Bryce Lance was one of three wide receivers the New Orleans Saints selected in this year's NFL Draft. Though he wasn't the last receiver picked, he's the one whose rookie year is the most difficult to predict.
How Lance progresses through training camp and preseason will tell us a lot about how productive he could be as a rookie. After the draft, Mickey Loomis stressed that Lance is a developmental prospect. The offseason will be about seeing how far he has to go.
Loomis told the media, “We’re adding a developmental 6-3, [4.3] player that didn’t play at power before conference. He played for North Dakota State, so there’s probably some development that we need to do there.” Stressing development twice is the signal for patience from everyone. Things could change quickly if Lance is ahead of schedule or outpaces the Saints' development timeline.
Is 2026 a redshirt year or can Bryce Lance be a specialist in Saints offense?
Redshirt or specialist feels like the two likeliest roles for Lance as a rookie. That would have been true with or without Loomis' comments, but it certainly made it more likely.
Lance being a fourth round pick AND a developmental player puts the Saints in a position where he has to make the roster. Even if they believe he needs a year to season, Lance isn't making it to the practice squad if the Saints cut him. You have that luxury with late round picks, but there's going to be someone who wanted Lance and will make room for him on their 53 man roster.
The Saints could diagnose him with one of those nagging injuries that keeps him out for the year. That's a risky move, however, because it is a more irreversible option. The best way to redshirt Lance is to continuously make him a healthy scratch each week.
If Lance becomes a specialist, it'll be as a deep threat. He could fill Rashid Shaheed's shoes in that way with his 4.34 speed. The Saints offense will be even better because of it. It's hard to say they'll go to a new level. Chris Olave and Jordyn Tyson are threats down the field.
Having a player whose role is to stretch the field would open things up even further for Olave and Tyson. The attention on them may first open opportunities for Lance, but after a few big catches, they'll have to respect his threat downfield. That, in turn, will create more space for Olave and Tyson to operate with.
The specialist role is the preferred outcome. It gives Lance a set role as he grows the other facets of his game. It also has a large benefit on the other receiving threats through spacing. Both a redshirt and a specialist role give Lance the chance to develop, but the latter bolsters the offense while he grows.
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