For the first time in a number of years, the New Orleans Saints rank within the top-10 of the NFL in yards after catch. Granted, the team has only played two games thus far this season, but it’s a promising start for a long-time missing element of the offense.
Per Next Gen Stats, New Orleans currently ranks No. 10 in the league in total yards after catch in the passing game with 244.
Leading the charge is explosive tight end Juwan Johnson, who currently ranks No. 5 among all tight ends in receiving yards (120). Of that yardage total, more than half of his yards have come after the catch.
Johnson leads the way for the Saints with 63 yards after receptions and is a big reason why quarterback Tyler Shough has been able to run an efficient offense that doesn’t require taking big risks downfield.
In return, the team has been able to stay close to the line of scrimmage with higher-percentage throws and then make calculated attempts downfield, which have often been successful with Shough holding a perfect 99.9 Pro Football Focus grade on passes for 20 or more yards from the line of scrimmage.
Johnson’s 25-yard catch-and-run effort was a momentum-building moment for New Orleans in its surprise victory over the Baltimore Ravens. It sets the tone for what the Saints and Johnson’s teammates are expecting to accomplish when in similar situations.
“I think it’s one of those things that’s contagious,” Saints’ wide receiver Devaughn Vele said. “When guys are starting to make plays, you notice the whole dynamic of the game shifts. Guys start making other plays as well.
“Guys start stepping up, and I think that’s been the theme of what I think we’ve been trying to focus on is that early start,” Vele said. “I know it takes us a while to get going, but once guys start making plays, you start noticing it’s like a snowball effect.”
Behind Johnson is running back Travis Etienne Jr. with 51 yards after catch (unfortunately for him, he’s often targeted behind the line of scrimmage), wide receiver Chris Olave with 49 and then Vele with 35.
Each player on the Saints’ offense has shown the effort to turn upfield after making a catch to hunt for more yards. The three, four and five extra yards are just as vital with Johnson picking up 22 after a three-yard reception on a third-and-8.
Olave has attacked the downhill game, stretched out for additional yardage and has joined in on setting the never-give-up examples being displayed elsewhere on offense.
That additional effort now has the Saints’ offense producing in a way that it hasn’t since the last time the team finished top-15 in yards after catch in 2019.
