Tag: Bub Means

Saints lost another receiver to injury late in loss to Chargers

The New Orleans Saints lost wide receiver Bub Means to an ankle injury on Sunday. They can’t afford many more hits to the receiving corps:

The New Orleans Saints lost wide receiver Bub Means to injury on Sunday when he was carted off the field late in the 26-8 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Head coach Dennis Allen noted after the game that Means had suffered an ankle injury, but he declined to share specifics. Means had previously left the game with a hand injury but returned in an attempt to play through it.

While the Saints have had plenty of other issues abound contributing to their lack of success, injuries have been one of the key problems. And wide receiver is a particular area that has caused many woes.

Among those names include Rashid Shaheed (out for the season after knee surgery) and Cedrick Wilson Jr. (who didn’t play this week due to a hip injury). Depending on how things shake out with injuries at the position moving forward will have great bearing on just how soon a newly-signed Marquez Valdes-Scantling could see the field.

Valdes-Scantling was inactive for Week 8, shortly after joining the Saints. If he is to take the field sooner rather than later, expect him to make an impact as a deep threat as he totals 22 career catches of 40 or more yards.

The Saints will aim for a (much) better offensive performance when they face the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at 12 Noon CT/1 p.m. ET.

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Saints score 27 points in second quarter against Buccaneers

The Saints and Bucs were keeping the scoreboard operator busy

There was a wild first half in the Big Easy on Sunday as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints put 51 points on the scoreboard.

The Buccaneers surged to a 17-0 lead before New Orleans ralled, keyed by a punt return for a TD by Rashid Shaheed.

Spencer Rattler was making his first NFL start at QB and the rookie from South Carolina threw for 140 yards and a TD before the break.

The TD pass was good for 10 yards to Bub Means and it gave New Orleans its first lead at 20-17.

The teams then traded touchdowns and the Saints led at the half, 27-24.

WATCH: Spencer Rattler makes Saints history with his first NFL touchdown pass

Spencer Rattler threw his first NFL touchdown pass to another rookie, and it came when the team needed it most. It also made Saints history:

Take a bow, Spencer Rattler. The young quarterback threw his first NFL touchdown pass to another rookie, and it came when the team needed it most. Rattler swung a fastball to wide receiver Bub Means in the back of the end zone, giving the New Orleans Saints a lead over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Context makes the play even more impressive. The Saints fell into a 17-0 deficit early on after the Bucs scored a couple of touchdowns on their own, one of them off a fumble recovery, but New Orleans fought back. The defense took the ball away, Rashid Shaheed scored a long punt return touchdown, and when Rattler got in he took care of business, putting them on top 20-17.

It was the first time in Saints franchise history that a rookie quarterback’s first touchdown pass was thrown to another first-year pro in his first start. And it’s a good start to Rattler’s NFL story. Let’s see if he can keep it going.

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Dennis Allen says the Saints offense needs more firepower

Dennis Allen says the Saints offense needs more firepower. Underperforming veterans need to step up, but so do the draft picks watching games in sweatpants:

The New Orleans Saints have a good set of options at the skills positions, but good is the enemy of great. And Saints head coach Dennis Allen is looking for someone to step up now that injuries have hit the top of the depth chart.

Chris Olave played through a hamstring injury against the Atlanta Falcons. Taysom Hill scored both of the team’s first two touchdowns before exiting with a ribs issue. That meant an even heavier workload than normal for Alvin Kamara, and a wider range of responsibilities for Rashid Shaheed. And Allen needs to see other guys pulling their weight.

“We got to find some other guys that can make plays for us other than Alvin, Olave, Taysom,” Allen said Monday, looking back at Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons. “I thought Rashid did some good things from an offensive perspective.”

Shaheed obviously made a big mistake on special teams by muffing an early punt which Atlanta recovered for a touchdown, but he did catch 8 of his 11 targets for 83 yards. That trailed Olave’s 8 receptions (on 10 targets) and 87 yards for the team lead. Kamara had 77 rushing yards and 42 receiving yards. Some more options would be nice.

Maybe Kendre Miller can provide a spark, but he has a lot to prove after missing all of training camp and the first four games with a hamstring injury. Allen has said before that he’s anxious to see whether Miller has even picked up the offense without taking any practice reps in it.

One obvious pick to step up? Juwan Johnson. He’s been a non-factor at best in Klint Kubiak’s offense, which was the case for him during most of last season, too. If he can’t get open and catch passes they need to find someone who can.

It’s disappointing when you look at their recent draft history and see guys like Miller, A.T. Perry, and Bub Means watching so many games in sweatpants. Allen is right that players need to step up outside their top talents. At the same time, the players he and his staff have drafted are not meeting expectations. They aren’t going to sign any free agents who can outplay guys already in the building, and it’s not looking like they’ll be in position to make a bold trade before the deadline in November. But if Allen’s comments are anything to go by, something is about to change.

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Chris Olave’s absence would force players to see more targets vs. Falcons

The Saints passing attack has been all Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. Other players must step up if Olave’s hamstring injury sidelines him:

The New Orleans Saints passing attack has been led by a blend of Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. Foster Moreau is your next leading receiver, but with just 5 receptions for 45 yards.

Derek Carr expressed how the lack of targets for players is partially due to the flow of the game and the Saints not passing as often. Still, with the Big 3 commanding so much of the passing volume, you wonder how much one player missing would hamper the offense.

That hypothetical could be a reality on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, as Olave was limited with a hamstring injury on Friday.

Juwan Johnson is the first name that comes to mind as a player who must step up in Olave’s absence. You wanted more out of him in Olave’s presence, but Johnson has to step up if the receiver misses the game.

Johnson is supposed to be your leading tight end, but he’s been shut out of the stat sheet for the last two weeks. He’s not the only one. You’ll look for more out of Moreau and maybe Cedrick Wilson Jr. as well, but the veteran wideout has been limited with an ankle injury. This could be the moment for rookies Mason Tipton and Bub Means to step up at wide receiver, but look for Equanimeous St. Brown to get called up from thee practice squad.

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A.T. Perry is a healthy scratch for Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys

The New Orleans Saints opted to make A.T. Perry a healthy scratch entering Week 2’s Dallas Cowboys game after he missed Week 1 with a hand injury:

The New Orleans Saints have been moving their wide receiver corps around all offseason and preseason, trying to find out the best mix of players for their roster. Ultimately, that led to A.T. Perry being marked as a healthy scratch for Week 2, per ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. This comes after Perry practiced without limitation the whole week, though he missed Week 1’s game due to a hand injury.

This is somewhat surprising after Perry suited up for 10 games last season, starting three, and was impressive in his playing time given. However, in preseason there were times when other players were getting opportunities over him, especially in the game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Could this just be injury management and ensuring he is completely healthy before he gets any run time? Maybe. Could it also be the Saints saying they really like what they have in guys like Bub Means and Mason Tipton over Perry? Also maybe. Who knows the thought process here, but ultimately the decision has been made, at least this week, to go away from Perry and stick with the receiver room they had for Week 1.

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Lions WR Tim Patrick says Saints tried to trade for him before Broncos cut him

Tim Patrick, the Lions’ newest wide receiver, says the Saints tried to trade for him before the Broncos cut him:

The final week of the preseason is a busy time full of trade talks and tough decisions ahead of roster cuts, but some deals are discussed without ever coming to fruition. That was the case for Tim Patrick. The Detroit Lions’ newest wide receiver was let go by the Denver Broncos, but he nearly became a member of the New Orleans Saints. Sean Payton has worked often with his former team over the last year so this isn’t too surprising.

Patrick told the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett that the Broncos were negotiating a trade with the Saints before roster cuts but couldn’t agree to terms, so they decided to release Patrick and let him choose his next team.

He would’ve been a good get. Patrick did miss the 2022 and 2023 seasons with injuries but he remained a popular player in the locker room, and his resume speaks for itself. He would’ve been one of the best-accomplished receivers in New Orleans. His 143 receptions for 2,009 yards and 101 first down conversions are more than every wideout on the roster after Chris Olave.

What could a trade have looked like? Maybe the Saints approached Denver with a pick-swap in mind. The same day Patrick was released they cut a deal with the Washington Commanders to acquire defensive tackle John Ridgeway III, exchanging a sixth-round pick for a seventh rounder in 2025. Something is better than nothing, but in this case the decisionmakers in Denver decided goodwill with Patrick and his fans was worth more than a draft pick or some other compensation.

As for the Saints? Right now they have rostered Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Cedrick Wilson Jr., A.T. Perry, Bub Means, and Mason Tipton with Equanimeous St. Brown and Kevin Austin Jr. on the practice squad. They tried out a couple of free agents but didn’t sign any of them, so they clearly do want more help at wide receiver. We’ll just have to wait and see whether they make another move.

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WATCH: Derek Carr hits rookie Bub Means to convert big 4th down vs. 49ers

Derek Carr hit rookie wideout Bub Means to convert a big fourth down against the 49ers. It’s a big step in the right direction for a team that needed it:

The New Orleans Saints’ first-team offense finally found some life after a couple of underwhelming drives to start their second preseason game. On 4th-and-5 from the San Francisco 49eres’ 38-yard line, the team dialed up a spot concept to find rookie wideout Bub Means for a big conversion. This conversion led to a 1-yard touchdown run by Taysom Hill to cap off a 16-play drive, putting them up by 7 points  at Levi’s Stadium.

This was a great sign for the team finally seeing Means in action after he missed time in training camp with an injury. The Saints are in need of more playmakers at the wide receiver position and it would be beneficial for the team if Means was part of the solution there. Carr having the trust to hit Means on this play goes a long way as well. It’s an encouraging moment for the exciting rookie from Pitt.

Capitalizing on later downs is something that the team has struggled with as of late. If they can sustain drives and find success on crucial downs, it will go a long way to making Klint Kubiak’s offense go this season. It is also a positive that they were able to get this done against one of the best defensive schemes in football. This was a big step in the right direction for a team that needed to see it.

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Multiple wide receivers, including Rashid Shaheed, return to Saints practice

Three Saints wide receivers returned to practice on Sunday after missing time with various injuries, including Rashid Shaheed:

The New Orleans Saints have dealt with various injuries at the wide receiver position throughout the offseason, and the position was relatively unimpressive during their first preseason matchup aside from A.T. Perry and Samson Nacua.

However, they may be getting some players back sooner rather than later, as Rashid Shaheed, Bub Means, and Equanimeous St. Brown all returned to practice today. According to Locked On Network’s Ross Jackson, the three returned to practice today, however, they did not participate in team drills.

These three returning is an extremely good sign, as all three have missed practice for significant amounts of time, with their injuries occurring on:

  • Equanimeous St. Brown: Jul. 30
  • Bub Means: Jul. 31
  • Rashid Shaheed: Aug. 3

Out of the 15 players who missed the preseason Week 1 game for the Saints, it is great to be getting many of them back before their next matchup to get them warmed up, or in the case of Means and St. Brown, see what they have. In addition to these three, Mason Tipton was also observed to be on the sideline as well, who would be nice to see in preseason after having a standout camp. We will see how they each progress through the week, but this is a great start overall.

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After series of injuries, Saints bring back a familiar face at wide receiver

The New Orleans Saints re-signed Marquez Callaway amid a series of injuries at wide receiver. He’s back for his third stint with the team:

The New Orleans Saints announced a couple of roster moves on Thursday, most notably that they had re-signed Marquez Callaway. His return comes amid a series of injuries at wide receiver. Veteran wideouts Cedrick Wilson Jr. and Equanimeous St. Brown as well as rookie draft pick Bub Means missed Wednesday’s practice after getting banged up. The Saints needed to restock.

And so Callaway is back for his third stint with the team, his first try in Klint Kubiak’s offense. The Saints chose to let him reach free agency after his practice squad contract expired back in January, and he initially signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they let him go on Tuesday.

Callaway first joined the Saints as a rookie free agent out of Tennessee, helping out in the return game and playing a bit part on offense in 2020. He broke out with 46 catches for 698 yards in 2021, scoring six touchdown receptions, but he hasn’t returned to those heights. In the meantime he’s followed Sean Payton to the Denver Broncos and tried out in Pittsburgh (as well as with the Las Vegas Raiders last summer).

The Saints also waived backup tight end Tommy Hudson with an injury designation to make room for Callaway. He’s likely headed for injured reserve should he clear waivers. Juwan Johnson, the starter, is still on the physically unable to perform list leaving Foster Moreau and Dallin Holker to handle most of the snaps in passing drills.

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