Rashid Shaheed: Underrated Key to Saints' Offensive Success

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The New Orleans Saints have had good success with undrafted wide receivers before. Deonte Harty had emerged from tiny Assumption in 2019 to become one of the NFL's most dynamic returners and an underrated receiver. Marquez Callaway had led the Saints in receiving in 2021. Juwan Johnson has gone from an undrafted wideout to the team’s starting tight end. Brandon Coleman and Keith Kirkwood both had some success as backups. Lance Moore and Willie Snead were not only undrafted, but cast-offs from other teams before coming to New Orleans.

Entering 2022, nobody expected an undrafted rookie to make the Saints roster at wideout. The team used a first-round pick on Chris Olave, had Michael Thomas returning from injury and had signed free-agent WR Jarvis Landry to join Harty, Callaway, and Tre'Quan Smith.

With Harty returning kicks, it didn't even seem likely that an undrafted rookie wideout could earn a roster spot on special teams. Reality would lay out a different outcome.
Undrafted from Weber State, Shaheed came to the Saints as a four-time FCS All-American. He's also the NCAA record-holder with 7 kick returns for touchdowns. Shaheed stood out enough in training camp that the Saints elected to re-sign to their practice squad after being among the final preseason cuts.

After Deonte Harty suffered what would be a season-ending injury in Week 5 against Seattle, Shaheed was promoted from the practice squad to take his place as kick returner. His first NFL touch was a six yard punt return against the Bengals in Week 6. On his first offensive touch as a pro, Shaheed took an end around and exploded for a 44-yard touchdown against Cincinnati.

With his second career touch on offense, Shaheed caught a 53-yard scoring pass the following week against Arizona. Despite the explosive start to his career, Shaheed was used sparingly on offense at first. He'd see a combined 45 offensive snaps over his first five contests. In that span, he'd catch five passes for 103 yards, 44 on the ground, 169 via kickoff return, and averaged 9.5 on punt returns.

With injuries to Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry, Harty, and the ineffectiveness of Callaway and Smith, the New Orleans receiving corps was floundering. Shaheed would step up to play a much more prominent role on offense in the last half of the year.
Over the last seven games, Shaheed averaged 36 offensive snaps per game. His 22 receptions for 377 yards over the last six contests led all New Orleans pass catchers. He was the team’s leading receiver in four of the last five games.

Rashid Shaheed went from an afterthought as an undrafted rookie to one of the Saints' most productive offensive players. Rookies Olave and Shaheed were one of the league's more productive receiving duos over the last half of 2022. They saved a New Orleans receiving corps that was otherwise beset by injuries and ineffective play.

Despite missing the first five games and playing sparingly in four others, Shaheed's 28 receptions for 488 yards finished fourth on the team. He caught 82.4% of his throws and added 57 yards rushing while scoring three touchdowns. Shaheed also averaged 9.7 yards per punt return and 22.9 on kickoff returns.
At 6-feet and 180-Lbs., Shaheed is slightly bigger than the now-departed Harty and should be able to handle return duties and a role in the offense. Thomas is back and adds a physical element to the offense. Olave will also have a major role in a receiving corps that also added A.T. Perry with a sixth-round draft choice and free agents Bryan Edwards and James Washington.

Shaheed won't get lost in the shuffle. His game-breaking explosiveness is a matchup problem for defenses. In addition to his speed and open field skills is the fact that he also proved to be a terrific route runner. Rashid Shaheed showed that he can be a threat to defenses at every level and will again be a valuable weapon to the New Orleans Saints in 2023.



I hope he picks up right where he left off. Something mentioned in the article that is accurate is his precise route running and his cuts are explosive. Olave is precise with his routes so that might be rubbing off on him.