Tag: Keith Kirkwood

Saints aren’t tendering wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr.

The Saints aren’t tendering Lynn Bowden Jr., which means only 3 of the 11 wide receivers who played for them last year are set to return for 2024:

Get ready for a new-look New Orleans Saints wide receiver corps in 2024. The Saints will not be tendering veteran wideout Lynn Bowden Jr., per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, which will make him a free agent when the new league year begins on March 13.

This isn’t too surprising in itself. Bowden primarily worked as a blocker and decoy for the Saints, only drawing 16 targets in 15 games last year while catching 11 passes for 83 yards, picking up a pair of first downs. He also recorded 5 rushing attempts for 32 yards on the ground, moving the chains three times. He was a serviceable emergency returns specialist, averaging 7.6 yards per punt return and 21.3 yards per kick return. That isn’t production teams pay top-dollar for.

But things are interesting under the surface. Fowler initially said that Bowden was an exclusive rights free agent, not a restricted free agent, which he later said was a mistake. Not tendering Bowden as a restricted free agent made sense because it costs at least $2,985,000. Re-signing Bowden at the league-minimum salary is an option.

Maybe he returns later as a minimum signing, but it’s possible that the Saints will be moving on as offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak revamps the receiving corps. Bowden is the latest wideout from New Orleans’ 2023 team to depart thus far. Let’s break it down:

  • Michael Thomas will enter free agency on Wednesday after being released from his contract
  • Marquez Callaway signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers after his practice squad deal expired
  • Shaquan Davis chose to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles in similar circumstances
  • Kirk Merritt is playing for the UFL’s Houston Roughnecks
  • Jontre Kirklin is with the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas as well
  • Keith Kirkwood will be an unrestricted free agent, too
  • If you’re curious, the Detroit Lions signed Tre’Quan Smith

Which leaves Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and A.T. Perry as the only receivers returning for the 2024 season (so far). It’s possible Kirkwood and Bowden return at some point but Kubiak has a big opportunity to retool this depth chart. Stay tuned to learn what his plan for accomplishing that is.

Update: Fowler corrected his report, clarifying that Bowden was a restricted free agent (RFA), not an exclusive rights free agent (ERFA). So that confusion can be chalked up to a typo. Maybe the NFL can workshop some abbreviations which aren’t so easy to mistake for one another?

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

The Saints should let these 3 players walk in free agency

The New Orleans Saints can afford to let some players walk away. There are some free agents who should be playing elsewhere in 2024:

The New Orleans Saints only have one free agent who made more than $2 million dollars in 2023. Rashid Shaheed will also cross that threshold easily once he receives a new contract. In other words, the majority of the players aren’t big names. It’s majorly depth pieces who wouldn’t put much of a dent in the salary cap if they returned.

The biggest names who could be on this list have voids on their contract and technically aren’t free agents yet. That would be Michael Thomas and Jameis Winston. Both are likely gone due to disconnects with management. Other players could be on their way out the door, too. Here are three Saints free agents whose contracts will expired and shouldn’t be re-signed:

WATCH: Keith Kirkwood ends five-year touchdowns drought vs. Giants

WATCH: Saints wide receiver Keith Kirkwood ends five-year touchdowns drought vs. Giants

Good for Keith Kirkwood. The New Orleans Saints wide receiver caught an early go-ahead touchdown pass against the New York Giants on Sunday, which was good to see on its own — but it also ended a five-year scoring drought for him. Kirkwood’s last touchdown catch came in the 2018 playoffs on Jan. 13, 2019 when Drew Brees threw a 2-yard lob his way against the Philadelphia Eagles. This time Derek Carr found him from 7 yards out.

Kirkwood’s NFL career took a turn from there. He left the Saints for the Carolina Panthers in 2020 and hung around on their roster for a few years before returning to the New Orleans practice squad last season. He’s bounced on and off of their 53-man roster ever since.

Now he’s tied for the fourth-most touchdown receptions on the Saints’ entire roster. Chris Olave, who was inactive against the Giants with an injury, leads the team (4) with Rashid Shaheed and Jimmy Graham (3) tied for second-most. Seven other players, including Kirkwood, had caught at least one touchdown pass.

[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 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]

Derek Carr’s response to pick-six vs. Falcons couldn’t be worse

Rather than practice any accountability for a bad decision on his pick-six against the Falcons, Derek Carr complimented his opponent for making a great play:

Nobody likes to be critical of themselves, but that comes with the territory of being a franchise quarterback in the NFL. As the face of an organization with more responsibility for the performance of the offense than anyone else in the building, it falls on the quarterback to take credit in wins and face criticism in losses.

So it’s concerning to see Derek Carr dodge the issue when discussing his worst play against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. The New Orleans Saints quarterback threw an interception to Falcons safety Jessie Bates III in the red zone that Bates returned 92 yards for a defensive score, giving Atlanta an early lead which they wouldn’t relinquish for the rest of the afternoon.

And rather than accept any accountability for making a bad decision and putting the ball in harm’s way, all Carr had to share after the game was praise for his opponent.

“He was playing single high and he left his responsibility. You don’t expect him to do that,” Carr said. “You don’t plan on that, for that route. I thought (Rashid) Shaheed made a good decision. But Bates is a good player and he made a great play. Very few times have I told someone good job on a bad play, but that was one where I told him, ‘You beat me. You made a great play.’ It is what it is. It sucks to have that happen. But same thing, (passing game coordinator Ronald Curry) on the sideline, he says ‘Bro made a great play. Keep playing, you’re playing great, get going.'”

Carr has not met the expectations the Saints set for him. He’s making mistakes that you’d expect from a rookie quarterback, not someone in his 154th start in the NFL. He isn’t playing like the NFL’s 13th highest-paid quarterback (which he is). He threw more touchdown passes to Falcons players than his Saints teammates in Atlanta on Sunday.

On this play, Carr took the snap out of the shotgun and dropped back to pass, locking onto Shaheed right away and throwing the ball a little behind him. Bates correctly read Carr’s intentions and jumped the route for an easy catch with 92 yards of open field ahead of him. It was a great play that showed the safety’s high football IQ, but that’s not the story here. Carr failed to progress through the coverage and find his receivers. Chris Olave had a step on A.J. Terrell in the end zone over the middle of the field. Keith Kirkwood was open running against Dee Alford at the top of the formation. Carr had options.

Maybe a designed pass to Shaheed on a Texas route, sending him to the end zone, was the point of the play. When given an opportunity to explain himself and what the idea was, and most importantly, where he went wrong, Carr instead chose to deflect criticism away and talk up his opponent for getting the better of him. There’s nothing wrong with offering a hat-tip to someone in that situation. But Carr’s reluctance to own up to his mistake on a game-changing play is telling. He’s got to play better than this, and if he isn’t willing to admit as much publicly, it’s worth wondering whether he’s being told that privately.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

A.T. Perry has an opportunity to prove himself in Michael Thomas’ absence

A.T. Perry has a big opportunity to prove himself in Michael Thomas’ absence. The rookie must step up with a vacancy in the receiving corps:

The New Orleans Saints have placed wide receiver Michael Thomas on injured reserve. This continues an unfortunate trend for the wide receiver, though there’s hope he returns before the end of the season. There are two ways to go about filling Thomas’ role. You’re likely replacing his production with multiple players, but who’s going to step into his role.

New Orleans brought back Keith Kirkwood and Marquez Callaway after Thomas’ injury. The Saints philosophy is to typically lean on veteran players. Kirkwood had 209 receiving yards as a rookie with New Orleans, but that was in 2018. Callaway was the Saints lead receiver when Thomas missed a whole season. Callaway would be able to slot well into Thomas role.

However, neither Callaway or Kirkwood have Perry’s upside. The Saints should lean away from their typical reliance on veterans in favor of getting a bigger sample size of a young player. Thomas’ absence opens the door for A.T. Perry to show himself deserving of a bigger role. Perry is a rookie who registered his first catch and touchdown in last week’s game versus the Minnesota Vikings.

In this week’s opening press conference, Saints head coach Dennis Allen said “Mike’s position is the kind of position they see Perry playing” and expected a bigger role for Perry. This is the right call, as Perry deserves an opportunity to show if he can be a future asset for the Saints.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Dennis Allen: Michael Thomas, Marshon Lattimore may ‘take some time’ with injuries

Saints head coach Dennis Allen said that WR Michael Thomas and CB Marshon Lattimore may ‘take some time’ recovering from injuries:

New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen addressed injuries to star players Michael Thomas and Marshon Lattimore on Monday, and it doesn’t sound like either of them will be available for Sunday’s game with the Atlanta Falcons. Thomas and Lattimore exited the Saints’ loss to the Minnesota Vikings with knee and ankle injuries before the bye week.

“I think Michael Thomas and Lattimore, these are injuries that are going to take some time. But I think other than that we’re in a pretty good spot,” Allen said. When asked about possibly placing either player on injured reserve, he responded, “I don’t know, we’ll see.”

Allen declined to specify who will be filling in for either of them, acknowledging that veteran backup Isaac Yiadom was an option to start in Lattimore’s place. The Saints could also rotate Alontae Taylor there out of the slot or ask Paulson Adebo to play on the other side of the field. They have options.

That’s also true offensively. A.T. Perry made a few plays against Minnesota while stepping in for Thomas, but the Saints have brought in experienced pros Keith Kirkwood and Marquez Callaway in recent days, too. Allen’s keeping his cards tight to his vest on this front. Hopefully Thomas and Lattimore can heal up and get back on the field sooner rather than later.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Saints bring back another familiar face after Michael Thomas injury

With Michael Thomas on the mend, the Saints have brought back another familiar face: wide receiver Marquez Callaway

With Michael Thomas on the mend, the New Orleans Saints have brought back another familiar face: wide receiver Marquez Callaway. Callaway was spotted in the open locker room media session on Monday at the team practice facility, though it isn’t immediately clear whether he’s on the practice squad or the 53-man roster, or what the corresponding roster move is for his return.

Callaway spent the first three years of his career with the Saints, peaking in 2021 with 46 catches for 698 yards and 6 touchdown receptions. The 6-foot-2, 204-pound wideout was college teammates with Alvin Kamara and Alontae Taylor at Tennessee. The Saints declined to extend his contract this offseason so he followed Sean Payton to the Denver Broncos, but was let go during roster cuts after training camp and spent a few weeks on the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad.

Now he’s back — and so is Keith Kirkwood, another veteran receiver who knows the playbook. It’s worth bringing in experienced pros like them to tide the team over if Thomas is going to miss extended time.

But you have to hope their presence won’t come at a detriment to A.T. Perry. The rookie wideout stepped up when Thomas was injured early on against the Minnesota Vikings, catching a 15-yard touchdown pass and a 23-yard pickup that was the team’s second-longest play from scrimmage. He deserves more targets, but Dennis Allen’s coaching staff may feel differently.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Keith Kirkwood re-signs with the Saints after Michael Thomas injury

Wide receiver Keith Kirkwood re-signed with the Saints after a knee injury sidelined Michael Thomas:

He’s back: the New Orleans Saints re-signed wide receiver Keith Kirkwood on Tuesday, adding depth to the position in the wake of a knee injury for Michael Thomas. Kirkwood became a favorite target of Derek Carr’s over the summer at training camp, but he was limited to a role as a run-blocking specialist in the regular season and was supplanted by rookie draft pick A.T. Perry in recent weeks.

Still, it makes sense to bring him back when the team is short-handed. Thomas could miss some time coming out of the bye week after injuring his knee in Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

That would leave the team with Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Lynn Bowden Jr., and Perry on the 53-man roster with just Jontre Kirklin on the practice squad — rookie wideout Shaquan Davis is on the injury list with an undisclosed ailment. If nothing else, they need Kirkwood to help keep reps moving on time at practice.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]