Tag: marquez callaway

Broncos sign Saints free agent WR Marquez Callaway

The Denver Broncos announced a newly-signed deal with New Orleans Saints free agent wide receiver Marquez Callaway on Friday:

It doesn’t seem to stop, does it? The Denver Broncos have poached yet another former New Orleans Saints player, having announced a deal with wide receiver Marquez Callaway on Friday. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler first reported news of the signing, which KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis clarified is a one-year deal.

Callaway saw a reduced role in the Saints offense in 2022 after the additions of Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Jarvis Landry, and Michael Thomas to the depth chart, but he was one of their leading receivers a year earlier. In 2021 he caught 46 receptions for 698 yards and caught six touchdown passes with Sean Payton calling plays. Now he and Payton have reunited in Denver.

Because Callaway was a restricted free agent, he does not factor into the 2024 compensatory draft picks formula. We’ll wish him the best in his next endeavor.

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Broncos sign WR Marquez Callaway to 1-year contract

Marquez Callaway will add more depth to the Broncos’ wide receiver room.

Story update: The Broncos confirmed the Marquez Callaway signing on Friday afternoon. See our original post below. 

Free agent wide receiver Marquez Callaway plans to sign with the Denver Broncos, according to a report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. A follow-up report from KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis indicated it will be a one-year deal.

Callaway (6-2, 204 pounds) signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent out of Tennessee in 2020. Callaway spent the first two years of his career playing under coach Sean Payton and he had a career year in 2021, hauling in 46 receptions for 698 yards and six touchdowns.

Callaway’s numbers took a big dip last season following Payton’s departure. The 24-year-old receiver totaled just 16 receptions for 158 yards and one touchdown in 2022.

The Callaway signing comes just one day after news broke that Denver receiver KJ Hamler will miss 4-6 months after undergoing surgery to repair a pectoral injury.

Payton clearly wanted to make changes to the wide receiver room this offseason. Before signing Callaway, the Broncos also showed interest in Adam Thielen and Allen Lazard before those players signed with the Carolina Panthers and New York Jets, respectively.

Denver has also received trade calls from teams about Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton, but the Broncos have not budged from a high asking price. Even if both Jeudy and Sutton remain in Denver, Callaway will be an important addition to the WR room with Hamler and Tim Patrick recovering from injuries.

The Broncos now have more depth at the position going into the draft. We are tracking all of the team’s free agency moves on this page.

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31 former Saints players who are still free agents

From draft picks of days past to undrafted fan-favorites and trade acquisitions, here’s a look at some of the former Saints players who are still free agents:

It’s been a busy week for the New Orleans Saints in free agency. They’ve let six players walk away on deals with new teams while bringing in a couple of new starters at defensive tackle in Nathan Shepherd and Khalen Saunders, plus a veteran running back to pair with Alvin Kamara — Jamaal Williams has already endeared himself to fans.

Now they’re busy filling out the roster with one-year contracts for experienced free agents like defensive backs Jonathan Abram and Lonnie Johnson Jr., as well as right tackle Storm Norton and defensive tackle Malcolm Roach. The Saints are going to continue monitoring the market in search of options for improving their team.

That could mean more reunions with some of their former players. There are currently 31 former Saints who are still unsigned free agents, including players from the 2022 team and those who were drafted by New Orleans, signed as undrafted rookies, or acquired through trades with other teams. Here’s a quick look at the group:

Report: Saints won’t tender restricted free agent WR Marquez Callaway

ESPN reports the Saints are not expected to tender restricted free agent wide receiver Marquez Callaway, who led the team in receiving in 2021. He’ll test the market:

This isn’t totally unexpected, but it’s still worth noting: the New Orleans Saints are not expected to issue a restricted free agent tender to wide receiver Marquez Callaway prior to the start of the new league year on Wednesday, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Callaway led the Saints with 698 receiving yards and 6 touchdown catches in 2021 (with his 46 receptions ranking second-most behind Alvin Kamara’s 47) but saw a reduced role in 2022 following the additions of Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and injury-shortened appearances by both Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry.

It’s disappointing to see the team not make a stronger effort to retain someone who has played well in the past, but that might not make sense with the cost involved. The lowest RFA tender costs a fully-guaranteed $2,627,000 against the salary cap in 2023, and it only gives the Saints the right to match any contract offers Callaway gets from other teams — something they may be able to do anyway if they’re on good terms with his agent.

Still, this suggests he isn’t a big part of their plans moving forward. The receivers under contract with the Saints in 2023 include Olave, Shaheed, Tre’Quan Smith, Kirk Merritt, Kawaan Baker, and Kieth Kirkwood. New Orleans has had productive talks with Thomas on a contract extension but Landry is expected to hit free agency (as is Deonte Harty). If Callaway leaves for a new team, the Saints will not receive a compensatory draft pick for him because of his restricted status.

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Predictions for 7 Saints restricted free agents like Juwan Johnson, Blake Gillikin

The Saints have options for holding onto their 7 restricted free agents, a group that includes Juwan Johnson, Blake Gillikin, Marquez Callaway and Malcolm Roach:

One of the more interesting facets of NFL free agency is the players who carry restricted status — typically those who entered the league as undrafted free agents with three years’ experience. Their restricted status gives teams like the New Orleans Saints multiple options at retaining their services in 2023, either on fully-guaranteed tenders, re-signing them to minimum salaries, or hammering out new contract extensions altogether.

And the Saints have seven restricted free agents to deal with. They’ve got to make decisions on them beginning on March 15, at the start of the new league fiscal year, and they have until April 21 to either sign them to a long-term deal or sign that contract tender on the dotted line. Let’s run through the list and how much it could cost the Saints in each scenario:

Saints fielded one of the slower WR groups in the NFL this season

Despite boasting speedsters Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, the New Orleans Saints fielded one of the slower WR groups in the NFL this season:

Not going to lie, this is a bit of a shock. Despite boasting young speedsters  like Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, the New Orleans Saints fielded one of the slower wide receiver corps in the NFL in 2022. While Olave and Shaheed have comfortably timed in the 4.3-to-4.4-second range in the 40-yard dash, as a group New Orleans was weighted down by players like Jarvis Landry (4.77), Marquez Callaway (4.55), Tre’Quan Smith (4.49), Michael Thomas (4.57), and Keith Kirkwood (4.50), with dynamic athletes like Kevin White, Deonte Harty, and Kirk Merritt only running a handful of routes over the course of the season.

So it’s clear the Saints need to get faster. Per research from Arjun Menon of Pro Football Focus, New Orleans ranked right around the middle of the pack with the 14th-slowest wide receiver room, based on average 40-yard dash time weighted by routes run. Teams’ leaders in routes run factored heavier than backups and reserves, and the Saints’ top route-runners included Olave (431 routes), Landry (207), Callaway and Shaheed (188 each), and Smith (178).

No receiving corps was slower than the New York Giants, who averaged nearly 4.6 seconds as a group. And the Seattle Seahawks set the pace with a blazing average of roughly 4.37 seconds. For comparison, the Saints scored an average of about 4.47 seconds:

Olave and Shaheed are a fine pair to build around, but the Saints should be looking to get younger at receiver in 2023 — or at least more explosive and athletic. Trotting out players who lack the speed to separate with consistency like Landry and Callaway is asking for trouble. It limits what can be done offensively and narrows the margin for error in demanding a quarterback and receiver be perfectly in sync from the snap to the whistle. There are plenty of slower receiving rooms around the NFL, but the New Orleans offense was so stagnant last season that you’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise.

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Eagles coach Nick Sirianni provides an update on Josh Sweat, Jalen Hurts and more

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni provides an update on Josh Sweat, and Jalen Hurts and gives insight into the Gardner Minshew pick-six after a breakdown in communication with A.J. Brown

Nick Sirianni addressed the media on Monday, almost 24 hours after a disastrous Week 17 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Philadelphia is looking to get healthy over the next few weeks and will hopefully have Avonte Maddox, Lane Johnson, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson available for the NFC playoffs.

Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew was sacked six times on the afternoon and went 18-32 passing for 274 yards, one touchdown, and one interception that was returned for a touchdown in the loss.

Minshew looked out of sorts at times and made several costly errors while trying to bring Philadelphia back from a 13-0 first-half deficit.

Philadelphia needs a win over the Giants on Sunday to clinch the NFC East and clinch home-field advantage in the NFC.

Studs and duds from Eagles 20-10 loss to the Saints in Week 17

We’re looking at the studs and duds from the Philadelphia Eagles’ 20-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 17

The Eagles have botched clinching scenarios in back-to-back weeks, and find themselves in a must-win matchup entering Week 18 after a disastrous loss to the Saints.

Philadelphia trailed the Saints 13-0 at halftime and looked like they had snatched the momentum before start cornerback Marshon Lattimore returned a Gardner Minshew interception 11 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

The 20-10 loss leaves the Eagles needing a win at home against the Giants in Week 18 in order to secure both the top seed and the NFC East title.

A loss by Philadelphia coupled with a Dallas loss could drop the Birds down to the fifth seed overall and on a collision course with the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay for the Wild Card round.

With a long week of preparation ahead, here’s a look at the studs and duds from Sunday’s loss.

What the Eagles are saying after 20-10 loss to the Saints at home in Week 17

Here are the post-game quotes, reactions, and what the Eagles are saying after an ugly 20-10 loss to the Saints in Week 17

Philadelphia spent the first 15 weeks of the NFL season stacking wins and preparing for home-field advantage, but injuries at key positions and poor play on both sides of the football now have this team fighting for the top spot.

NFL seasons can fall apart in a hurry and the Eagles are now facing a must-win scenario in Week 18 after a disastrous 20-10 loss to the Saints on Sunday.

Returning home to Lincoln Financial Field for the first time in three weeks, quarterback Gardner Minshew was sacked six times on the afternoon, and went 18-32 passing for 274 yards, one touchdown, and one interception that was returned for a touchdown in the loss.

Minshew looked out of sorts at times and made several costly errors while trying to bring Philadelphia back from a 13-0 first-half deficit.

The scenario has been simple since the end of Week 15, with Philadelphia needing to win one of their final three games to win the NFC East and clinch home-field advantage in the NFC.

With preparation for the Giants set to begin, here’s what the Eagles are saying after the disastrous loss.

Eagles snap count vs. Saints: Breakdown, observations from Week 17

Here’s a look at the snap count and playing time usage from the Philadelphia Eagles’ 20-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday

A sunny Sunday morning turned into a gloomy afternoon on the scoreboard after the New Orleans Saints defeated the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 20-10 at Lincoln Financial Field.

The win elevated the Saints 7-9 on the season, but they were eliminated from the NFC South and NFC playoff races after Tampa Bay’s win over Carolina.

The Eagles drop to 13-3 on the season after their second straight loss but have a chance to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC in Week 18.

With all eyes now on the final week of the regular season, here’s your snap count and usage rates for Week 17.