All offseason the New Orleans Saints have been open about wanting to address and bolster their wide receiver one. Inherently, this was on the horizon with the expected return of All-Pro receiver Michael Thomas. However, New Orleans wisely didn’t rely on just his return to aid what was considered a big need for the team. They also selected Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave in the first-round and most recently signed veteran wideout Jarvis Landry. The signing of Landry is one that was met with much excitement due to his Louisiana roots, but is also a clear benefit to the team when it comes to his leadership and experience on the field.
To help gather information on how Landry might fit together in the Saints’ offense in 2022, I watch each snap of his three most run routes (slant, hitch, and out) in 2020 and 2021. Since he had an abbreviated and injury-riddled 2021, I went back an extra season.
I then went through the Saints’ 2021 receiving group to find similar routes, patterns, and concepts. This allowed me to evaluate the receiver’s route-running, their spacing relative to other receivers, and ability to finish plays. What this shows us is that a lot of what the Saints young pass-catchers struggled with last year, shouldn’t be an issue for the revamped wideout room. Let’s explore: