Tag: rashid shaheed

B/R labels Malachi Corley as the perfect fit for Saints WR corps

The Saints should look to add a wide receiver at some point in the 2024 NFL draft. Is Malachi Corley the perfect fit with Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed?

Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed provide a solid foundation for the New Orleans Saints receiving corps, but confidence thins in that position group after that. A.T. Perry could carve out a bigger role in his second season. Derrik Klassen labels Western Kentucky’s Malachi Corley and his yards after catch as the perfect fit for New Orleans in the NFL draft.

Everyone loves a short, stocky receiver with a mean streak, hence everyone loves Malachi Corley. A sturdy 5’11” and 215 pounds, he is more running back than wide receiver. He’s not yet a polished, expansive route-runner, but my word can he bring the pain with the ball in his hands. He’s an explosive, violent ball-carrier with the natural vision and balance to squeeze out extra yards in any scenario. At the very least, he is going to be a nice screen and underneath YAC threat in the NFL.

An ability to run after the catch is an attribute the Saints should look to improve from last season, but it doesn’t appear to be the top priority in skill sets to add. The Saints are in the market for a receiver with size. The Saints just lost Michael Thomas, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see them add someone similar to replace him.

Corley’s ability with the ball in his hands could lead him to a Deebo Samuel-style role. The two are comparable in size, and the 49ers, ironically, were also listed as a perfect fit. It’s less about Corley’s talent and more about alignment with the Saints’ vision. They are in the market for a bigger receiver to operate in the middle of the field and catch 50-50 balls. That isn’t something he’s shown much of a knack for after going 4-17 on contested targets last season, but Corley does enough other things well to where he could still be on the team’s radar.

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New mock draft from former NFL GM has Saints passing on OL to add new weapon

Former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum acknowledged that OL is a big need, but says the value at WR was too great for the Saints to pass up in his new mock draft:

There’s little question that upgrading the offensive line is the top priority for the New Orleans Saints going into the 2024 NFL draft, but that doesn’t mean it will be the only position group they look to address. And if the cards fall a certain way, they might have little choice but to put out another fire first.

That’s what happened in Mike Tannenbaum’s new mock draft for ESPN. The longtime Miami Dolphins and New York Jets executive shared his thoughts on what may happen in the first 32 picks of this year’s draft, and he sees a future where the Saints pass on their top needs because the value is too strong elsewhere to ignore.

Here’s why Tannenbaum says the Saints should draft Washington Huskies wide receiver Rome Odunze if given the opportunity:

“Offensive line might be the bigger position of need, but this value for Odunze is just too good. He’s available at this point only because I’ve had five QBs come off the board, pushing down a great player. It’s a break for the Saints, who need another young WR to complement Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. Odunze is one of my favorite prospects in the class — he ran a 4.45 40 at 6-3 and 212 pounds in Indy and plays even bigger and faster than that. I love his physicality at the catch point and ability to break tackles in the open field. He had 92 catches for 1,640 yards and 13 scores last season and should develop into a front-line No. 1 WR. I see a lot of Terrell Owens in his game.”

Odunze is a special talent, and he could fill the void the Saints have been working around over the last three years with a series of injuries sidelining Michael Thomas. When you watch him, Odunze moves smoothly, like Olave, but he’s a more versatile player who can line up at the split end, win a contested catch (he was 21-of-28 on them in 2023) and make a play with the ball in his hands (he averaged 5.6 yards after the catch per reception last year). Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers have earned top billing, but in almost any other year Odunze would be a top-10 lock.

And, yes, the Saints should probably consider drafting him if he’s available. They still need to address both tackle spots and guard, somehow. They can’t count on Trevor Penning, James Hurst, and Ryan Ramczyk each playing 17 games at a high level.

But the strength of this draft class along the offensive line is impressive. There are going to be starting-quality blockers drafted in the second and third rounds like Kingsley Suamataia (BYU), Patrick Paul (Houston), Christian Jones (Texas), and more. It’s a gamble to draft anything but offensive line in the first round, and it’s very possible the Saints would lose that wager. At the same time, there’s real wisdom in giving Derek Carr and whichever quarterback might succeed him in a few years a receiving corps that includes Olave, Shaheed, and Odunze. We’ll see how it plays out in a month.

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How the NFL’s new hybrid kickoff rule impacts the Saints

Saints special teams coach Darren Rizzi was a key figure in crafting the NFL’s new hybrid kickoff rules, but how does it impact the Saints?

With the NFL competition committee recently approving the transition to a new hybrid kickoff model, one of the most pressing matters for New Orleans Saints fans is how this rule change may affect some of the players on the team.

Specialists like kicker Blake Grupe and return man Rashid Shaheed are a couple of guys that will likely have some adjustments to make in regards to the new rules. The whole coverage unit will need to tweak their approach, but few players make as great an impact as those who are kicking the ball away and returning it.

Before I get into this though, I’d like to first give a detailed list of the intricacies within the new rules as a point of reference:

  • The kicking team will kick off from its own 35-yard line.
  • 10 members of the kicking team will line up on the receiving team’s 40-yard line (25 yards in front of their kicker).
  • A minimum of nine members of the receiving team will line up between their own 30 and 35-yard lines (5-10 yards in front of the 10 members of the kicking team).
  • The receiving team can have zero, one or two players inside their own 30-yard line to receive the kickoff.
  • The play begins when the ball is either caught, hits the ground in the landing zone (inside the 20-yard line before the goal line) or is returned from the end zone. That’s when players can begin moving.
  • Any kick that hits the landing zone must be returned.
  • Any kick that bounces from the landing zone into the end zone must be returned or kneeled for a touchback (with possession going out to the 20-yard line).
  • If a kick doesn’t reach the landing zone, the receiving team gets possession at its 40-yard line.
  • If the ball enters the end zone in the air, the receiving team can return it or kneel it for possession at its 30-yard line.
  • If the ball is kicked out of bounds, the receiving team gets possession at its 40-yard line.
  • There are no fair catches.
  • Onside kicks are only permitted in the fourth quarter and must be declared to officials

Assuming you’ve read this through and have somewhat of an understanding of the procedures, I’d like to start off by detailing how these changes may affect someone like Grupe. He kicked off 91 times in 2023, 5th-most in the NFL, and he had 76 touchbacks, which were tied for 3rd-most. But his touchback rate of 83.5% tied for 10th among kickers with 30 or more kickoffs.

Surprisingly, there isn’t too much that changes for the young kicker in terms of distance and procedure. The kicker will be kicking from the same spot (35-yard line), which means the distance will also be the same. There is also no change in sending a kick out of bounds, as it will result in the opponent taking possession at their own 40-yard line. This is also a similar variation to the new rule on the kick not reaching the landing zone. This would also result in opponents possession at their own 40 but is something that we shouldn’t see very often.

With that being said, there is one specific aspect that will now be emphasized in regards to the rule change. In terms of touchbacks, there will likely be a strategy implemented as there is now a 10-yard difference between where the opposing team will be receiving possession, if the kickoff results in a touchback.

The opposing team will receive possession at the 20-yard line if the ball bounces in the landing zone, rolls into the end zone and is kneeled for a touchback. If the ball reaches the end zone through the air and is kneeled, the opposing team would now receive possession at their own 30-yard line.

This will be one of the most interesting decisions that teams will have to make, whether they want to risk a potentially good return kicking it in the landing area or increases the likelihood of a touchback by reaching the end zone through the air with the downside of having decent field position. These types of decisions will likely be determined by the level of threat that a returner gives you on a week-to-week basis, which is where I will be going with my next talking point.

That being Rashid Shaheed. One of the NFL’s top returners, who recently was selected to his first Pro Bowl and is a very dangerous weapon nonetheless. Shaheed returned 18 kicks for 384 yards last season, 9th-most in the league. With how dynamic a player that Shaheed is, how might the new kickoff rules affect his ability as an exceptional return man?

To carry over from the discussion about Grupe in terms of weighing the options for potential returns and touchbacks, Shaheed is the perfect player for this decision. Being that Shaheed has world-class speed and vision as a returner, he is likely one of the NFL’s exceptions when it comes to this strategy. Teams will likely ask their kickers to keep the ball in the air through the endzone to increase the likelihood of a touchback instead of a Shaheed house-call.

This rule change was designed to give returners more opportunities which it most definitely will, but specifically guys like Shaheed likely won’t get as many returns as an average-below average returner. However, since he will likely get more opportunities than in the previous two seasons, look for Shaheed to bring back a kick or two in the first year of this new style of kickoff.

Returners around the league should be ecstatic as their amount of opportunities will go way up along with their value as the men back deep. Should be an exciting addition to the game.

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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?

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Bills cut former Saints All-Pro Deonte Harty, but don’t expect a reunion

The Bills released Deonte Harty, a former All-Pro returner with the Saints. But a reunion is ‘not currently in the works’ per NOF’s Nick Underhill:

Could the New Orleans Saints bring back Deonte Harty? Their former All-Pro returns specialist was a salary cap casualty with the Buffalo Bills earlier this week, and on Friday he shared on social media that he was visiting New Orleans, saying “Back like I never left.” Harty is an unrestricted free agent who will not count into the compensatory draft picks formula for 2025.

The Saints need to start adding wideouts at some point. With Chris Olave, A.T. Perry, and Rashid Shaheed under contract for 2024 while Michael Thomas heads out into free agency, they’ve filled just three of the 13 training camp roster spots they used last year on receivers. New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is going to want his own players and that many vacancies gives him an opportunity to rebuild the depth chart.

But a reunion with Harty is “not currently in the works,” per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. So maybe he was just in town visiting old friends. Shaheed has done everything Harty offered at a higher level both on offense and in the return game.

While there’s a chance the situation could change, don’t bet on it. The Saints have a plan for restocking the receiving corps and Harty might be an option if they can’t get other players they’re prioritizing more highly. If he’s still available this summer when they’re filling out the depth chart for training camp, maybe it makes sense to have him compete for a roster spot. At this time the Saints are looking for help elsewhere.

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Updated Saints salary cap space after extending Tyrann Mathieu

How did extending Tyrann Mathieu and tendering Rashid Shaheed impact the Saints’ salary cap? Here’s an update on how much more space New Orleans must clear:

It isn’t really accurate to say we’re updating the New Orleans Saints’ salary cap space situation — the team doesn’t have any space under the cap right now because they’re still over the cap by about $10.7 million. But a couple of recent moves have changed the situation, so let’s take stock of where things currently stand.

Per Over The Cap’s experts, the Saints are currently in the red by an estimated $10,602,3364. Now that only reflects the information and roster moves which have been made publicly available. It’s very possible that the Saints have already checked all their boxes and reached cap compliance without leaking anything to the media. It’s not like they’re frantically working to beat the deadline (next Wednesday at 3 p.m. CT).

And two recent moves changed that projection. The Saints signed starting safety Tyrann Mathieu to a new two-year contract valued at $13.5 million, with a salary cap hit of just $5,567,000 for 2024. That pushed them down to a nearly-level $10.5 million level over the spending limit.

But another shoe dropped when the Saints tendered Pro Bowl returns specialist Rashid Shaheed, an exclusive rights free agent. That costs $985,000 against the cap. Because only the top 51 cap hits count on the books at this time of the year, Shaheed pushed a lesser-valued contract of $795,000 (there’s six different players all carrying that number) beneath the threshold. So the true cost to the cap was only $190,000, meaning the Saints are in the red by $10,792,634.

At least at the time of writing. More moves are on the way. Obvious dominoes yet to fall include cap hits for right tackle Ryan Ramczyk ($27 million), running back Alvin Kamara ($18.7 million), linebacker Demario Davis ($18.1 million) and do-it-all weapon Taysom Hill ($15.7 million). There are other levers the Saints can pull if they really want to max out their cap resources, but those are the big ones to watch.

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Report: Saints tender Rashid Shaheed for the 2024 season

OTC’s Jason Fitzgerald reports the New Orleans Saints have tendered Rashid Shaheed for the 2024 season. But when can he sign a real extension?

There it is: The New Orleans Saints have tendered wide receiver Rashid Shaheed for the 2024 season, per Over The Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald. Shaheed was an exclusive rights free agent whose only options were to play for the Saints on a qualifying offer (the NFL minimum salary) or sit out a year.

Obviously, he was going to be coming back, but it’s good to have that confirmed so focus can turn to his fit in Klint Kubiak’s offense. Shaheed finished the 2023 season with the 10th-most all-purpose yards in the NFL and earned a Pro Bowl Games appearance for his work on special teams (as well as a spot on the All-Pro team).

Shaheed was one of just two players to gain more than 300 yards from scrimmage as well as 300-plus yards on both kick returns and punt returns, and he vastly outplayed his competitor. Denver Broncos rookie Marvin Mims, the AFC Pro Bowler kick returns specialist, totaled 22 receptions for 377 yards with a touchdown catch. Shaheed caught 46 passes for 719 yards, scoring five times.

He’s a special player. But after signing this tender he’ll only be under contract through 2024. What’s with that? Why didn’t the Saints sign him to a longer extension?

It’s an easy explanation: the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement doesn’t allow it. Players must accrue three years’ experience (at least six games per season) before they are eligible to sign a multiyear contract. Shaheed will play on the minimum salary of $985,000 in 2024 and go into 2025 as a restricted free agent, when he’s finally eligible to sign a real extension.

But the Saints can drag this out longer if they choose. Shaheed could be forced to play on a restricted free agent tender in 2025, which would be another one-year deal, before finally reaching unrestricted status in 2026. Hopefully both sides can work out an arrangement to keep him in New Orleans long-term without any frustrating negotiations or off-field drama with his contract. However, as we said, that’s still at least a year away.

In the meantime: Shaheed figures to play a key role in the new-look Saints offense as their No. 2 wideout behind Chris Olave. It’s going to  be fascinating to see how Kubiak restocks the receiving corps with just Olave, Shaheed, and second-year pro A.T. Perry under contract for 2024. Last summer the Saints took 13 wide receivers into training camp, maintaining a group of seven during the season (usually rostering five or six, with one or two on the practice squad). With such thin depth we should expect plenty of new additions throughout the offseason, both in free agency and the 2024 NFL draft.

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List of the 24 New Orleans Saints free agents in 2024

Be prepared for 2024 free agency with a list of the Saints pending free agents. These 24 players could entertain offers on the open market:

Free agency is around the corner and the New Orleans Saints will be looking to reload their roster in hopes of ending a three year playoff drought. Before they accumulate talent, they must first decide which players they want to retain.

There are three types of free agents:

  • UFA: Unrestricted free agents who can entertain offers from other teams, but who are eligible for the franchise tag
  • RFA: Restricted free agents who the Saints can match offers for from other teams
  • ERFA: Exclusive rights free agents who can only play for the Saints on a minimum salary

So keep that in mind as we run through the list of 24 pending free agents for the Saints:

Saints hire Keith Williams as their new wide receivers coach

The Saints hired Keith Williams as their new wide receivers coach. Before coming to the NFL, he was a personal trainer for All-Pros like Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill:

The New Orleans Saints have a wide receivers coach: Keith Williams announced on social media that he has accepted the job on Klint Kubiak’s offensive coaching staff under head coach Dennis Allen. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that he received a two-year contract with the team.

Williams previously worked as the Baltimore Ravens assistant receivers coach. But before that, he spent two decades working as a personal trainer for All-Pro wide receivers like Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill. He’s also coached at the college level, having worked with Adams (and Saints quarterback Derek Carr) at Fresno State.

So he has a strong resume. The Saints have a number of young wide receivers for him to develop in Chris Olave, A.T. Perry, and exclusive rights free agent Rashid Shaheed, who is expected to return on a one-year deal before becoming eligible for a long-term extension in 2025. It looks like the Saints have filled all their vacancies on offense, but stay tuned for confirmation and any late additions to the coaching staff.

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4 free agents the Saints should re-sign this offseason

The New Orleans Saints don’t have many high-profile free agents, but they should make an effort to keep these four players:

The New Orleans Saints don’t have a lot of big-name free agents this year, but the Saints do have a few names that are worth saving. Head coach Dennis Allen is aware of what’s at stake for him this year and should understand there are some holes you can’t go into the season hoping will fill themselves.

Because they were so proactive last summer signing players to early extensions, the Saints also showed better depth than they have in previous years, especially on defense. Injuries are going to happen in the NFL, and the Saints weathered that storm in 2023. This is a quality they should look to repeat next season by keeping some depth pieces in free agency.

These are four players the Saints should re-sign: