Saints Wide Receiver Battle Will Be Exciting To Watch Unfold At Training Camp

The Saints wide receiver room will get some good attention in training camp, as there's several spots that could be up for grabs.

Aug 1, 2023; Metairie, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (12) and wide receiver A.T. Perry (17) dance during training camp at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

The Saints are just several days away from hitting the field for their first training camp practice out in California. New Orleans will have six weeks of work to put in, with them being at UC-Irvine through Aug. 18. After that preseason game against the 49ers, they'll head home to wrap up camp, which will include some practices fans can attend at Tulane's Yulman Stadium and the Superdome.

To help get you to 'opening day', we're back with another position preview as part of our training camp series. We look at our third offensive position in the wide receivers, who have a few questions of their own to answer in the new Klint Kubiak offense.

Saints Position Previews: Quarterback | Running Back

Saints Training Camp Position Preview - Wide Receiver

Jan 7, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver A.T. Perry (17) celebrates a touchdown with wide receiver Chris Olave (12) against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Depth Chart: Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Cedrick Wilson Jr., Equanimeous St. Brown, A.T. Perry, Stanley Morgan Jr., Bub Means, Mason Tipton, Jermaine Jackson

Biggest Storyline: Can Chris Olave Become a Top WR1?

Without Michael Thomas in the picture, New Orleans will rely heavily on Chris Olave to be their definitive top wideout. He was taking the reins there last year, but obviously had a slump in the middle of the season. He had a nice rebound afterwards and made some very memorable catches for the Saints offense to turn in another successful campaign.

He's focusing on going from being good to elite, and we looked at that possibility. New Orleans has been cautious with him after a couple of minor issues, one that put him in a red non-contact jersey during minicamp. The other, which landed him on the non-football injury list recently, is due to back tightness. The sky is the limit for Olave in this offense, and the chemistry between him and Derek Carr is something we're wanting to watch unfold more throughout training camp.

Biggest Camp Battle: Receiver Spots 3-?

It'll be very interesting to see how many receivers the Saints end up keeping when it's all said and done. The top two spots are currently claimed by Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, but the others are arguably up for grabs.

Equanimeous St. Brown is a strong blocker who offers upside, while Cedrick Wilson Jr. has been their main slot guy. A.T. Perry looks to capitalize on some of his back-half successes from last season, and could be in for a lot more snaps. Bub Means could bring some excitement to the table, and he's someone who could carve a role on special teams to start. We've yet to see Stanley Morgan Jr. on the field, but he's also another consideration due to his special teams work.

Undrafted rookies Jermaine Jackson and Mason Tipton face an uphill battle currently, but both have some unique skills to bring to the table. We saw Tipton running with the first-team some, while Jackson's return abilities help his case with the new kickoff rule. Assuming they continue to grow, develop and stay healthy, they should get some extensive work in the preseason to help push for a practice squad spot at least.

Wild Card: Keith Williams

This is a tremendously underrated addition for the Saints. We get wrapped up in the addition of Klint Kubiak and other offensive coaches that are tied to him, but what we've seen from new wide receiver coach Keith Williams has been pretty inspiring. New Orleans brought him in to help with the young group the team has, and his coaching style is reminiscent of Curtis Johnson, but Williams displays a lot more of a hands on approach and appears to be very relatable.

If you haven't seen it before, Williams actually made the receivers use Rugby balls during practice, something he did in Baltimore. Like Kubiak and others, his impact has been strong for the team, and he could really get this group to another level.

Early Roster Projection

In late June, my colleague Ross Jackson picked six receivers, which included Perry, Wilson Jr., St. Brown and Means. New Orleans will end up keeping at least five here, and with the new kickoff rules, having another would make sense. The only thing that could throw a wrench in the plans is if the Saints bring in another player or two to the mix.

For now, I'd have to agree with Ross on keeping those six, especially with what we've seen in the early process. You need a strong blocker to fill that Lynn Bowden Jr. role from last season, especially if you're going to be a run first type of offense, and Equanimeous St. Brown is probably their strongest one right now. There's no doubt that Bub Means and A.T. Perry have to turn in a strong camp, and as long as Cedrick Wilson Jr. continues to hold the slot duties, it makes New Orleans' job and outlook a little easier.

It's been a long time since the Saints have had two 1,000-yard receivers in the same season, 2016 to be exact. This year's outlook is favorable, but there's plenty of variables and questions for New Orleans to deal with. It'll be a fun group to watch throughout camp, and if they hit, it could go a long way to help the team get back into the postseason.