Could Sean Payton solve the Saints’ wide receiver dilemma? An injury to one of his Broncos starters could spark a reunion with an old favorite:
The New Orleans Saints have a new problem with their wide receiver corps: too many young, promising players and not enough roster spots to go around. Especially with respected veterans like Tre’Quan Smith in the mix. Could Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton step in and solve the dilemma? A last-minute injury to star wideout Jerry Jeudy could prompt Payton into yet another trade with his former team, and someone like Smith could make sense.
Would New Orleans bite? The Saints kept nine receivers in the building last year (six on the roster and three more on the practice squad), and they’re down to ten receivers ahead of roster cuts next week. So someone is getting left out in the cold. But who?
Could it be Shaq Davis? The undrafted rookie out of South Carolina State has rare size and speed, and he’s done well in Marques Colston’s old role as an oversized slot receiver in two preseason games. But he’s on the roster bubble along with experienced pros like Smith, Kawaan Baker, and returns specialist Lynn Bowden Jr.
If the Saints can move one of those receivers and get a draft pick or other compensation back in the process, it’s worth considering. Anyone signed to the practice squad must clear waivers next week first, and it isn’t a sure thing that a youngster like Davis would pass through unscathed.
Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, Rashid Shaheed, and A.T. Perry are locks to make the roster. Keith Kirkwood has done enough too and the Saints have given him enough deference with rest days to suggest he’s safe. That leaves just one spot on the 53-man roster. Smith has hung around for years as a blocking specialist with limited receiving upside, with the coaching staff (Payton’s coaching staff in particular) valuing his physicality and hard-nosed style of play, despite modest production with the ball in his hands.
But Smith has an injury of his own. It’s a complicating factor — he hasn’t practiced since Aug. 6 due to a groin muscle issue, missing each of the first two preseason games along the way. He hasn’t been able to compete with guys like Kirkwood and Davis for a roster spot so he’s just getting by on his reputation with the coaches. That might not be enough.
It’s also a complicating factor in potential trade talks with the Broncos. Smith was a player Payton respected highly in New Orleans, but he won’t be able to reunite with Smith if the receiver can’t pass a physical. But between a draft-day trade for tight end Adam Trautman and ongoing speculation linking the kicker-needy Broncos to embattled Saints kicker Wil Lutz, it would make sense for Payton to come calling again, even if it’s not for Smith.
Payton already brought former Saints receivers Marquez Callaway and Lil’Jordan Humphrey with him to Denver. It would make sense for him to look to New Orleans again to help keep his new offense on schedule while Jeudy recovers. If Smith is too injured to pass a physical and process a trade, Kirkwood is another player to watch. He got his start with the Saints, too, and he has a more dynamic athletic profile than Smith, so he could be better suited to picking up Jeudy’s playbook.
Kirkwood has played well enough this summer to make the team, but that means the Broncos would need to make a better offer than they would for a player the Saints may intend on releasing anyway (like Smith). Denver owns a pair of fifth-round selections in 2024 (one of them from the New York Jets) and either of them would be a good return for a receiver who might rank fourth on the Saints’ depth chart when everyone is healthy. If trading Kirkwood to the Broncos opens a spot on the 53-man roster for Davis and helps pad out New Orleans’ future draft picks in the process, well: that view might be worth the climb.
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