After Mickey Loomis spoke on Wednesday afternoon, it feels like the Saints can finally turn a page on a lost year and really start focusing in on what needs to be done in 2024 to try to get back to the postseason. While that's undoubtedly a tall task at hand, New Orleans will continue with their evaluation processs and fill needs on the staff as they come while also getting ready to kick the scouting process into overdrive.
We continue our looks at each position on the roster and assess where things are at going into next season. Today's focus is all about the wide receivers.
OTHER STATE OF THE SAINTS: Quarterback | Running Back
Saints Wide Receiver Overview
Players Under Contract: Chris Olave, A.T. Perry
Free Agent Outlook: Michael Thomas (void years), Keith Kirkwood, Lynn Bowden (RFA), Rashid Shaheed (ERFA), Shaq Davis (signed reserve/future deal with Eagles)
Priority Level: High
Second-year players Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed led the receiving corps in 2023, working primarily with Derek Carr all year. Both Olave and Shaheed increased their production from their rookie season, with Olave seeing 19 more targets over last season to finish with 138 and Shaheed getting 41 more to turn in 75. Olave hit a major slump in October after an off-the-field incident, but was able to rebound in a big way for the New Orleans offense.
Saints Wide Receiver Performance - 2023
- Chris Olave - 87 receptions, 1,123 yards, 12.9 average, 5 TDs
- Rashid Shaheed - 46 receptions, 719 yards, 15.6 average, 5 TDs
- Michael Thomas - 39 receptions, 448 yards, 11.5 average, TD
- A.T. Perry - 12 receptions, 246 yards, 20.5 average, 4 TDs
- Lynn Bowden - 11 receptions, 83 yards, 7.5 average
- Keith Kirkwood - 5 receptions, 37 yards, 7.4 average, TD
We expected to see a lot more of Michael Thomas, but after getting hurt against the Vikings on Nov. 12, we never saw him again. We obviously wonder if that game will go down as his last in a Saints uniform. After being mostly inactive early in the season, A.T. Perry came on later in the year and just made big plays. Lynn Bowden and Keith Kirkwood were primarily run-blocking presences for the offense.
Like many positions for the Saints, things are going to be really interesting at wide receiver. The fact that New Orleans essentially has three returning players right now (counting Shaheed due to ERFA status), they're undoubtedly going to need more help there. They're also going to be tasked with finding a new position coach after dismissing Kodi Burns.
If Thomas and Kirkwood are both out of the picture, the Saints will really need to find a veteran presence to be in the receiver room during free agency. There's going to be a ton of top-tier talent available, but that's not the space we should expect New Orleans to play in. When we say veteran, we're also not talking super old, but someone who is at least seasoned and can help lead the room.
Another thing to remember as we get into the offseason is watching what happens with someone like Hunter Renfrow. New Orleans was reportedly close to acquiring him at the trade deadline, and he's going to be a large cap hit for the Raiders entering the final year of his deal and will likely be a cap casualty. He hasn't set the world on fire since his big year in 2021, but the familiarity with Derek Carr could obviously be an easy pairing. Any veteran cap casualties could be where the Saints will look.
The path for the Saints feels pretty straightforward right now. Find the offensive coordinator, get the skill position coaches and then ensure the work is done to either keep some of the players on the roster or pinpoint who needs to get added. The draft could give them more, but as we've pointed out before, there's more pressing needs to address at 14th and 45th. Just remember too that New Orleans didn't bring in Lynn Bowden until mid-June, so the answer may not be there automatically for one of those other spots. Things could obviously change here, but this area really needs a lot of attention fast.
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