The New Orleans Saints are overhauling their wide receiver room again, this time turning to a UFL champion and a hometown return threat. Executive vice president and general manager Mickey Loomis announced that the team promoted one receiver from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, added another to the practice squad and waived veteran Brandin Cooks ahead of Sundayâs Week 12 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons.
The Cooks move is something youâve already broken down in a separate story. This follow-up is all about what the Saints just added â and what it says about how they plan to finish a rough 2-8 season.
Saints Elevate UFL Champion After Bye-Week Reset
The promotion goes to a 6-foot-2, 200-pound receiver who has been hovering around the active roster for most of the last two years. He originally entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022, landing on their practice squad before joining New Orleans during 2024 training camp.
Since then, heâs carved out a small but real role. He has appeared in nine NFL games with two starts, including one appearance this season, and has 11 catches for 151 yards â a solid 13.7 yards per reception. Last year, he spent the first half of the season on the practice squad before being elevated and giving the Saints another option when injuries hit Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed.
The âUFL championâ tag is real, not just a headline trick. Before rejoining the Saints, he played for the Birmingham Stallions, helping them win the 2024 UFL title and flashing big-play speed in that league, including a 100-plus yard outing with an 80-yard touchdown.
New Orleans is betting that experience â bouncing between NFL practice squads, starring in the UFL, then battling back to the 53 â translates into a reliable vertical threat in Kellen Mooreâs offense.
Saints Add Hometown Return Threat to Practice Squad
The second move is classic Saints: bring home a local playmaker with special-teams juice. New Orleans signed a 5-foot-9, 188-pound receiver/returner who grew up in Luling, Louisiana, starred at Hahnville High and became a big-play weapon at Tulane.
He was a sixth-round pick of the Tennessee Titans in the 2024 NFL draft (No. 182 overall) and immediately contributed as a return specialist. As a rookie, he played in 12 games and piled up 28 punt returns for 215 yards plus 16 kickoff returns for 412 yards, giving him 627 total return yards on the year.
Tulane fans know the profile: over five seasons with the Green Wave, he logged 109 receptions for 1,743 yards and 17 touchdowns while also topping 600 punt-return yards and 700-plus kickoff-return yards. He earned all-conference recognition as a returner during his graduate season, and now heâs back in Louisiana trying to earn a call-up from the practice squad.
What the WR Shakeup Means Before Falcons Game
Strip away the transaction language and the message is pretty simple: the Saints are getting younger and cheaper at wide receiver. They already traded Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks for 2026 draft picks and now have moved on from Cooks, clearing snaps and cap space while they sit at 2-8 and last in the NFC South.
Promoting the UFL champion gives New Orleans another outside option with size and vertical speed to pair with Olave. The hometown return ace, meanwhile, is a clear âbreak glass in case of emergencyâ candidate â if the return game sputters or another injury hits the receiver room, heâs a phone call away from helping on special teams and in the slot.
With the Falcons coming to Caesars Superdome in Week 12 and a road trip to face the Miami Dolphins in Week 13, the Saints are using their bye-week window to churn the bottom of the roster and see whether two hungry, explosive athletes can spark an offense thatâs averaging just 15.5 points per game.Â
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