Rashid Shaheed’s evolution with the Saints should frighten NFL defenses

Rashid Shaheed has been a tremendous story for the New Orleans Saints. After going undrafted in 2022, Shaheed signed with the Saints, and almost instantly became a star once he got on the field. Dazzling with his amazing returning abilities, Shaheed proved to be an explosive offensive weapon as well, scoring long touchdowns on his first two touches from scrimmage in the league.

As a rookie, Shaheed played in 12 games, catching 28 passes for 488 yards and two touchdowns. He also carried the ball four times for 57 yards and one additional touchdown. In year two, those numbers improved to 46 receptions for 719 yards and five touchdowns. Shaheed was also a Pro Bowl and All-Pro returner in 2023.

However, for as productive as he’s been, Shaheed is only just getting started. He has a ton of room to do even more damage, and that starts with him being on the field more offensively.

Rashid Shaheed will benefit from an increased role in 2024

Despite his production, Shaheed’s snap counts through two seasons aren’t all that high. When he caught 28 passes for 488 yards and two touchdowns, while also carrying the ball four times for 57 yards and one additional touchdown, he only played 42% of the team’s offensive snaps. In 2023, with 46 receptions for 719 yards over 15 games, he still only played 58% of New Orleans’ offensive snaps. For comparison, Chris Olave played 66% of the team’s offensive snaps as a rookie, and 74% last season.

With Shaheed entering the 2024 season as the clear No. 2 behind Olave, his offensive snap percentage should increase notably. With more snaps, Shaheed will have more opportunities to display the explosive abilities that make him special. That’s great news for the Saints, but a scary reality for opposing defenses that have already been struggling to contain Shaheed.

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