleans, but he proved he could handle a wider range of responsibilities and by the end of the year he was being deployed as a sure-handed receiver on third downs. It will be challenging for him to sustain that impressive level of play on a larger sample size, but there’s plenty of reason for encouragement so far.
One variable to watch: more additions at receiver. If the Saints make another move to add a veteran after the NFL’s June 1 milestone (when such roster moves become more feasible from a salary cap standpoint), Shaheed could be pushed down the depth chart from the No. 3 spot he’s currently penciled in for.
That might not be a bad thing. If the Saints add a starting-quality receiver like, say, Las Vegas Raiders slot specialist Hunter Renfrow then they would have viable playmakers at all three spots: Renfrow in the slot with Michael Thomas at split end and Chris Olave at flanker. That would give Shaheed the freedom and flexibility to sub in for any one of them, allowing the Saints to dictate his matchups and role on any given play. So if they catch the defense with a linebacker in the slot or a special teams player out at corner, Shaheed could motion over and take advantage of the athletic mismatch.
Maybe. It’s tough to see the Saints adding a player this late in the offseason who would push for starter’s snaps and offer more than Shaheed hopes to. But you never know. For now, we’re content to buy stock in the young receiver and see which heights he can meet in 2023.
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