Saints make intriguing free agency addition that can make life easier on their 2025 starting quarterback
The New Orleans Saints are back on the free agency market. Kellen Moore is not shying away from adding more veteran pieces to his offense, pushing others to continue developing. The latest move by the Saints will be a low-cost, low-risk sort of addition that could work out in the long run this season for […]
The New Orleans Saints are back on the free agency market. Kellen Moore is not shying away from adding more veteran pieces to his offense, pushing others to continue developing.
The latest move by the Saints will be a low-cost, low-risk sort of addition that could work out in the long run this season for New Orleans.
Saints reportedly sign WR Donovan Peoples-Jones
According to Nick Underhill, the Saints are signing wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones after he recently tried out for them during rookie minicamp.
Peoples-Jones was a terrific find for the Browns in the 2020 NFL Draft, selected in the sixth round. The former Michigan star showed steady improvement over his first three seasons in Cleveland. He broke out in 2021 with 597 receiving yards and three touchdowns, then followed that with 839 yards in 14 starts during the 2022 season. At one point, DPJ was a legitimate weapon for Baker Mayfield in the Browns’ offense.
However, his production dipped in terms of yards per reception, dropping from 17.6 to 13.8. The Browns eventually traded their former late-round gem to the Detroit Lions during the 2023 season in exchange for a late draft pick. In eight games with the Lions, Peoples-Jones caught just five passes for 58 yards. He’s a solid professional to have around, but he struggled to get open consistently as a route runner. Those separation issues have limited his ability to secure a spot in an NFL wide receiver room, and he spent the 2024 season on the Lions’ practice squad.
The Saints have desperately needed more size at wide receiver on their depth chart. None of Brandin Cooks, Chris Olave, or Rashid Shaheed give the offense a bigger-body profile.
Bub Means had a couple of nice moments last season as a larger WR target in his rookie season, but they needed to add another guy to add competition there. DPJ fits that sort of profile and would give New Orleans another option for Kellen Moore's unit.
Kellen Moore's confidence in DPJ
The Saints head coach shared a comment on Peoples-Jones following his workout with the team.
It was awesome to see Donovan out there. … He's been a really productive player. Just a couple years ago he had a ton of catches, a ton of production in Cleveland."
— Moore via Luke Johnson
Clearly, the wideout stood out a bit to Moore and the rest of the coaching staff. If he didn't, he would not have gotten the opportunity to earn a roster spot with this new contract.
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