Across the NFL there are some understood goals in the return game. Gaining the equivalent to a first down (10 yards) on a punt return and starting at better than the 30-yard line on kick returns are generally the accepted conventions for positive returns.
The New Orleans Saints fell just shy on both of those goals in 2025 and are hoping to boost their return efficiency this year with some key offseason acquisitions.
Punt Returns Short of Conventional Goal
For punt returns, the team averaged 9.1 yards per opportunity, just over a yard shy of the NFL average of 10.2 per return.
The team saw three players return punts last year, none of which are on the 2026 roster. Wide receiver Rashid Shaheed was traded midseason to the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks while receiver Dante Pettis and running back Nyheim Hines remain free agents.
Pettis averaged just 6.1 yards per return while Shaheed contributed 12.9 per and Hines returned one punt for 11 yards, but was moved on from after trying to field a number of return opportunities off the bounce rather than fielding the ball cleanly.
Going into 2026, the Saints will be seeking a new primary punt returner. Their options include a couple of new faces with one returning sleeper that could advance his way from the practice squad to the active roster with a strong camp showing.
The team’s highest-profile addition was LSU wide receiver and sixth-round draft selection Barion Brown. While he brings extensive experience as a successful kick return, one of the NCAA’s best, his 7.7 yards per punt return are a bit underwhelming. During his freshman year, he returned the most punts of his career with seven, averaging just 4.0 yards in the process.
A free agent addition this offseason, running back Ty Chandler is expected to compete as a special teams contributor while offering depth in the backfield. However, since entering the NFL in 2023, he has not returned a punt.
The wildcard to watch will be cornerback Jayden Price. While in the UFL, he averaged 9.7 yards per punt return during the 2025 spring season. His 194 punt return yards finished second in the league that year. He’ll be competing for a spot as the backup STAR/slot defender, with special teams offering an additional path to the roster.
Finally, even though he returned only one punt in college, rookie safety Lorenzo Styles Jr. will be another to watch. Even though he doesn’t have a ton of tape on his return experience in this area, his 4.27-second speed should be enticing enough to get him a shot.
Kick Returns Seek Explosiveness
As for kick returns, New Orleans’ average starting field position after a kickoff is already 29.8 yards. Just barely shy of the 30-yard line goal. The Saints actually improved from their 2024 mark of 28.9 and 2023 mark of 24.8, which pre-dates the new dynamic kickoff rule.
However, New Orleans hasn’t returned a kick for a touchdown since the 2017 season. Running back Alvin Kamara’s 106-yard return touchdown is the last time the team took a kickoff to the house and it survived penalties.
With Brown now in the building, one of college’s most prolific kick returners, the Saints could finally find pay dirt off of a kick return for the first time in nearly a decade.
