Saints Releasing Veteran Wideout

The Saints announce a roster move to create room for newly signed RB Darrel Williams.

The New Orleans Saints are releasing veteran WR James Washington on Tuesday. The move was first reported by ESPN reporter Field Yates. New Orleans needed to create room on their 90-man training camp roster after officially signing RB Darrel Williams. 

Washington, 27, was signed by the Saints this spring as a free agent. Originally a second-round choice in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma State by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington had 114 receptions for 1,629 yards and 11 touchdowns over five NFL seasons. He played his first four years with the Steelers before appearing in two contests with the Dallas Cowboys in 2022.

Washington was part of a logjam of competition at wide receiver for New Orleans this summer. According to Ross Jackson of the Saints News Network:

Washington impressed early on in camp practices, but kind of trickled off throughout. His preseason performance against Kansas City didn’t help him out much in his battle to make the squad. 

Washington appeared in 26 of the Saints offensive snaps against Kansas City and caught no passes. John Hendrix of the Saints News Network tweeted this in response to Washington's release:

Thought James Washington was a little ahead of someone like Bryan Edwards, but Edwards had a really good week of practice last week. A.T. Perry, Keith Kirkwood stock on the rise too.

Aug 13, 2023; New Orleans Saints wide receiver James Washington (89) warms up before the game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY

Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, and Rashid Shaheed are expected to be the top three receivers for New Orleans. Perry, a rookie sixth-round pick, had an outstanding outing against the Chiefs. Kirkwood has also come on strong lately. 

Other wideouts that are competing for roster spots are Bryan Edwards, Lynn Bowden Jr., Tre'Quan Smith, Kawaan Baker, Jontre Kirklin, and Shaq Davis. The Saints play their second preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. That will follow two days of scrimmages between the teams.