New Orleans Saints coach Dennis Allen announced on Monday that he expects several starters to see action in Sunday's preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs. One player who won't see the field will be WR Rashid Shaheed.
The second-year wideout left practice over the weekend with a groin injury. Allen stated at the time that he didn't believe the injury was serious. However, Brooke Kirchhofer and Nick Underhill reported on Monday that Shaheed will be sidelined for 'a few weeks'.
While that might take Shaheed out of action for all three preseason games, Underhill added that the injury should not affect his status for the regular season opener against the Tennessee Titans.
Shaheed, who turns 25 on August 31, was the biggest surprise on the Saints roster in 2022. An undrafted rookie from Weber State, he made the practice squad after a strong training camp. He was promoted to the active roster in Week 6 against the Cincinnati Bengals after a season-ending injury to Deonte Harty.
With his first offensive touch in the NFL, Shaheed took an end-around for a 44-yard touchdown against the Bengals. His second offensive touch resulted in a 53-yard touchdown reception against Arizona the following week. Expected to take Harty's place as the primary kickoff and punt returner, Shaheed became a bigger part of the offense down the stretch.
Shaheed finished his rookie campaign with 28 receptions for 488 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games. He also averaged 9.7 yards on punt returns and 22.9 on kickoffs. Over the last six games of the year, Shaheed was the leading receiver for the New Orleans offense, pulling in 22 catches for 377 yards in that span.
An explosive open field threat with game-breaking deep speed, Shaheed also showed strong route precision as a rookie. He is expected to be a big part of the Saints offense alongside fellow second-year WR Chris Olave, even with the return of Michael Thomas and added weapons at running back and tight end.
Early reports indicate that the Saints are just being cautious with Shaheed in order to avoid worsening his injury. Let's hope that's accurate. New Orleans hosts Tennessee on September 10th in the 2023 season opener.
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