Saints Roster: Realistic expectations for Marquez Callaway in 2022

Marquez Callaway is entering his third year on the New Orleans Saints roster. What can fans expect from him in 2022? 

The New Orleans Saints have always been able to find hidden gems in undrafted free agency and Marquez Callaway is another example of that.

The undrafted product out of Tennessee went on to appear in 11 games during his rookie season and finished with 213 yards. That production gave Saints fans hope that Callaway could help contribute to the team a lot more in 2021 despite his undrafted status.

It was a bit unfair for fans to put tons of stock into Callaway considering he wasn’t a big name and had a little over 200 yards in year one. He still went on to put up respectable numbers with just under 700 yards and six touchdowns, which would have been solid WR2 numbers. The thing is that Callaway was the WR1 throughout the year so the numbers weren’t flashy compared to other WR1 stats.

Saints Roster: What should fans expect from Marquez Callaway in 2022?

Despite carrying the weight for the wide receivers last year, Callaway won’t be a starter in his third year with the Saints. Not only is the team getting Michael Thomas back after he didn’t play at all last year but they drafted Chris Olave in the first round and signed Jarvis Landry, giving them a really strong trio at their weakest position from a season ago.

Unfortunately for Callaway, these additions force him into a reserve spot rather than in a starting role. Callaway went from being the likely WR2 in the offense to now sitting behind Thomas on the depth chart and serving as a WR4. He’s a pretty darn good WR4 and that’s why the Saints offense is going to be a lot scarier this year.

As far as projecting what kind of numbers Callaway could put up, Mike Clay of ESPN doesn’t see Callaway replicating his big 2021 campaign in his yearly projections. He has the former Tennessee product grabbing just nine catches for 113 yards and a touchdown. That’d still be a decent performance from a WR4.

Unless injuries pile up, it’s doubtful that Callaway will build on his 2021 season but that’s not surprising considering the tumble he took on the depth chart. He’s still going to be a part of this Saints offense, just not as big of a piece as he was last year.