The New Orleans Saints made a painful move on Tuesday, trading wide receiver Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks. As the now former Saint packs his bags, he is sure to leave some big shoes to fill.
Shaheed was their go-to guy when it came to big shots down the field. Yes, his fellow wide receiver Chris Olave has caught some, but not nearly as much when compared to himself. Over the years, Shaheed has made highlight after highlight of turning defensive backs into burnt toast, most recently against the New York Giants.
Then there's the case of his presence on special teams. Since arriving in the National Football League as an undrafted free agent back in 2022, he could be seen returning kicks and punts and has gathered two punt return touchdowns and one kick return touchdown in his career.
It's on Chris Olave to fill the field stretching void Rashid Shaheed leaves in the Saints offense
I don't think it's possible for the Saints to just grab one player and expect them to do what Rashid Shaheed was able to do. It's going to take a group effort, but it starts with Chris Olave. Olave clamored to be a three level threat this offseason. Shaheed took most of those opportunities, but maybe Olave gets what he was looking for now.
Olave made his most pronounced splash of the season against the Chicago Bears on a deep shot from Spencer Rattler. The change is at quarterback, not Olave's ability. He may have to lean into Shaheed's lane stylistically and take on a larger workload.
There's also Mason Tipton, a wide receiver who stood out in the offseason but has yet to make any impact at all in the regular season. He's primarily a special teamer, and he'll get a larger role in that facet. He's also a player who can stretch the field. Tipton wouldn't be the all around threat of Olave but rather a deep ball specialist. It won't result in a lot of targets, but he could carve out a role moving foward nonetheless.
We must also not forget about wide receiver Trey Palmer. The Saints claimed the speedy receiver off waivers, but an akle injury has kept him on injured reserve. There's a chance he could come back this season, and he'd be another viable threat down the field.