New Orleans Saints: Position Breakdown and Depth-Chart Analysis at Wide Receiver

The New Orleans Saints held a mandatory minicamp this week, and the team's wide receiver depth looks to be solid as the 2015 season approaches.

Under the direction of coach Sean Payton, the Saints fielded the league’s third-ranked pass offense in 2014, as quarterback Drew Brees rang up 4,952 passing yards and 33 touchdowns.

In 2015, however, Brees will have to do without a couple of key contributors from last season.

All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham, who often lined up in the slot and at split end, and starting wide receiver Kenny Stills were both traded this offseason.

New Orleans opted not to bring in another receiver in this year’s draft, although a quick glance at the team’s roster suggests Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis are pleased with the young talent they have at the position.

In the following slideshow, we’ll take a closer look at the current group of wide receivers on the Saints roster, beginning with the two wideouts expected to be starters when the season gets underway on September 13.

Starters

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Marques Colston

Thirty-two-year-old Marques Colston returns for another season as the leader of the Saints receiving corps.

With over 9,000 career receiving yards and 68 touchdowns, the nine-year veteran has been one of the league’s most productive wideouts since his arrival in 2006.

Colston may have lost a tad bit of explosiveness over the past year or so, but his 6’4”, 225-pound frame, along with his excellent hands and superb body control, should once again make him a favored red-zone target for Brees in 2015.

Brandin Cooks

While Colston is undoubtedly the experienced veteran of the Saints receiving corps, its most explosive player is second-year man Brandin Cooks.

The Saints traded up to nab Cooks in the first round of the 2014 draft, and he didn’t disappoint in his rookie season. The former Oregon State standout played in all 10 games and made six starts before his season was cut short by an injury suffered in Week 11.

He hauled in 53 passes for 550 yards and three scores, and he added another 73 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Cooks is a dynamic playmaker who can stretch the field, and he can also provide a hefty contribution to the short passing game. He should play a huge role in the Saints offense this coming season.

Veteran Contributors

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Colston and Cooks are penciled in as the starters, but the Saints run plenty of three- and four-receiver sets, and there will be no shortage of opportunities for other wideouts to make big contributions in 2015.

Nick Toon

After being drafted in the fourth round in 2012, Nick Toon's career in New Orleans got off to a rocky start. He missed the entire 2012 season with an injury, and he only managed four catches in 2013.

The light appeared to come on for Toon in the second half of last season, however. In the last six contests of 2014, he hauled in 17 catches for 215 yards and a touchdown, and he registered a start in the Saints’ late-November road victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The lanky 6’4” wideout will have every opportunity to see the field in 2015, but he’ll have to fend off a sizable group of young challengers.

Joe Morgan

Other than Cooks, New Orleans doesn’t have many true deep threats on the team, but Joe Morgan is certainly one of them.

Heading into his fifth season, the speedster out of Walsh University has snagged 14 receptions in his career, with three of them going for touchdowns. His eye-popping career average of 33.6 yards per catch suggests he’ll have the opportunity to play a key role in the Saints' downfield passing attack this season.

Josh Morgan

Offseason acquisition Josh Morgan is also in the mix for playing time this season. The seven-year veteran is the most experienced receiver on the New Orleans roster not named Colston.

After spending the first four years of his career in San Francisco, Morgan has become a journeyman as of late, and New Orleans is his fourth stop in the last five seasons.

Solidly built at 6’0” and 219 pounds, the Virginia Tech product will provide the Saints with proven depth at the position. Morgan has hauled in 30 passes for 284 receiving yards over the past two seasons, and he could serve as a reliable substitute in the event of an injury to a starter.

Rising Young Receivers

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Brandon Coleman and Seantavius Jones

Nipping at the heels of the veterans on the Saints roster are a couple of unproven but talented second-year wideouts.

Brandon Coleman and Seantavius Jones were both signed as undrafted free agents in 2014, and they battled for roster spots throughout the 2014 preseason. Although neither one made the final roster in August, they were both named to the practice squad.

According to Larry Holder of NOLA.com, both young receivers have made big strides, and their improvements didn't go unnoticed during OTAs.

Coleman and Jones are often mentioned together, but there are some notable differences between the two.

For starters, Coleman has a bigger frame at 6’6” and 225 pounds. The former Rutgers standout has the ability to post up smaller corners, which has drawn comparisons to Colston. He could provide Brees with another sizable red-zone target in 2015, but he’ll have to continue to improve in order to beat out some of the older veterans for playing time.

As for Jones, the 6’3” Valdosta State product doesn’t have Coleman’s size, but he’s a more athletic receiver with solid hands and excellent body control. With time, he could develop into a starter in Payton’s high-octane offense.

Jalen Saunders

Unlike Coleman and Jones, second-year wideout Jalen Saunders was selected in the 2014 draft. Picked by the New York Jets in Round 4, the 5’9” speedster was released in the first month of the season.

Following a couple of short stints on the practice squads of the Arizona Cardinals and the Seattle Seahawks, he was picked up by New Orleans last November.

After Cooks went down with a season-ending injury, Saunders made an almost immediate contribution as a return man. He totaled 99 yards on nine punt returns, and he ripped off a 99-yard kickoff return against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 16.

Willie Snead

Then there’s Willie Snead, who also went undrafted in 2014 before being signed by the Cleveland Browns. After his release from Cleveland, he spent time with the Carolina Panthers last season before the Saints signed him to the practice squad in December.

Snead is a long shot to make the team this season, but he’ll provide the New Orleans receiving corps with a highly competitive, physical wideout when training camp rolls around.

Lance Lewis

Another young wideout on the current roster is East Carolina product Lance Lewis. Undrafted in 2012, he's spent time with the Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers, mostly as a practice-squad player.

The 6'2" Lewis saw action in three games for the Redskins in 2013, although he didn't record any statistics. He's a capable route-runner with strong hands and considerable playmaking abilities, and his presence in New Orleans should serve to push the other receivers in camp. 

Rookies

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The Saints may not have spent any draft picks on receivers this year, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t bring in some talented rookies at the position. Given the offseason improvements of both Coleman and Jones, it isn’t out of the question for this year’s class of undrafted free agents to demonstrate similar potential.

R.J. Harris

In signing R.J. Harris, New Orleans brought in a well-rounded wideout who could develop into a productive NFL player.

Harris has adequate size at 6’0” and 200 pounds, and his abilities as a deep threat could earn him a hard look from the Saints coaching staff this coming preseason. The New Hampshire product is a sure-handed receiver who can come down with the tough catch in traffic, and he can also pick up extra yards after the catch.

He’s not a favorite to make the final roster this fall, but he could very well earn a spot on the practice squad.

Kyle Prater

Another strong candidate to make the practice squad in 2015 is Kyle Prater.

Similar in size to Colston and Coleman, the 6’5”, 231-pounder is a physical possession receiver who led Northwestern with 51 catches for 553 yards a season ago. In time, he could develop into a worthwhile project in New Orleans.

The Saints have two other receivers, Andy Tanner and Malcome Kennedy, who aren't practicing with the team and have been placed on injured reserve. 

Regardless, New Orleans appears poised to field a deep receiving corps in 2015, and the battles for final roster spots should be fierce throughout the preseason.