While most people may find Rashid Shaheed a fun weapon for the New Orleans Saints offense, he has his sights set on earning even more respect in 2025 by winning that top wide receiver spot.
“My role is just expanding and that’s exactly what I want,” said Shaheed when he spoke to the media earlier in training camp.
One of the things that new Saints head coach Kellen Moore does well is creating plays for specific players. There are few guys in the league with a skillset that coaches want to experiment with than Shaheed. On paper, it is a match made in heaven.
In his first three seasons, Shaheed had 94 catches for 1,556 yards with 10 touchdowns. He’s even rushed 17 times for 123 yards and a score. That’s also not mentioned the fact that he is an All-Pro second-teamer and earned a Pro Bowl nod for his work on special teams. The only issue with him is that he has a tough time staying on the field. He has bulked as well, adding about 10 pounds of muscle to get to 190. That could both open up his play style and help him stay on the field.
“(This) is far from what I ever thought I’d be playing at, but I feel good. Feel like I’m moving great at this weight,” Shaheed added later in the same press conference. “It’s all about longevity, and I feel like that weight is important.”
Having Shaheed break out would be absolutely game-changing for this offense. No matter who the young quarterback that ends up with the starting job is, they need more threats to throw the ball to. Shaheed, Chris Olave and Brandin Cooks are a solid enough group in theory, but the truth is that none of them produced enough last year and missed major time due to injury. They are also lacking a true big-bodied threat, so they will need all of their stars to play up to their ability to have success.
Though Olave is known as the top dog in that receiver room, there is plenty of room for Shaheed to break out and become wide receiver one. This chance could not come at a better time for the 26-year-old, as he is in the last season under contract after signing a one-year, $4.45 million extension last summer. A big year could result in a big payday.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints WR Rashid Shaheed coming back with a vengeance as role expands