The news of Ja’Lynn Polk retiring was a shock Sunday afternoon. We discussed the potential ramifications on the New Orleans Saints receiver room, headlined by Trey Palmer claiming the sixth receiver spot. On Monday morning, Barion Brown reminded Kellen Moore and Saints fans that keeping five receivers is also an option.
We just kind of assume the Saints will keep six wide receivers on the initial roster, but keeping that extra receiver doesn’t have to be mandatory. It seemed much more likely with Polk in the fold. Now that he's stepped away from the game, Brown has just as good of a chance to convince Moore to keep just 5 receivers as Palmer has to make the Saints keep six.
The benefit of keeping just five receivers and one of them is a returner is it gives you room to keep an extra at another position. The Saints may want to keep an additional edge rusher, and Brown erasing the need for a sixth wide receiver would allow the team to do that without hurting the wide receiver room.
Saints fans can't sleep on Barion Brown's true ceiling
Brown’s standout trait is his ability as a return specialist. He returned at least one kickoff for a touchdown every season in college. While that is how he’ll make the roster, it's much more to his game.
I'm almost disappointed in myself for not including keeping five receivers as an option. I'm well aware of what Brown could bring to the offense, so let's chalk it up to a mere brain fart. Brown making one of the plays of the day on Monday snapped me back to reality.
Brown caught a deep pass from Spencer Rattler after beating Martin Emerson in coverage. This was the second attempt between Rattler and Brown to connect downfield, and this time, they succeeded.
Brown has Rashid Shaheed replacement written all over him and some. His big play ability down the field was on display during the training camp highlight.
Brown also has the catch and run ability that the Saints have lacked for years, even with Shaheed on the team. If they use it correctly, Brown could be the "get the ball in his hands and let him create" receiver many fans wanted Shaheed to be. The Saints likely won't give Brown a huge offensive role even if they only keep five receivers, but even that minor role could be impactful weekly.
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