NFL Rumors, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Saints Agree to Contract Amid Commanders Buzz
Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacek
Featured Columnist IVOctober 21, 2024
The New Orleans Saints need help at the wide receiver position, and they reportedly added some Monday.
According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport, the NFC South team signed veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling to a deal. Valdes-Scantling was available because the Buffalo Bills released him after trading for Amari Cooper.
New Orleans wasn't the only team interested in the 30-year-old, as ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Commanders were among the other clubs that reached out to gauge interest.
The Saints have lost five games in a row following a promising 2-0 start, and things got particularly ugly during Thursday's blowout 33-10 loss to the Denver Broncos at home.
Quarterback Derek Carr was sidelined with an oblique injury, and replacement Spencer Rattler didn't have either of the team's go-to receivers in Chris Olave (concussion) and Rashid Shaheed (knee).
The team's first touchdown didn't come until the final two minutes of the game after Jake Haener had replaced Rattler.
While Olave is expected to return at some point, Rapoport reported Thursday that Shaheed underwent meniscus surgery and will miss the rest of the season. New Orleans had to do something as it looks to bounce back and compete in the NFC South, and it responded by adding Valdes-Scantling.
The new addition posted just two catches for 26 yards and zero touchdowns through the first six games for the Bills, but was a member of the back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs the prior two seasons.
He scored a touchdown in last season's Super Bowl win over the San Francisco 49ers and isn't that far removed from leading the league with 20.9 yards per catch during the 2020 season when he was a member of the Green Bay Packers.
Valdes-Scantling also posted a career-best 690 receiving yards that season with Green Bay and can be a deep threat when playing at his best.
Look for him to play a similar role with the Saints when Olave returns, as he can take advantage of the single coverage he will likely face with his speed and attempt to stretch the field vertically.