Saints Depth Chart at Wide Receiver is Much More Interesting in 2026 Than 2025

There is little question the New Orleans Saints entered this offseason targeting wide receiver as one of the main positions that needed an upgrade. (Maybe even overhaul.)

What did they do after working on running back (Travis Etienne) and guard (David Edwards) in free agency? They went and drafted a wide receiver in Jordyn Tyson many think was the best wideout available, and then they added big-time speed an athleticism in Bryce Lance in the fourth round.

But they weren’t done. By drafting LSU’s Barion Brown in the sixth round, despite the fact he likely will begin almost solely as a return man, there are quite a few receivers on the roster from last year who are going to be in a battle to make the team this coming August and September.

Chris Olave when Tyler Shough was the starter:

9.1 TAR/Game
6.0 REC/Game
82.5 Yards/Game
6 TDs

Over a full season - Olave would have finished as the WR3 😱 pic.twitter.com/cFYv9mvLU5
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) May 1, 2026

They already cut reserve Samari Touré last week, and there will be more to come. Assuming Chris Olave and Devaughn Velé are locks, at best two of the following will earn a roster spot. Who are they, and what do we think as of now?

Ja’Lynn Polk

Forget that it’s only May, if one were to ask the fans, this would be the clear-cut favorite. (Also forget that Polk has only played in 15 NFL games – not a single one in black and gold – and has caught a measly 12 passes for 87 yards.)

In fact, for someone who has never played here, we consistently hear a ton from Who Dats about Polk, who missed the entire 2025 season with a shoulder injury after being traded from New England.

He is not overly fast (he ran a 4.52 in at the NFL combine in 2024), and his other score rankings put him in the rankings of 13 to 21. That being said, he is praised for his hands and ability to make the tough catch.

Considering the Saints traded only a sixth-round pick for him, one can’t say they’re married to Polk. Time will tell if he really is a favorite, but he’s certainly one to watch over the course of the next few months.

Trey Palmer

Here’s the one I would say might have the best chance of all the outsiders. (And that’s assuming the sixth receiver will actually come from this list.)

Another player who has just two years of experience in the NFL, but he clearly has the best number of the bunch and maybe the most promise. The native of Kentwood, La., Palmer is much faster than Polk (he won a state championship in the 100 and FOUR in the 200 in high school), and he also can serve as a return man.

As a sixth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023, he caught 39 passes his rookie season for 385 yards and three touchdowns before a big dropoff in his second season with 12 receptions for 172 yards and one TD.

However, in that 2024 season, he had 31 combined kick and punt returns.

Heading into 2025, the Bucs had a crowded receiver room – in fact, at the time it might have been top five in the league. After being claimed on waivers by the Saints just before the start of last season, he injured a hamstring and eventually was put on injured reserve.

Bub Means

A fifth-round pick in 2024, he missed all of last season with an ankle injury. I’m not sure if we’re willing to say Means is a longshot in this group, but it’s unclear what area of his game would give him a better opportunity than anyone else on this list to make the team.

He didn’t do a ton in his nine games of experience two seasons ago, as he caught nine passes for 118 yards and a touchdown. Means has good speed at 4.43 at the combine, but is that enough to slip him past others?

Mason Tipton

There’s little question his best chance to make the team is for Brown to go onto the practice squad and for Tipton to return as a fifth or sixth receiver and the starting return man.

Through two seasons, he has played in 25 games, but has just 25 receptions for 175 yards and no touchdowns. On special teams, he has 13 kick returns for a 30.7-yard-per-return average. He also has brought back four punts.

Kevin Austin

One might think the deck is stacked against the undrafted player out of Notre Dame, who also was a member of the USFL champion Birmingham Stallions in 2024.

Through two seasons in New Orleans almost solely as a backup, Austin has played in 16 games and has 24 receptions for 291 yards and a touchdown.

Other longshots

Ronnie Bell (two games in 2025 for Saints), Damien Alford (signed out of CFL in January)

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