The New Orleans Saints’ offseason has followed a very clear vision and philosophy, especially in the offensive side of the bal. From building up the offensive line to amassing weapons at the skill positions, the team has clearly made a concerted effort to build around exciting young quarterback Tyler Shough.
In doing so, the team didn’t just add available talent, they did so with a clear plan in place of how to build up head coach Kellen Moore’s offensive attack.
The first-round selection of explosive wide receiver Jordyn Tyson in this year’s NFL Draft is a prime example.
With elite pass rushers and defensive leaders on the board at No. 8 overall, New Orleans chose a wide receiver higher than it has since selecting former wideout Wes Chandler No. 3 overall in the 1978 draft.
The selection of Tyson has a lot to do with his skill set making him a natural fit both in Moore’s offense and with Shough at quarterback. But the wideout also brings with him the talents necessary to not just fit the Saints’ system, but help it expand the menu. That’s particularly true in the middle of the field.
In-Breaking Success
Tyson will immediately fit in as a three-level threat, red zone playmaker and go-to passing option thanks to his full route tree, which complements the Saints’ timing-based passing attack. Particularly what he can do on the perimeter. But that only tells part of the story.
Per Reception Perception’s tracking, some of Tyson’s greatest success as a college receiver came from attacking the middle of the field. That’s something New Orleans can benefit from building around.
In the games tracked by reception perception, Tyson’s most frequent route was a dig; a 90-degree cut to the middle of the field. The 20.6% distribution made it Tyson’s most frequently run route and his 78.8% success rate made digs his second most successful deployment.
Slants (10.3%) and posts (7.5%) also attack the center of the defense and ranked within Tyson’s five most frequently run routes in the charred games.
ESPN’s Mina Kines had a similar revelation digging into Tyson’s fit for New Orleans.
Expanding the Menu
The Saints didn’t necessarily avoid an in-breaking attack in 2026, but they also didn’t start to lean heavily on it until Shough assumed the signal caller role. After doing so, the team found a strong rate of efficiency attacking the middle of the field.
While the Saints’ offense targeted mostly perimeter rounds like outs, hitches landing outside the hashes or numbers and go routes, some in-breakers still found success when thrown.
Posts drew a 68% completion percentage for the Saints in 2025, along with an average of 14.4 yards.
Crossers also turned in a 76.1% completion rate over the season. With Shough under center, he completed 73.3% of his passing attempts to digs, with wide receiver Devaughn Vele being a core contributor on that route toward the end of the season.
New Orleans hasn’t avoided attacking the middle of the field, and as Kimes noted, Shough appeared impressively comfortable doing so.
Now, Tyson adds another weapon that’s particularly strong running into and making tough catches in the middle of the field, expanding the options New Orleans can consider in growing that area of its passing offense.
Add inside receiver Chris Olave, who has been a consistent winner in the intermediate area (where a lot of in-breaking routes live or develop) and the menu expands even further thanks to the versatility and complementary styles of the wide receiver room.
Tyson’s Value
What Tyson brings to the table for New Orleans is a unique combination of pure fit and the elevation of opportunity to do more for the offense.
Tyson isn’t going to force Moore to change anything offensively. Nor will Moore have to change anything about where his new wideout excels. Instead, Tyson will help to expand the Saints’ offensive menu and become even more threatening in one of the most valuable areas of an NFL passing attack.
With Tyson joining Olave and Vele, Moore and Shough now have a trio of wideouts that can win where it matters and where the offense has already proven to be efficient.
Now, the frequency can match their perimeter attack, making the offense much less predictable and much more dangerous.
