Dec 30, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marques Colston (12) celebrates his touchdown in the endzone against the Carolina Panthers during second half of their game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Carolina Panthers defeated the New Orleans Saints 44-38. John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

We’ve looked at all the other ‘skill’ positions on offense previously: Tight Ends, Running Backs, and Quarterbacks. Let’s look at lengthy topic today, the Wide Receivers. Depending on what site you cite, the Saints have a plethora of WRs listed, we’ll look at 10 of them today. 

Marques Colston, 29, is showing no signs of slowing, entering his 8th season as a Saint. Aside 2008, Colston has consistently been a 1,000 yard receiver. Last season, he caught 83 balls for 1,154 yards, 10 touchdowns (2nd most in his career), and averaged nearly 14 yards per reception. He also set some records for 2012, as he became the Saints franchise leader in receiving touchdowns against San Diego on October 7th, passing Joe Horn’s previous record of 50, and breaking Deuce McAllister’s record of 55 total touchdowns. Colston re-worked his deal to create some salary cap space in February, saving the Saints $2.1M in room, and is locked up until 2017. Colston remains ever dangerous with his partner in crime, Drew Brees, and looks to have another solid season. In an offense as dangerous as the Saints, he has usually been ‘Mr. Reliable’ in terms of making things happen. I remember being at the opening game at Lambeau against the Packers, and Colston went down with that collarbone injury, and bounced back way quicker than anyone expected, missing only two games. In so many words, he’s a trooper. Look for Colston to continue his successes in 2013, and will become the Saints career leading receiver this season. He is currently 3rd on that list with 7,394 yards receiving, and has Joe Horn (7,622 yards) & Eric Martin (7,854 yards) to beat.

Lance ‘Smiley’ Moore, 29, is also entering his 8th season for the Black & Gold. 2012 marked the first season that Lance went over 1,000 yards in his career, with 1,041 yards on 65 receptions, 16 yards per reception average, and 6 touchdowns. He is not set to become a Free Agent until 2016, so that bodes well in terms of chemistry for the Saints offensive attack. Moore lines up opposite of Colston, and will continue to find success when teams find Jimmy Graham and Colston on the field. With as many weapons in the offense, the fact that Payton has stated his focus on the run game, and a healthy Jimmy Graham, it could hurt Lance in terms of production year over year, but I think we may see another 1,000 yard season out of Moore.

With the departed Devery Henderson (and we wish you all the best Devery), the 3rd receiver spot is kind of up in the air, and this is where things get a little interesting. As per Rotoworld, Joe Morgan, 25, is listed as the team’s 3rd receiver at the moment. He had a good season overall, as he caught 10 passes for 379 yards, and 3 touchdowns. The shining stat however, is the 37.9 yards/catch. Morgan was a huge deep threat for the Saints in 2012 (much like what Devery did for us in the past), and his most memorable play (which there were a few) had to have been against the Bucs. He enters the final year of his contract with the Saints, and it is stated that his role will increase with the offense in 2013.

Now comes a host players who haven’t played a regular season snap for the Saints. Let’s start with Nick Toon, 24, who was drafted in 2012 in the 4th Round, returns to the Saints after missing his rookie season with a troublesome foot injury that required surgery to fix. Toon was placed on IR on August 31st, and is stated to be 100% recovered. The prodigy of NFL sensation Al Toon had a great buzz about him after coming out of Wisconsin, and has great hands. He looks to become the Saints 4th option at wide receiver, and while he is unproven at this point, there’s a lot to like about him. The biggest question is whether his left foot will hold up.

August 17, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith (91) against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half of a preseason game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Will Smith has had a tumultuous few years with the New Orleans Saints and things are set to get worse for the defensive end in defensive coordinator Rob Ryan’s new 3-4 defense.

According to Larry Holder of NOLA.com, General Manager Mickey Loomis says Smith will have to make the transition to 3-4 outside linebacker.

It’s a shocking development for multiple reasons. For one, Smith is going to have to lose some weight if he wants to effectively contribute as a linebacker. At 282 pounds, Smith is simply too heavy for the position. Of course, he’s arguably on the light side of things to act as a 3-4 defensive end.

Smith is 31 years old and has had issues getting to the quarterback in the past few years. After recording 13 sacks in 2009, Smith has failed to tally more than 6.5 sacks in a season. The ineffectiveness is part of the reason his salary was slashed by $6 million this offseason so he could even stay with the team.

Now Smith is tasked with learning a new defense, potentially cutting weight and finding a way to be productive. Depending on how Ryan wants to use him, Smith may be asked to drop into coverage and be stout in run support as well.

Outside of the above challenges, Smith is going to have to beat out talented players such as Victor Butler, Martez Wilson and Junior Galette for playing time. At this stage of his career, it’s hard to see Smith doing so, especially when it’s likely his last season in New Orleans with the team scheduled to pay him over $10 million in 2014.

The move for Smith simply reeks of desperation from the coaching staff. That, or they truly don’t know what to do with him. Outside linebacker was one of the team’s biggest needs heading into the draft, but the front office simply didn’t have enough picks to address each need.

Smith is not the answer for the Saints at outside linebacker. Its seems like a one-year experiment at best before the team moves on to younger, more fluid fits at the position.

Like Who Dat Dish? Let us know on Twitter @whodatdish or  on Facebook.

Feb 23, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Arkansas-Pinebluff offensive lineman Terron Armstead takes a rest on the bench after participatin in on the field workouts during the 2013 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The New Orleans Saints have an interesting positional battle coming up in OTA’s and training camp when rookie Terron Armstead takes on Charles Brown for the right to protect Drew Brees from the left tackle position.

Brown has been with the team for a few years now but has had to deal with injuries while sitting behind starter Jermon Bushrod. Armstead joined the Saints this offseason courtesy of the No. 75 overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft and is set to leapfrog Brown for multiple reasons.

Head coach Sean Payton has stressed how uneasy he is about the left tackle position in New Orleans all offseason long, and Brown has obviously read the quotes. As he told Nakia Hogan of NOLA.com, he’s ready to compete and win the starting job:

 ”It’s definitely time for me to step up and prove myself and prove that I can protect Drew back there,” Brown said Wednesday night at Ben Grubb’s charity softball game at Zephyr Field. The Saints’ defense beat the offense 10-2 in the game.

“It’s going to be really exciting,” Brown said. “Right now I’m just trying to get out there and be the best I can and perfect every play and just stay out there.”

Unfortunately for Brown, his battles with injuries and the raw potential of Armstead are not good signs for his chances of getting and holding onto the starting job.

Payton and Co. grabbed Armstead in the draft for a reason. If the staff had the utmost confidence in Brown, Armstead wouldn’t have been selected. Heck, the front office wouldn’t have picked up one of the biggest busts in NFL history in former second overall pick Jason Smith either.

Armstead is the right choice at left tackle based on his athleticism. At the NFL Scouting Combine, he ran a 4.7-second 40-yard dash and recorded a 34 ½-feet vertical leap. This is the type of athleticism the Saints need at the position in order to keep Brees on his feet.

The fact of the matter is, Brees has a habit of making his offensive linemen look better than they really are thanks to his exceptionally quick reads and release. With Brees at the heal, Armstead can rely on his raw athleticism to shut down pass-rushers just longenough for Brees to get rid of the ball. This will also allow him to develop in live action rather than while sitting on the bench and only seeing reps in practice.

Brown isn’t a horrible backup by any means, but Armstead should have a tight grip on the starting left tackle job by the time the regular season rolls around.

Like Who Dat Dish? Let us know on Twitter @whodatdish or  on Facebook.