METAIRIE, La. (WGNO) — The Saints receiver room is a gumbo of playmakers.
Former Lutcher High School standout Jonte Kirklin made the practice squad today and joins the likes of Tyrann Mathieu (St. Aug) and Foster Moreau (Jesuit) as local prep standouts to play for both LSU and the Saints. On a team with high expectations for its pass-catchers, I asked Kirklin for an outside-looking-in perspective on his new colleagues.
“Oh man, we got a great receiver room. Everybody’s big, big guys, you know what I’m saying? We can go down and catch the ball, but we just want to make plays in space,” Kirklin said Wednesday in the Saints locker room.
Kirklin is 5-foot-11, maybe 6-feet with cleats on, as are Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed; and when it comes to making plays in space, a fully recovered Shaheed has full trust in in his new quarterback.
“You know, Derek’s been there for me since the injury,” Shaheed said. “He was just telling me to stay in the playbook, the timing and everything. He’s kept confidence in me and he knows that some timing was lost. But he’s a veteran and he knows that how to work and how to create the chemistry.”
Among the bigger, taller pass-catchers at his disposal, Derek Carr has shown a liking for Juwan Johnson. When Saints reporter John DeShazier asked Johnson if he senses a breakout season, the 6-foot-4 tight end humbly answered.
“If I have one {breakout season], what does it matter if we don’t win? You know, because end of the day, that’s why we’re here. That’s why Dennis Allen put this team together. That’s why Derek is here. That’s why Michael Thomas is back. So we could have a breakout team, so we could win another divisional title, clinch that No. 1 seed, and so we can win the Super Bowl.”
In a weak NFC south, New Orleans is deemed by many sources, including Pro Football Focus, to have the easiest schedule in the NFL.
And the feeling inside the Saints locker room is that a division title, at least, is mandatory.
Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter.