By CJ Carlson
We’re just over a week into training camp and the New Orleans Saints have already been hit hard with injuries at the wide receiver position. It was recently announced that rookie wideout Jermaine Jackson was waived with an injury designation. The team was already working without Cedrick Wilson, Bub Means, and Equanimeous St. Brown.
Jackson had reportedly exited Saints practice on Friday with what has been described as an undisclosed ailment. If he clears waivers, there is a good chance he’ll remain with the Saints on injured reserve. This absence is made worse due to the other three players already missing at wideout. Cedrick Wilson Jr. is expected to be a starter for this Saints offense, Bub Means could be a quality weapon as a rookie, and St. Brown is supposed to be quality depth. All three of them being missing leaves them with little wiggle room in that area.
Saints Add Depth To Receiver Room
So, what did the team do to bulk up their receiver group again? They brought back Marquez Callaway for what feels like the millionth time. Callaway has been on and off the roster for the past couple of years now, so he knows the team, and the coaches, and should be able to learn the new offensive system getting put in place rather quickly. New Orleans also went out and brought in Samson Nacua. For those of you who might have found that name familiar, that’s because it is. Samson Nacua is the brother of budding superstar Puka Nacua, receiver on the Los Angeles Rams. That means the Saints have the brothers of two star wideouts, Puka Nacua, and Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Only time will tell what the Saints will try and do at the receiver position from here on out, but they might hesitate to add even more depth anytime soon. Callaway and Nacua will likely stick around until any of the three injured receivers can get back to practice consistently. It doesn’t feel like either will end up making the final roster, though we’ve seen weirder things happen. Plus, maybe Samson Nacua can have the same work ethic and star potential as his brother. Saints’ fans can only dream of something like that, but it’s a nice thought at a time when our receiver position has been ravaged by injuries already. Not to mention that Rasheed Shaheed has missed a couple of days during training camp as well. Hopefully, some receivers are able to make it into the start of the regular season.