Saints Eyeing a Robert Meachem Return?
By John Hendrix
Sep 8, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Robert Meachem before a game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Who says the NFL Combine is the biggest focus this weekend? Okay, well maybe it is. However, for Saints fans, this is potentially a good sign of things to come. As per The Advocate’s Ramon Vargas, sources state the team may be looking to bring back veteran wide receiver Robert Meachem.
"The Saints are interested in hammering out a deal that would bring veteran wide receiver Robert Meachem back to New Orleans for 2014, more than one league source has confirmed.The Saints and Meachem’s camp had broached the topic of a new contract by Friday, one of the sources said. Of course, what will ultimately determine whether Meachem rejoins the Black and Gold is if he and the team can agree on how much money he’s worth to New Orleans."
In my Saints 2014 Free Agent Rankings, I had Meachem pegged as the #9 Priority of all Saints players to become free agents. Here’s what I had to say:
"2014 Outlook: Meachem now approaches 30 in September, and for him, there’s no telling where he ends up. Meachem was used a lot as the solo receiver in Saints run formations. He graded out respectably at a +5.6 on 401 snaps for the offense on Pro Football Focus. He’d have to be willing to take be okay with taking something more than a veteran’s compensation. Should Nick Toon evolve into the player the Saints were hoping for, then it’s easy to see Meachem won’t be back."
Perhaps this move will be dictated on how the team handles the contract of Lance Moore, who is due for a large hit to the Saints already thin salary cap. There’s no denying that having the veteran presence in the Saints wide receiver corp is a big positive to younger guys like Nick Toon, Kenny Stills, and Andy Tanner – who could feature a more prominent role in 2014.
In my opinion, Robert Meachem has much left in the tank, and while things didn’t work out for Meachem in San Diego, there’s little doubt in my mind that he belongs in New Orleans. Meachem has a long list of infamous plays as a member of the team, and in 2013, Meachem showed that his presence around the football is top notch.
Like Who Dat Dish? Follow us on Facebook