Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
By Ross Jackson
While the New Orleans Saints were gearing up for a free agency visit from tight end Noah Fant, current Saints top tight end Juwan Johnson took the podium following day three of training camp. When asked what Fant could potentially bring to the offense, he highlighted explosiveness as a key addition.
“He can add so much,” he said. “One, he can add a lot of explosiveness to the offense and I’d be extremely excited to have him here.”
Fant would absolutely add explosiveness to the Saints’ offense. His ability to create mismatches and work at every level of an offense would be a welcome addition to the team, especially one with young passers. His speed and ability to create big plays could be a very comfortable asset for head coach Kellen Moore as well, having multiple yards after catch options at the position.
6’4 250lbs 4.5 speed. Noah Fant is the perfect addition for a young QB if they can pull this off pic.twitter.com/DF2s4gSHrQ
— Joe Horns Cell Phone (@JoeHornsPhone) July 25, 2025
Last season both Johnson and Fant finished back-to-back among tight ends in 10+ yard receptions. Johnson ranked No. 12 with 26, Fant was No. 13 with 25. Johnson ranked No. 7 with eight of those plays being for 20 or more yards and Saints tight end Foster Moreau was right behind him tied for No. 8. The trio could produce some big plays in Moore’s offense.
Fant would also bring some durability to the position which has had to manage some injury over recent years.
The former Iowa tight end has appeared in 95 of his 100 eligible regular season games. Of those 95 games, he has taken fewer than 40% of offensive snaps just twice. Once in 2020 (8.2%) and again last year in 2024 (14.5%). Any injury criticism around Fant is either overblown or just a habitual response to a player being available to sign in July.
Many would assume that adding another pass-catching tight end to the mix would create a sense of tension in the position room, but Johnson views the idea very differently.
“I think it’d be so good,” he said. “It’ll give the locker room a good boost and it’ll get us going. I honestly think it’s great. Like I said, it’s never like a competition. It’s more camaraderie and collaboration … It only makes the room better.”
