New Orleans Saints Hosting Wide Receiver Russell Gage And Four Others For Mini-Camp Tryouts

A familiar NFC South foe is among five players in for tryouts at Saints mini-camp

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

According to several reports, the New Orleans Saints are hosting five players for tryouts to open their mini-camp on Tuesday.

• Russell Gage, WR
• Camron Peterson, DT
• Jordan Smith, LB
• Roderic Teamer, S
• Cameron Wire, OT

The most significant name among the tryouts is Gage. A native of Baton Rouge who played collegiately at LSU, Gage has played all five of his NFL seasons in the NFC South division.

As a senior at LSU in 2017, Gage had 232 rushing yards and caught 21 passes for 285 yards while scoring four touchdowns. That was good enough to make him a sixth-round selection in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.

Gage played four seasons in Atlanta. He appeared in 61 of a possible 65 games with 21 starts and caught 193 passes for 2,065 yards and nine scores. His best season was in 2020, with 72 receptions for 786 yards and four touchdowns. He'd follow that up in 2021 with 66 receptions, 770 yards, and four touchdowns.

Jan 9, 2022; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Russell Gage (14) catches a touchdown pass against the New Orleans Saints . / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

In 2022, Gage stayed in the NFC South when he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent. He'd miss four games at mid-season with injury, but finished the year with 51 catches for 426 yards and a career-best five scores.

Gage tore the patellar tendon in his knee in last year's training camp and would miss the entire season. Tampa Bay declined to pick up the option year on his contract this offseason, making him a free agent.

At 6-feet and 185-Lbs., the 28-year-old Gage is a shifty route runner who does his best work from the slot. However, he's also shown the scheme versatility to perform well as an outside receiver.

Gage will attempt to earn a spot in the New Orleans receiving corps that has Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed as the probable starters. Second-year WR A.T. Perry is the expected favorite to be the third receiver for a team that ranked 11th in passing production last season.

The Saints lost WR Michael Thomas this offseason, along with backups Lynn Bowden Jr. and Keith Kirkwood. New Orleans added wideouts Cedrick Wilson, Equanimeous St. Brown, and Stanley Morgan Jr. in free agency. They also used a fifth-round choice on Pitt WR Bub Means.