Tag: A.T. Perry

3 players who could have bigger roles for the Saints in 2024

The New Orleans Saints are going to be looking for players to take a step up in 2024, here are three prime candidates to do so next season:

The New Orleans Saints had a tough 2023 campaign, while finishing 9-8 they struggled immensely with consistency and ended up losing the division. However, there were some flashes of high-quality play from younger players, especially those who may not have had a ton of playing time overall.

These types of players are critical to the success of the Saints, as many have started off in a limited role but ended up becoming high-value players. In this article, we will be discussing three players who could end up with bigger roles for the Saints in 2024, why they could see this increase, and whether or not they are likely to break out due to this uptick in snaps.

So without further ado, let’s start with our first player:

Several Saints assistants working with 2024 draft prospects at Shrine Bowl

Several Saints assistant coaches are working with 2024 draft prospects at the East-West Shrine Bowl. New Orleans added 8 players from last year’s event:

The New Orleans Saints will have a heavy presence at this year’s East-West Shrine Bowl, which makes sense given how many future NFL players have participated in the event. And the 2024 draft class is following that pattern.

Three Saints assistant coaches have been assigned to work with draft prospects at this year’s Shrine Bowl, all on the West Team. It’s as good an opportunity for future pros to work with NFL coaches as it is for each of these men to advance their careers.

Here’s a quick look at them and the players they’ll be working with:

WATCH: Derek Carr finds A.T. Perry for nice red zone TD

WATCH: Derek Carr finds Saints rookie A.T. Perry for nice red zone touchdown pass against the Falcons

The New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons met on Sunday afternoon in a battle to keep playoff hopes alive. After the Falcons opened the scoring with a touchdown pass on their first possession, the Saints responded with a touchdown pass of their own.

Derek Carr and Taysom Hill led the Saints down the field, but it was the rookie big-bodied receiver A.T. Perry that came down with the score over the Falcons defender. Perry was a sixth round selection out of Wake Forest by the Saints in the most recent draft. Hopes were that he could come in and act as a red zone threat in the future, with Michael Thomas aging.

It has started to look like that may be the case, as Perry becomes more comfortable in the offense. The Saints will want him to become a more consistent weapon in the future, but he now has three touchdowns and a number of highlight catches from his rookie season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Michael Thomas, Marshon Lattimore not expected to return vs. Buccaneers

Saints coach Dennis Allen says he doesn’t expect Michael Thomas or Marshon Lattimore to return this week against the Buccaneers:

Help isn’t on the way ahead of the New Orleans Saints’ most important game of the year. Head coach Dennis Allen said Tuesday that he doesn’t expect  wide receiver Michael Thomas or cornerback Marshon Lattimore to return from injured reserve for Sunday’s game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Both players went on injured reserve after the Saints’ Week 10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings; a helmet to the knee sidelined Thomas, while Lattimore’s ankle was injured when a teammate rolled up on him while making a tackle. So they’re both going to miss at least six games this season after missing most of last year with unrelated injuries.

Will the third time be the charm in 2024? The team must make a decision on Thomas, choosing to either extend his contract again or release him, but Lattimore’s contract makes it tough to move on from him. Paulson Adebo has played really well in his absence and there are some young promising players at receiver like A.T. Perry who could use more reps. We’ll see how things work out in the spring, but for now the Saints need to figure out ways to win without some of their best players.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Report: Chris Olave has the flu, expected to play vs. Panthers

NOF reports that New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave is expected to play against the Carolina Panthers despite missing practice with the flu:

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave was a surprise add to the injury report this week with an illness, but it’s not expected to slow him down much in Sunday’s game with the Carolina Panthers. Olave is officially listed as questionable for this matchup, but NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that he’s expected to play after coming down with the flu.

Olave has gone on a tear in recent weeks with receiving totals of 119, 114, and 94 yards in his last three games, and the Saints need him on top of the depth chart with Michael Thomas on injured reserve while Rashid Shaheed deals with a thigh injury.

And it sounds like that’ll be the case on Sunday. Other receivers on the depth chart include A.T. Perry, Lynn Bowden Jr., and Keith Kirkwood with Marquez Callaway, Jontre Kirklin, and Shaquan Davis on the practice squad.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Rookie wide receiver Shaquan Davis activated from Saints injury list

Rookie wide receiver Shaquan Davis has been activated from the New Orleans Saints injured/practice squad list:

This is good to see: the New Orleans Saints announced that rookie wide receiver Shaquan Davis has been activated from the practice squad injury list, taking a vacancy created by the release of safety Daniel Sorensen earlier this week.

Davis signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent out of South Carolina State and quickly won over the fanbase with some big catches in preseason. He has rare size at a listed 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds.

Injuries have been stacking up at receiver for New Orleans, so there’s a chance Davis could hear his number called soon. Michael Thomas is on injured reserve with a knee injury and a thigh issue has sidelined Rashid Shaheed in recent weeks. Chris Olave didn’t practice Thursday while dealing with an illness.

Other receivers available this week include rookie sixth-round pick A.T. Perry, veterans Lynn Bowden Jr. and Keith Kirkwood, with backups Marquez Callaway and Jontre Kirklin on the practice squad. Stay tuned for game status updates after Friday’s practice session.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Saints Twitter rips Derek Carr for dangerous throw on first-quarter interception

Derek Carr had a wide-open receiver but threw into tight coverage instead, leading to an interception on the opening drive. Saints fans weren’t happy:

Yikes. The New Orleans Saints offense took the field on Sunday facing a 7-0 deficit against the Detroit Lions, and their first play from scrimmage had Derek Carr dropping back to pass — and that’s where things took an ugly turn.

Carr missed a wide-open A.T. Perry on the left side of the field and chose to check down to tight end Juwan Johnson in tight coverage, which was a dangerous decision. And it proved to be costly. The pass deflected off of Johnson’s hands and into the mitts of Lions safety Brian Branch, who intercepted it to set the Detroit offense up in prime field position.

Johnson should have caught that ball. But Carr shouldn’t have thrown it in the first place when he had a safer option open for a bigger gain downfield. And everyone saw it: Saints fans, local media, and observers on social media:

Saints bring up two players from their practice squad for Week 13 vs. Lions

The New Orleans Saints brought up some reinforcements from their practice squad for Week 13’s game with the Detroit Lions in a pair of standard elevations:

The New Orleans Saints brought up some reinforcements from their practice squad for Week 13’s game with the Detroit Lions in a pair of standard elevations, giving wide receiver Marquez Callaway and fullback Adam Prentice an opportunity to return to the lineup.

Callaway was recently re-signed after a knee injury put Michael Thomas out of action for at least the next four games. He’s experienced in the system, having started his pro career in New Orleans, though he spent the summer with Sean Payton on the Denver Broncos.

Rashid Shaheed (thigh) has also been ruled out with an injury and Chris Olave (concussion protocol) is questionable for this game, so the receivers we know the Saints will have available include Callaway, A.T. Perry, Keith Kirkwood, and Lynn Bowden Jr.

As for Prentice: the fullback spent some time on injured reserve earlier this season and returned to be bumped down to the practice squad. He’s already been elevated once so the Saints can call him up like this one more time before they’ll need to sign him to the 53-man roster again if they want to continue playing him. As is the case for Callaway, Prentice will revert to the practice squad after Sunday’s game with the Lions.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

4 Saints keys to victory on offense vs. Lions

It all starts with scoring more touchdowns. Breaking down four keys to a New Orleans Saints victory on offense against the Detroit Lions:

What can the New Orleans Saints offense do to secure a win over the Detroit Lions in Week 13? What schematic decisions and points of emphasis will make a difference? Which vulnerabilities in the Detroit defense can they exploit?

Scoring more touchdowns would help.

Really, though: Derek Carr’s deficiencies in the red zone and inside the 10-yard line have been pronounced in recent weeks, and figuring out why he’s struggling so badly can make a difference on Sunday. But there are 80 yards to cover before the Saints can get in scoring position. With that in mind, here are four keys to victory we’re looking for from the New Orleans offense:

Fantasy football sleepers to play in Week 13

Check out these sleepers to play in fantasy football for Week 13.

It’s here. Part II of the bye-pocalypse is upon us, and the mad scramble to find sleepers for our starting lineups in fantasy football has commenced.

And it’s as rough as we expected it to be. Six teams are on a bye in Week 13 including the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings.

As it pertains to the sleepers, the options aren’t as plentiful as they would be in a typical week. But that’s not going to stop us from trying to find some diamonds in the rough as managers look to make the final push for the playoffs.

Don’t forget to check out The Huddle’s weekly PPR projections and rankings to get a better idea of how we feel about the upcoming week as a whole.