What was once a key element of the New Orleans Saints’ offense has been missing for the past few years and now, the team has an intriguing opportunity to reinforce their attack after offseason investments could revive the area of the game.
Per Next Gen Stats, since the 2019 season, the Saints have not cracked the top-16 season rankings in yards after catch in the passing game.
In 2019, the team was ranked No. 2 in the league in the metric with 2,339 yards after catch. Last year, it ranked No. 22 with just 1,787.
This has been an explosive area of the game that has been missing from the team’s offense, but one that could find its way back into the fold this year.
With new additions like rookie wide receivers Jordyn Tyson and Barion Brown and the underrated addition of tight end Noah Fant, who is typically impactful after the catch in the open field, the Saints could take a solid step forward in this area of their game.
Doing so would be beneficial for young starting quarterback Tyler Shough. Being able to deliver a five-yard slant on time and have it turn into a 15-yard gain would be a massive boost to the team’s arsenal and would help to build both impact and rhythm in the passing game.
Both Tyson and Brown picked up 5.1 yards after catch per reception in their final collegiate seasons. Such a rate would have ranked No. 1 among all Saints wide receivers that saw at least 15 targets last year. The only receiver with a better average last season was wideout Dante Pettis, who averaged 9.6 yards after catch, but was targeted just 11 times on the year.
On their entire collegiate careers, Brown averaged 6.1 yards after catch per reception while Tyson held strong at 5.1.
Yards after catch can be created in a couple of different ways: finding receivers in the open field, something Shough did extremely well during his nine starts, and getting an elusive ball-carrier the ball and letting them weave through would-be tacklers. The Saints should be better equipped to find paths of success through both approaches in 2026.
Brown, one of the NCAA’s best returners, has a knack for being elusive as well as speeding around defenders. Meanwhile, the Saints saw their post-catch opportunities become far more efficient with Shough behind center.
In Weeks 1-8 of the season last year, New Orleans averaged just 3.8 yards after catch per reception. During Weeks 9-18, that average leapt to 5.0 and during their strong five-game stretch to close the season, the average bumped up again to 5.6.
All the signs are in place for the Saints to become a more dynamic team after the catch in 2026. Doing so would alleviate some pressure off of Shough, supplement a run game through the short passing game if needed and build rhythm for the offense. All wins for the New Orleans offense.
