Saints Place Former Pitt WR on Non-Football Injury List

The New Orleans Saints placed a former Pitt Panther wide receiver to the non-football injury list.

Oct 28, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Bub Means (0) catches a pass against Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback Cam Hart (5) in the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports / Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- The New Orleans Saints placed former Pitt Panthers wide receiver Bub Means on the non-football injury list, according to Aaron Wilson.

The non-football injury list is a roster designation the NFL uses for players who can't practice/play due to issues/reasons that happen away from NFL games/practices. It is similar to both the physically unable to perform (PUP) and injured reserve (IR) lists.

#Saints placed Bub Means on non-football injury list

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) July 16, 2024

Means started off at Tennessee as a defensive back, played four games to preserve a redshirt and transferred to Louisiana Tech. He transitioned to wide receiver while there and made 22 catches for 430 yards and two touchdowns in 2021.

He then transferred to Pitt and spent the past two seasons there, catching 68 passes for 1,122 yards and eight touchdowns, the second-highest yardage total of any Pitt pass-catcher over that span. While those numbers might not come as elite to many, he excelled inspite of some of the worst Pitt quarterback play in recent memory. 

His performance at the NFL Combine gave scouts a chance to see his talents, running the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds and the 10-yard split in 1.55 seconds, as well as a 39.5 inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-2 broad jump. 

The Saints would draft him with the No. 170 overall pick in the Fifth Round of the 2024 NFL Draft, making him the first Pitt wide receiver to earn an NFL Draft selection since star wide out Tyler Boyd did so with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2016.

Means was one of three Pitt players to earn a draft selection in 2024, along with offensive tackle Matt Goncalves, who the Indianapolis Colts took with the No. 79 overall pick in the Third Round, and cornerback M.J. Devonshire, who the Las Vegas Raiders took with the No. 229 overall pick in the Seventh Round.

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