Jan 7, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view of the New Orleans Saints helmet during warmups against the Atlanta Falcons at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Examining Saints' WR Room, Including Forgotten Trade Pickup

Originally posted on New Orleans Saints on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Jan 13, 2026 11:53 AM ET

If you're a New Orleans Saints fan, it's easy to have a bit of pep in your step right now when it comes to the franchise.

Tyler Shough looked like the real deal once he took over as the team's starting quarterback, Kellen Moore showed significant progress from the beginning of his first season as the team's head coach to the end, the 2025 NFL Draft class looks like a hit in general, and some guys took a step forward in 2025, like Chris Olave and Chase Young.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Despite finishing the season with a 6-11 record, there are a lot of teams out there that would like to be in the position that the Saints are in right now. Look at a team like the Miami Dolphins, for example. They went 7-10, but are all out of whack. They fired their head coach and the quarterback position is up in the air after Tua Tagovailoa got benched.

The Saints have momentum and need to use this offseason to add more pieces, specifically to the offense. The Saints arguably need another high-end receiver and potentially another running back to pair with Alvin Kamara and Devin Neal. On the receiver front, there are building blocks in place. Olave is a star and Devaughn Vele looked like a solid No. 2/No. 3 option. Adding a veteran playmaker would be huge, like a Deebo Samuel or Marquise Brown-type in free agency.

The Saints are one WR away

If the Saints could enter the 2026 season with a receiver room led by Olave, Vele, and Samuel, that'd be a high-powered trio. The franchise also has another guy with upside already with the franchise in Ja'Lynn Polk. If you forgot about him, that's understandable. The Saints acquired him from the New England Patriots and he didn't play in a game for the franchise throughout the 2025 season as he rehabbed. He's with the team, though. Shough posted a photo of the two fishing earlier in the week.

⚜️ pic.twitter.com/ieHZ57YCHQ
— Tyler Shough (@tylershough2) January 12, 2026

Polk is just 23 years old and was a second-round pick by the Patriots in 2024. He had only 12 catches for 87 yards as a rookie, along with two touchdowns in 15 games played.

In his final season in college in 2023, he had 1,159 yards on 69 catches to go along with nine touchdowns. That's 16.8 yards per catch. If the Saints could add another intermediate receiver, like Samuel. They could be all set. Have Olave run all over the place, Samuel -- or another addition -- as a safety blanket, Vele in the middle of the field, and Polk outside. That sounds like an offense with upside.

Over the course of the offseason, there's going to be a lot of chatter about which guys the franchise should add, but don't forget about Polk in the process, seeing as the Saints already traded for him.

More NFL: Saints Need To Consider 25-Year-Old Packers WR In Free Agency

This article first appeared on New Orleans Saints on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: