Tag: marquez callaway

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Saints promote CB Cameron Dantzler, reunite with WR Marquez Callaway

The Saints promoted CB Cameron Dantzler from their practice squad, opening a slot to reunite with WR Marquez Callaway:

The New Orleans Saints are working to account for several key injuries this week. After putting wide receiver Michael Thomas on injured reserve, the Saints signed WR Marquez Callaway to their practice squad — reuniting with the former starter who filled in for Thomas during the last three years.

But they had to open a spot on the practice squad for him. With a slot vacant on the 53-man roster and cornerback Marshon Lattimore dealing with an ankle sprain, the Saints promoted Cameron Dantzler. Dantzler appeared in two games earlier this season exclusively on special teams, but he’s an experienced pro who can help round out the depth chart.

So now the Saints have Paulson Adebo, Alontae Taylor, Isaac Yiadom and Dantzler available on the 53-man roster with Lattimore on the mend. Veteran safeties Ugo Amadi and Lonnie Johnson Jr. can also cover the slot and line up at corner in a pinch. We’ll have to wait and see what the plan is on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.

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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.

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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.

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Titans worked out WR Marquez Callaway on Tuesday

The Titans worked out free-agent WR Marquez Callaway on Tuesday.

The Tennessee Titans continue to look for some much-needed help on the offensive side of the ball. According to the league’s transactions wire, the Titans worked out wide receiver Marquez Callaway on Tuesday.

The former in-state star was a fan favorite during his four-year tenure as a Tennessee Volunteer — and for good reason: the big-bodied wideout (six-foot-two, 204 pounds) was an electric playmaker throughout his collegiate career on both offense and special teams.

From 2016 through 2019, Callaway recorded a combined total of 92 catches for 1,646 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also totaled 543 yards and three touchdowns on 40 punt returns.

Since then, Callaway enjoyed some success during his three-year stint with the New Orleans Saints (2020-22), tallying 83 catches for 1,069 yards and seven touchdowns after joining the team as an undrafted free agent. He has not taken a snap in 2023, though.

His most successful professional campaign came back in 2021, when he amassed 46 catches for 698 yards and six touchdowns. Callaway received the highest overall grade of his brief career that year, earning a respectable mark of 69.3, per Pro Football Focus.

The Titans could certainly use help at both receiver and in the return game. Whether or not they bring Callaway aboard to help in those areas remains to be seen.

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Could any of these free agent WRs get Chiefs out of offensive rut?

Could any of these veteran free agents help get the #Chiefs out of their recent offensive rut?

The Kansas City Chiefs offense is in a rut. Patrick Mahomes looks more like a middling starter than the NFL’s reigning MVP, and the media is already questioning whether Andy Reid’s system has been figured out by defensive coordinators around the league.

After the trade deadline passed without a new addition to the Chiefs’ receiving corps, Kansas City’s options to rectify the void of talent at the position are severely limited.

While none of the players currently available have been standouts in recent seasons, there are some who have put together sneaky successful careers in the NFL despite their free-agent status.

Take a look at these six veteran options to see if the Chiefs should grease the wheels on its offense or be content to stand pat heading into the toughest part of their 2023 schedule:

Top 11 remaining free-agent wide receivers

Here are the top 11 remaining free-agent wide receivers:

If the Carolina Panthers can’t find pass-catching help in the trade market, then how does the open market currently look?

Here are the top 11 remaining free-agent wide receivers: