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The hits just keep coming. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill first reported that All-Pro Saints return specialist Deonte Harris was arrested earlier in July for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol. The Athletic’s Larry Holder and ESPN’s Mike Triplett confirmed this, citing Maryland court records that clocked him driving 77 miles per hour in a 55-miles per hour zone overnight on July 16. The case remains open.
It’s a tough blow. Harris was expected to take on a bigger role with the New Orleans offense this year even before news of Michael Thomas’ prolonged absence came to light. Of the five wide receivers to draw 25-plus targets last year, only two (Tre’Quan Smith and Marquez Callaway, who combined for 77 targets) remain following Emmanuel Sanders’ release back in March.
While no suspension for Harris has been handed down from the league office just yet, his teammate P.J. Williams served a two-game suspension a few years ago for his own DUI incident, though it fell underneath Louisiana laws, not Maryland’s. That precedent suggests Harris could be unavailable for Week 1’s home opener with the Green Bay Packers and Week 2’s road trip against the Carolina Panthers.
The good news is that Callaway should be well-suited to fill in for Harris on special teams. He stepped into the returner role when Harris missed a couple of games with injury in 2020, averaging 11.1 yards per punt return (Harris had 12.2) and 23.5 yards per kickoff return (Harris had 27.5). There are fewer options to replace his game-breaking speed on offense, but former Tulane speedster Jalen McCleskey is a candidate.
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