Top 20 receiving leaders in New Orleans Saints franchise history

These are the top 20 receiving leaders in New Orleans Saints franchise history, starting with the Quiet Storm himself Marques Colston:

The New Orleans Saints have boasted some impressive receivers over the years — including Marques Colston, the franchise’s all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown catches, and one of two wideouts in NFL history to catch more than 700 passes without receiving a Pro Bowl nod (the other was Joey Galloway, if you’re wondering).

But which players rank highest in the team’s record books? Here are the top 20 Saints players in career receiving yardage, starting with the Quiet Storm:

Amari Rodgers set career high in receiving in Texans debut

Rodgers made short work of setting his career high in yardage in the #Texans’ loss to the #Cowboys in Week 14

Speculation abounded surrounding the Houston Texans’ claim of wide receiver Amari Rodgers off waivers in November, and fans finally got a glimpse of his talent in the team’s Week 14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Rodgers was among the team’s most effective receiving threats with both Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins inactive due to injury, and capitalized on every opportunity he was given to make an impact for the struggling franchise.

The second-year wideout caught four passes on five targets for 57 yards and a touchdown in the game. His yardage was enough to set a new career high in his Texans debut, and the touchdown he caught off the arm of quarterback Jeff Driskel was the first of his young career in the NFL.

It is unclear whether Houston will elect to continue activating him on Sundays through the end of the season, but judging from his performance against Dallas, he can clearly make a difference in their lackluster offense.

Rodgers was a highly coveted prospect when he declared for the draft in 2021 and seemed to have found a long-term home when the Green Bay Packers drafted him in the third round with the 85th overall selection. However, things didn’t go to plan for him in Green Bay, and the Packers decided to waive him in the middle of November to cut their losses on their failed investment.

Houston has a rare chance to develop this talented prospect in their offensive system, and should not take Rodgers’ talent for granted just because they got him for a bargain. The team is headed into the 2023 season with some serious work to be done in terms of roster construction, and Rodgers could be an elegant solution to their lack of high-end playmakers who could thrive with a high volume of targets and usage within their various passing schemes.

Seahawks RB Alex Collins’ pass-catching ability could help his cause

Seattle Seahawks running back Alex Collins’ pass-catching ability could help his cause for making the 53-man roster behind Chris Carson.

One of the more competitive positions for the Seattle Seahawks over the summer has been at running back. With Chris Carson Seattle’s starter, the backup spots behind him have been ripe for the taking.

One player who is hoping to capitalize on his preseason performance is Alex Collins, back with the Seahawks after returning to the team late last year.

Collins impressed Saturday night against the Chargers, logging four carries for 21 yards and a touchdown. But perhaps even more telling are his three receptions for 27 yards. Collins’ pass-catching ability could be the key to his sealing a roster spot.

“I think it could be a huge part of my game and that’s something I feel is big,” Collins said after the win Saturday night. “Being able to catch the ball out of the backfield and being more dynamic is what separates us as running backs because I feel like that in the pass game, the running back is slept on.

“We can make a big impact so being used in that aspect gives us that dynamic feel and allows us to make a lot more plays.”

Collins appears to be neck and neck with fourth-year running back Rashaad Penny to back up Carson on gamedays. DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer have also been battling for time this summer.

The Seahawks must trim their roster to 53 players on Tuesday.

[lawrence-related id=74711]

[vertical-gallery id=74658]

Rookie running back DeeJay Dallas ‘ahead of where expected’ in air game

Seattle Seahawks rookie running back DeeJay Dallas is also excelling in the receiving game and on special teams this summer.

[jwplayer QZopmiKN]

The Seahawks drafted another running back this spring and DeeJay Dallas is already starting to fit in nicely on Seattle’s roster. After getting some extra reps this camp with Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny out, Dallas got the chance to showcase what he’s learned during the team’s mock game over the weekend.

“He’s done a really nice job,” coach Pete Carroll said after the scrimmage. “He’s a real natural athlete. He’s played quarterback in his background, he’s been a receiver. At the running back spot, he brings some talent and background running routes and getting out of the backfield and feeling really comfortable in situations getting down the field and catching and all. So he’s done a nice job for us to kind of establish that we can count on him already, he has those talents. He’s right in it. He’s getting involved in special teams, that’s going to be a big factor for him.”

But it isn’t so much his ball-carrying skills that are getting him noticed as much as his ability to excel in the receiving game.

“But I’m surprised that it’s been so clear that he fits in in the throwing game,” Carroll acknowledged. “Not that he hasn’t run the ball well, he’s done fine there too, but he’s probably ahead of where we would have expected him in the throwing game.”

Any extra talents will go a long way for Dallas and the other rookies hoping to make the final roster this season.

[lawrence-related id=66439]

2 former Alabama stars projected to be NFL stat leaders

Cynthia Frelund of NFL.com projects two former Alabama stars to lead the league in their respective stats.

The Alabama Crimson Tide has stars that make headlines and top draft boards every season at the collegiate level. The program’s credibility extends beyond college and enters the NFL. Two former Alabama players are projected to lead the league in stats for their respective positions.

NFL.com’s Cynthia Frelund  wrote about her projections for each prominent NFL statistic. She included former Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones and former Crimson Tide running back Derrick Henry in the list.

Receiving yards – Julio Jones

Julio Jones
Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Jones is expected to lead the NFL in receiving yards, according to Frelund’s projection, with 1,510. Jones is no stranger to the title, as he has led the league in receiving yards twice in his career, in 2015 and 2018.

Frelund explains why she believes the Falcons wide receiver will be the leader:

“The return of the deep ball in Atlanta?! Last season, Matt Ryan only attempted a deep pass (20-plus air yards, per Next Gen Stats) on 8.9 percent of his throws — the quarterback’s lowest rate since 2016. And in the 2019 campaign, despite the fact that Atlanta’s intended starting O-line played fewer than 10 percent of snaps together, Jones still managed to earn the second-most receiving first downs in the league (77). Given better health on the offensive line, the offseason addition of tight end Hayden Hurst and the intense, high-flying competition we all expect from the NFC South, Jones slightly edges out Michael Thomas in projected receiving yards. The Falcons star earns more than 1,500 receiving yards in 55.1 percent of simulations.”

Rushing yards – Derrick Henry

Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

Frelund believes Alabama’s former Heisman-winning running back will lead the NFL in rushing yards for a second consecutive season with 1,380.

The projected amount is fewer than Henry’s 2019 season total, 1540, but is still expected to be enough.

She cites Henry’s ability to be the main contributor to the Tennessee Titans offense as the reason.

“Last season, Henry’s 1,540 rushing yards completely unlocked the Titans’ success on offense. Expect to see more of the same in 2020, with Arthur Smith’s offensive architecture maximizing the strengths of his weapons. Henry earns more than 1,300 yards in a ridiculous 66 percent of simulations and more than 1,500 in 51.6 percent.”

 

WR, TE, QB, FB, RB? Just how many positions did Taysom Hill play in 2019?

The New Orleans Saints played Taysom Hill just about everywhere during the 2019 season, but more than half his snaps were on special teams.

[jwplayer yY808HIT-ThvAeFxT]

What’s the next chapter in Taysom Hill’s story? The do-it-all playmaker has a reputation as a Swiss Army knife, seeming to succeed everywhere the New Orleans Saints put him in just about any role. But where exactly did he line up in 2019?

It can be hard to distinguish that. Hill takes reps from all over the Saints offense, lining up out wide as a receiver on one play before trotting over to lead-block as a fullback. He’s auditioned at tight end and thrived as a slot receiver, also playing sparingly as a quarterback. And that doesn’t even get into his many responsibilities on special teams.

Thankfully, the team at Pro Football Focus is here to help. They charted every snap Hill played in 2019, and recorded each position he lined up — totaling 572 snaps in 17 games, including the playoffs. However, just 264 of those plays came on offense; 54% of Hill’s action was spent on special teams, running with the punt and kicking units.

Here’s an illustration of Hill’s usage in a pie chart we put together using PFF data:

So there’s an answer: considered all of his assignments, it’s safe to say that Hill played 10 different positions during the 2019 season. But while more than half of Hill’s contributions came on special teams, what we’re really curious about is his usage on offense. So here’s a second chart that’s filtered down the positions played on offense, and combined his snaps at receiver (72 in the slot, 44 out wide):

That paints a better portrait of what kind of talent he is, and where Hill’s career may go next. He may insist on being designated a quarterback — and Saints coach Sean Payton might be determined to tell anyone who’ll listen that it’s the case — but actions speak louder than words. And so far, the Saints have shown a greater willingness to play Hill at other positions, and it’s tough to argue with the results. He caught 21 of 24 targets for 259 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns last season, also logging 31 carries for 206 rushing yards and another score. Great things happen when Hill gets the football as a receiver or runner, and the Saints should continue to prioritize that.

[lawrence-related id=27946,27568,26850,25423,24054]

[vertical-gallery id=28191]