Tag: rashid shaheed

6 young players the Saints need to evaluate in the final leg of their season

These final games are just as much about competing each week as evaluating young players with the future in mind. Here are 6 Saints to watch closely down the stretch:

These five final games are just as much about competing each week as evaluating young players with the future in mind. Odds aren’t in the New Orleans Saints’ favor when it comes to the playoffs; with little to work with in the way of salary cap resources and draft picks, it’s even more important than usual that they better identify what they have out of players already under contract moving forwards.

So with that said, here are six young pros we’ll be watching closely as the Saints close out their season:

Rashid Shaheed making a strong case for more opportunities with the Saints

Rashid Shaheed converted a first down every time he touched the ball against the 49ers. He’s making a strong case for more opportunities with the Saints:

The New Orleans Saints might have found another diamond in the rough with Rashid Shaheed. They have a history of landing talented receivers as undrafted college free agents like Marquez Callaway and Deonte Harty, and Shaheed is quickly building his case to join them. He’s already playing more snaps than both of them and many other receivers on the team, but what’s most impressive is what he’s doing when given a shot.

Shaheed converted a first down on all three of his touches against the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday. He caught a 35-yard reception on 2nd-and-6, followed by an 18-yard pickup on 3rd-and-3. And he also took a carry off the left end for a 6-yard gain on 2nd-and-5. He’s touched the ball 10 times on offense and either converted a first down or scored a touchdown on 8 of them.

He deserves more targets for all the routes he’s running. Shaheed logged the third-most snaps on offense at wide receiver both against San Francisco (30, behind Chris Olave and Jarvis Landry) and versus the Los Angeles Rams (28, tied with Olave and behind Landry at 32) the last two weeks. He’s more than a gadget player. That he can also help provide a spark in the return game is lagniappe.

So good on him. There aren’t many NFL players coming out of Weber State (just four of them made the cut for opening-day rosters around the league). The 24-year old rookie had to overcome ACL surgery earlier this year and missed out on opportunities ahead of the 2022 draft because of it, meaning he wasn’t able to work out in front of teams or go through athletic testing like the 40-yard dash. It’s obviously too early to put a stamp on it, but it’s beginning to look like he wound up in the perfect spot with the Saints. Let’s see what they can do with him over these last five games.

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Best and worst Saints player grades from Pro Football Focus after Week 12

Best and worst Saints player grades from Pro Football Focus after Week 12

The Week 12 player grades from Pro Football Focus are in, giving us a good opportunity at looking back at the New Orleans Saints’ standout performers against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday — for both good and bad. Let’s see who graded highly and, well, who didn’t quite meet expectations:

Studs and Duds from Saints’ Week 12 loss vs. 49ers

Studs and Duds from Saints’ Week 12 loss vs. 49ers: More negative performances than positive impacts in a hard-to-watch loss

The New Orleans Saints (4-8) were dealt an embarrassing 13-0 loss to the San Francisco 49ers (7-4) this week, meaning head coach Dennis Allen still has not won back-to-back games through 12 weeks in the 2022 regular season. New Orleans hurt themselves early and often — which we’ll explore in greater detail.

But the Saints actually did some things well in this game. Several players stood out for positive individual performances, and the defense largely did its job. So it wasn’t all bad, even if the game was disappointing. They’re still alive in the weak NFC South and can rally with a win against the hobbled Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week. That feels like false hope, but hey: we’ll take it.

Let’s talk about the standouts on Sunday, for good and bad:

4 Saints players who must step up to save their season

Tyrann Mathieu leads this group of four New Orleans Saints players who must step up to save their season:

The New Orleans Saints are in dire straits. Their season hasn’t met expectations, and there are a lot of people with dirty hands right now — both on the coaching staff and on the roster. Some of the team’s big free agent signings haven’t been as-advertised, but there are also young players who aren’t getting the most out of their opportunities (and in a few cases, that isn’t entirely their fault).

If the Saints are going to save their season, it’ll fall on key players stepping up to make a positive impact. Here are four individual who must be doing more down the stretch:

WATCH: Rashid Shaheed catches his 2nd career pass, scores his 2nd career TD

WATCH: Rashid Shaheed catches his 2nd career pass, scores his 2nd career TD

Now that’s what you love to see. New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed had a large crowd of family and friends make the drive from their San Diego hometown to see him suit up in his second career NFL game. They had high hopes after his 44-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep a week ago.

And they weren’t disappointed, with Shaheed catching a 53-yard touchdown pass from Andy Dalton on the opening drive to give his team an early lead over the Arizona Cardinals. He’s now scored a touchdown on both of his first two touches in the NFL, once as a runner and once as a receiver. The undrafted rookie receiver out of Weber State can scoot, and the team is smartly taking advantage of that speed. NFL Next Gen Stats live tracking found he reached a top speed of 21.13 miles per hour on the scoring play against Arizona, the second-highest speed of any Saints player this season (Chris Olave hit 21.17 on a play back in Week 2).

Time will tell if he can keep it up, but he just might be the next big thing in New Orleans. Let’s see if the Saints can continue to find ways to get the ball in his hands.

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Andy Dalton finds Rashid Shaheed for 53-yard Saints touchdown

Andy Dalton throws a 53-yard TD pass to give the Saints a quick lead

Thursday Night Football saw an unfamiliar start as the New Orleans Saints took it to the Arizona Cardinals.

Andy Dalton directed a 4-play, 75-yard drive that resulted in an early touchdown, something TNF had not seen in recent weeks.

The scoring play was good for 53 yards and Dalton connected with Rashid Shaheed, who is making the most of the absence of Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry.

 

Saints’ Rashid Shaheed could be the next big thing for New Orleans

“When my number is called, I hope to make a play.”

Saints WR Rashid Shaheed hopes to build off of his explosive debut, via @RossJacksonNOLA:

With New Orleans Saints returns specialist Deonte Harty set to miss time with a “significant” turf toe injury, the team turned to a new face last week. Wide receiver Rashid Shaheed was signed to the active roster from the Saints’ practice squad. While the optimism surrounding the undrafted free agent out of Weber State was mostly derived from his outstanding resume as a returner (the FCS all-time leader with 7 kick returns), it was the 44-yard jet sweep he ran in for a touchdown that ignited the excitement even more. Not just for the organization or the fanbase, but for his family too.

Shaheed told me that he had three family members in the audience during Sunday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals: his mother, his father, and his grandmother. Despite the loss, Shaheed’s family was excited for his first career touchdown which came off of his first career touch. “They were screaming and yelling,” Shaheed said. “I’m so glad that thy were able to experience that. First NFL game in the (Caesar’s Superdome). They were excited. They said it was loud, that they love New Orleans, it was a ton of fun.”

Thursday night against the Arizona Cardinals, the FCS record-holder says he’ll have 18 family members in the audience. With Glendale, Ariz. being a short trip away from his San Diego hometown, there will be a strong Shaheed contingent rooting him on. After such an explosive debut, it’s hard to imagine that more opportunities won’t come his way.

“We like the speed and what (Shaheed) brings to the offense,” offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael said this week. “So, I think that any of these guys (can) continue to grow in this offense.” The explosive wide receiver had only the one touch and nine total snaps in his first ever NFL action. Quarterback Andy Dalton let one loose to him early on in the game that came up incomplete. It’s clear that New Orleans had some shots dialed up going his way, but it is likely the packages were limited. With another week, albeit a short one, under his belt, hopefully that workload will expand.

If nothing else, getting more chances to break a punt or a kick return will present themselves. Shaheed will look to maximize those chances whether or not he gets more involved on offense. For most of us from outside, we look at the return game as having three facets. The returner, the blockers, and the tacklers. But it’s far more nuanced than simply evading tacklers. Shaheed has mastered those nuances.

“Faster, smarter, and more physical,” he said of NFL coverage units compared to the ones he faced in college. “I just try to hit the hole full speed. I know that in this league if you’re chopping your feet, pitter-pattering you don’t have a lot of time to make decisions. Decisions have to be made in a split second. Just hitting the hole and i feel like once a couple things are cleaned up, we’ll be able to break a lot of returns this year.”

It’s fascinating to hear Shaheed break down his process considering that he didn’t became the FCS’s most dangerous returner until he’d gotten to college. It wasn’t a big part of his repertoire in high school. He had returned some kicks and it was clear there was a skills set available there. It wasn’t until he arrived at Weber State that special teams coordinator (now the Utah linebackers coach) Colton Swan helped him develop into the threat he became. Adding punt returning responsibilities to his ledger.

NFL returnmen Devin Hester, Tyreek Hill and Dante Hall were on Shaheed’s list as those he has studied over the years. Hester being the headliner. Hopefully in a few years, he’ll see his name added to another young returner’s list. He has a lot of opportunity in New Orleans to raise his profile with the opportunities available to him and the coaching of an expert like Saints special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi.

Shaheed could be another blooming NFL star to come from the undrafted ranks. Some have questioned why he even went undrafted in the first place, especially after Harty took turned the same trajectory into a rookie All-Pro season. The former Weber State Wildcat hasn’t even run an official 40-yard dash, though he estimates he’d be in the 4.3- to 4.4-second area.

None of that matters now, though. For Shaheed, as he sat on the Superdome sidelines following his explosive touchdown, it was all about the moment he was in rather than the moments of the past. “The atmosphere was incredible,” he recalled.” Once I scored and got to the sideline, it hit me like, ‘This is real life.’ It was an incredible feeling hearing the cheers and roars. Nothing like it in that Dome.”

Following his NFL debut, Shaheed says he kept the football and jersey he wore. He said he had a touchdown celebration prepared, but it all escaped his mind in the moment. But the moment he’ll remember most was his father after the game. Who, despite the loss, was excited for his son. They shared a hug and took in the excitement following an unprecedented moment.

Shaheed will see a fair share of action again Thursday night against the Cardinals. While fellow rookie receiver Chris Olave is set to make his return from a concussion, veteran wideouts Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry have been ruled out. Whether by explosive return, run or reception, Saints fans will be at the edge of their seats when the ball is in his hands, along with the group of 18 family members cheering him on at State Farm Arena. For Shaheed, it’s all about helping the team. “When my number is called, I hope to make a play.”

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Tunnel Vision of Week 6

Tunnel Vision – a look back at Sunday for fantasy free agents, injuries and notable performances.

SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks Pass-Rush TD
 Joe Burrow 300-25 4
 Josh Allen 329-32 3
 Matt Ryan 389-(-4) 3
 Trevor Lawrence 163-23 3
 Marcus Mariota 129-50 3
Running Backs Yards Rush
Receive		 TD
Deon Jackson 12-42
10-79		 1
Rhamondre Stevenson 19-76
4-15		 2
Christian McCaffrey 13-69
7-89		 0
Leonard Fournette 13-69
6-38		 1
Breece Hall 20-116
2-5		 1
Wide Receivers Yards TD
Ja’Marr Chase 7-132 2
Stefon Diggs 10-148 1
Tyreek Hill 12-177 0
Brandon Aiyuk 8-83 2
Michael Pittman 13-134 0
Tight Ends Yards TD
Mike Gesicki 6-69 2
Mark Andrews 7-106 1
Travis Kelce 8-108 0
Robert Tonyan 10-90 0
George Kittle 8-83 0
Placekickers XP FG
Ryan Succop 0 4
Will Lutz 2 4
Jason Meyers 1 4
Harrison Butker 2 2
Cade York 0 3
Defense Sack – TO TD
Seahawks 6-2 0
Commanders 5-2 0
Jets 4-1 1
Panthers 1-1 1
Cardinals 5-1 1

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

QB Skylar Thompson (MIA) – Hand
QB Kenny Pickett (PIT) – Concussion
QB P.J. Walker (CAR) – Neck
RB J.K. Dobbins (BAL) – Knee
RB Deon Jackson (IND) – Quad
WR Kendrick Bourne (NE) – Toe
WR Randall Cobb (GB) – High Ankle
WR Jamal Agnew (JAC) – Knee
WR Jaylen Waddle (MIA) – shoulder
WR Marquise Brown (ARI) – Foot
WR Robbie Anderson (CAR) – Benched
TE Cameron Brate – Neck

Chasing Ambulances

QB Skylar Thompson (MIA) – Injured his hand when it hit a helmet after he passed. Teddy Bridgewater finished the game. Tua Tagovailoa is expected to return for Week 7, which makes this inconsequential.

QB Kenny Pickett (PIT) – Suffered a concussion after a hard hit in the third quarter and did not return. Mitchell Trubisky finished the winning effort against the Buccaneers and would start again in Miami this week if needed.

QB P.J. Walker (CAR) – Injured his neck and gave way to Jacob Eason. Walker later said he would be fine for Week 7 hosting the Buccaneers, but everything in Carolina is murky right now with running backs, wideouts, and quarterbacks.

RB J.K. Dobbins (BAL) – His knee tightened and was held out from the second half. He seemed to be back to form in Week 4 but now has struggled in the last two weeks. His status for this week will be determined later in the week but he’ll likely play, the question is how much if he is active?

RB Deon Jackson (IND) – The third-string back that turned into a stud against the Jaguars left the game for most of the fourth quarter with a quad injury. Jonathan Taylor went through limited practices last week, so he’s likely to return. Jackson was a great as a replacement and makes a prudent hold for the Taylor owner.

WR Randall Cobb (GB) – Was carted off the field and was reported to have a high-ankle sprain. The early speculation is that he’ll miss  multiple weeks.  Amari Rodgers is the next man up, but the entire receiving corps for the Packers has disappointed and digging through the depth chart will not likely improve anything.

WR Jaylen Waddle (MIA) – Hurt his shoulder late in the game but had 129 yards before he left. Waddle later said that he would be okay for this week’s matchup with the Steelers, plus Tua Tagovailoa should be back as well. Barring negative practice reports, Waddle should be fine.

WR Marquise Brown (ARI) – He was injured near the end of the loss to the Seahawks when a defender fell on his foot. He wore a walking boot after the game and was limping. The Cards host the Saints on Thursday night, so there isn’t much time to heal up.

 WR Robbie Anderson (CAR) – He argued with his position coach on the sideline about never getting a pass thrown to him and he was sent to the locker room in the fourth quarter. Anderson is rumored to be on the trading block and it appears that the Panthers may not want too much just to get rid of an obviously unhappy player.

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

TE George Kittle (SF) – The 49ers star tight end still has not scored this season, but he led the team with eight catches for 83 yards when they fell behind and needed to abandon the run. It’s encouraging to see him return to high-volume usage, and hosting the Chiefs this week should spark the need to throw more.

TE Kyle Pitts (ATL) – He finally scored a touchdown this season but still was held to only three catches for 19 yards in the win over the 49ers. It was nice to see but cannot be considered more than just a single-play event and not a growing trend. So long as Marcus Mariota is the quarterback, there is no reason to expect Pitts to be used up to his potential.

WR Tyquan Thornton (NE) – The speedy rookie debuted in Week 5 with just two catches for seven yards. Versus the Browns, he turned in a fantasy breakout with four catches for 37 yards and a touchdown, plus three rushes for 16 yards and a second score. The lower volume of passing in New England will make him a risky start no matter how much confidence he builds, but his addition as a rusher will help him to offer more consistent stats if they continue his dual role.

TE Robert Tonyan (GB) – He’s had minimal use this year, but against the Jets, Tonyan led the Packers with ten catches for 90 yards. That may be more than just a one-week blip. The Packers lost Randall Cobb to a high-ankle sprain, so the tight end may continue to see more targets as Aaron Rodgers contends with a marginal set of receivers.

RB JaMychal Hasty (JAC) – Because two running backs just were not enough, the Jags are now using three. Travis Etienne had 12 touches, James Robinson had 13 touches, and Hasty is getting playing time. His second of three runs went for a 61-yard touchdown in the second quarter. His other two touches lost four yards. But the Jaguars are leaning toward being more of a rushing team than a passing team. Hasty adds to the committee but takes away from the other two backs.

RB Deon Jackson (IND) – The Colts missed Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines, but Jackson stepped in to great effect. He ran twelve times for 42 yards and a touchdown, plus caught ten passes for 79 yards as the top fantasy running back for the week. Taylor is likely back this week for the game in Tennessee, but Jackson could potentially cut into Hines’ role as a receiving back.

WR Rashid Shaheed (NO) – The undrafted free agent wideout was called up from the practice squad to help fill in for the three starting wideouts who were out. The Weber State product failed to catch his one pass but ran for a 44-yard touchdown on his only rush.  He’ll likely head back to the practice squad when the starters return, but the 4.4/40-time speedster looked sharp for his score.

RB Kenyan Drake (BAL) – J.K. Dobbins had his knee “stiffened up” and sat out of the second half of the loss to the Giants. Drake was limited to ten carries but gained 119 yards and a touchdown. And it wasn’t just one long run that spiked the total. He turned in runs of 30, 30, 20, and 15 yards. He stopped running in the fourth quarter when the Ravens went to a pass-heavy script. Depending on Dobbins’ health, Drake could see more use on Sunday when the Browns visit.

WR Wan’Dale Robinson (NYG) – The rookie returned from his four weeks off with a knee injury and  caught three passes for 37 yards and one touchdown. His four targets were second only to Daniel Bellinger (5). The Giants are not a good passing team, but Robinson was a second-round pick that runs a 4.4 40-time and is expected to become a starter. The Giants’ wide receiver depth chart may be the most open one in the league, so Robinson deserves a spot on a roster.

WR Allen Robinson (LAR) – After a three-game stretch that saw Robinson total seven catches for 42 yards combined, it was safe enough to give up on Robinson. Not so fast. Versus the Panthers, Robinson turned in a season-best five catches for 63 yards and one score. His six targets were second only to Cooper Kupp (8). It can’t be considered more than a one-week blip, but it also means that you cannot dump him on the waiver wire.

RB Kenneth Walker (SEA) – The second running back taken in the 2022 NFL draft ran for 97 yards and one score on 21 carries. He added two catches for 13 yards in his debut in the wake of Rashaad Penny’s season-ending leg injury. DeeJay Dallas only ran twice for one net yard, so Walker is likely to maintain his heavy workload if his success continues.

WR DeAndre Hopkins (ARI) – Returns to the Cardinals after a six-week suspension and maybe just in time since Marquise Brown injured his foot and the Cardinals play the Saints on Thursday night.

Huddle player of the week

Joe Burrow  –  The Bengals haven’t seen the same success that they had in 2021 when they went to the Super Bowl, but he just turned in his best effort of the season and the best of anyone in Week 6. Burrow threw for exactly 300 yards and three scores, plus ran for 25 yards and a fourth touchdown. His play lifted the Bengals to a win at the Saints.

Salute!

Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Matt Ryan 385 3 QB Tom Brady 244 1
RB Kenyan Drake 127 1 RB Aaron Jones 44 0
RB JaMycal Hasty 57 1 RB JK Dobbins 15 0
WR Chase Claypool 96 1 WR Mike Evans 42 0
WR Tyquan Thornton 53 2 WR DK Metcalf 34 0
WR Dante Pettis 84 1 WR Elijah Moore 0 0
TE Mike Gesicki 69 2 TE Tyler Higbee 7 0
PK Will Lutx   4  FG PK Robbie Gould   2 XP
Huddle Fantasy Points = 144 Huddle Fantasy Points = 32

Now get back to work…

6 takeaways from the Saints’ Week 6 loss vs. Bengals

Red zone inefficiencies lead to another disappointing home loss for the Saints. 6 takeaways from Sunday’s loss, via @RossJacksonNOLA:

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Fans tuned in for another disappointing loss for the New Orleans Saints as they fall to the Cincinnati Bengals 30-26 at home on Sunday. Without their top three wide receiver and No. 1 cornerback, New Orleans actually executed well early. But it was the continued struggles in tackling and uncharacteristic red zone inefficiencies that cost them this game. Here are our key takeaways from the Saints loss to quarterback Joe Burrow and the Bengals: