New Orleans Saints WR Rashid Shaheed could be the next big thing

With New Orleans Saints returns specialist Deonte Harty set to miss time with a “significant” turf toe injury, the team turned to a new face last week. Wide receiver Rashid Shaheed was signed to the active roster from the Saints’ practice squad. While the optimism surrounding the undrafted free agent out of Weber State was mostly derived from his outstanding resume as a returner (the FCS all-time leader with 7 kick returns), it was the 44-yard jet sweep he ran in for a touchdown that ignited the excitement even more. Not just for the organization or the fanbase, but for his family too.

Shaheed told me that he had three family members in the audience during Sunday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals: his mother, his father, and his grandmother. Despite the loss, Shaheed’s family was excited for his first career touchdown which came off of his first career touch. “They were screaming and yelling,” Shaheed said. “I’m so glad that thy were able to experience that. First NFL game in the (Caesar’s Superdome). They were excited. They said it was loud, that they love New Orleans, it was a ton of fun.”

Thursday night against the Arizona Cardinals, the FCS record-holder says he’ll have 18 family members in the audience. With Glendale, Ariz. being a short trip away from his San Diego hometown, there will be a strong Shaheed contingent rooting him on. After such an explosive debut, it’s hard to imagine that more opportunities won’t come his way.

“We like the speed and what (Shaheed) brings to the offense,” offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael said this week. “So, I think that any of these guys (can) continue to grow in this offense.” The explosive wide receiver had only the one touch and nine total snaps in his first ever NFL action. Quarterback Andy Dalton let one loose to him early on in the game that came up incomplete. It’s clear that New Orleans had some shots dialed up going his way, but it is likely the packages were limited. With another week, albeit a short one, under his belt, hopefully that workload will expand.

If nothing else, getting more chances to break a punt or a kick return will present themselves. Shaheed will look to maximize those chances whether or not he gets more involved on offense. For most of us from outside, we look at the return game as having three facets. The returner, the blockers, and the tacklers. But it’s far more nuanced than simply evading tacklers. Shaheed has mastered those…