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The Saints are working out WR Jalen McCleskey today, per source. He spent camp with the team before getting injured.
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) November 16, 2021
There’s a familiar face: NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill first reported Tuesday that the Saints are hosting wide receiver Jalen McCleskey for a free agent tryout. McCleskey joined the team for training camp this offseason and left a good impression, but a hamstring injury landed him on injured reserve back on Aug. 12. He was released with an injury settlement on Aug. 21, but now he’s healed up and ready to give it another go.
Hopefully he’s still showing the athleticism that enticed the Saints in the first place. He’s a good comparison for Deonte Harris as a lightweight speedster at 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds with a 4.28-second time in the 40-yard dash, and his smooth, gliding running style stood out in training camp.
But Harris could be suspended for three games after his offseason DUI case was closed last week, whenever the NFL gets around to it. And of the six different receivers to run even a single route for the Saints over the last three weeks, only Harris and Tre’Quan Smith have recorded 100 or more receiving yards during that span. They could use all the help they can get.
Here is what the depth chart currently looks like at wide receiver:
- Tre’Quan Smith
- Marquez Callaway
- Deonte Harris
- Kenny Stills
- Ty Montgomery
- Kevin White
- Easop Winston Jr. (practice squad)
- Kawaan Baker (practice squad)
We’ll know if any other players tried out alongside McCleskey, or if anyone was signed after the workout, once the daily NFL transactions wire updates at 3 p.m. CT/4 p.m. ET. Stay tuned for updates. If the Saints do end up signing a new receiver the most likely move would be adding them to the practice squad and elevating them for two games before signing them to the active roster, which was the plan for both Stills and White.
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