Marquez Callaway may be the New Orleans Saints next breakout star

The New Orleans Saints hit the jackpot with Deonte Harris last year, and now they may have found gold again with wide receiver Marquez Callaway.

With a plethora of options, the New Orleans Saints went with Marquez Callaway, a speedster out of the University of Tennessee with their last receiver spot. He had three punt return touchdowns during his time with the Volunteers, enough to get him a spot at the Saints camp.

The combination of Callaway being a safety net for another undrafted rookie that took the team by surprise in 2019 and a reliable option at receiver was enough to bring him on the roster.

He beat out players like veteran Bennie Fowler and Emmanuel Butler, a player that seemingly wins MVP of training camp on a yearly basis. They saw the potential in Callaway, and now, it’s starting to pay off.

The 6-foot-2, 204-pound receiver has been able to step up as both a receiver and a returner. He had his first career reception against the Lions in the team’s 14-point comeback victory a week ago.

Then, this past week was his introduction to Saints nation. He caught four passes for 34 yards. Targeted six times, Callaway was given a shot at three- and four-receiver sets with Michael Thomas sidelined the past few games.

While Callaway did help Brees out, giving him a tall option to pass to, he did even more in the return game. He had six punt returns for 69 yards and had another 33-yard return sent back because of a penalty. He also had two kickoff returns as well for 57 yards.

It was impressive what Callaway did against the Justin Herbert-led Los Angeles Chargers, and it’s a huge reason why the Saints were able to come back even after being down 20-3 late in the second quarter.

While Harris will get his spot back, Callaway has done enough to show that he has the potential to be a breakout star, and that will be the type of energy the Saints need to unleash sooner rather than later.