The Saints have gotten some highlight moments from their wide receiver group, but it's no secret that the passing offense has underwhelmed through five games.
But is it something to be concerned about, even after a 3-2 start and heading on the road to face a Russell Wilson-less Seattle Seahawks team? No, says WWL Radio color analyst Deuce McAllister.
"I think it’s really, really early to kind of say, ‘all right, this is who this team is and you can play them a certain type of way,’ " McAllister said on SportsTalk with Bobby Hebert, Mike Detillier and Kristian Garic this week.
Listen to McAllister's full interview on SportsTalk in the player below.
McAllister pointed to personnel challenges, most notably the absence of star Michael Thomas who began the season on the PUP list and was out at least the first six weeks. Tre'Quan Smith also started the season on injured reserve, but returned to practice this week and could play in Seattle if healthy.
Only two Saints wide receivers, Deonte Harris and Marquez Callaway, have seen double-digit targets through the first five games. Harris has led the way with 236 yards on his 12 catches, with nearly half of that yardage total coming on a pair of long touchdown passes. Harris was injured in the win over Washington and his Week 7 status remains unclear. Callaway has 222 yards on his 13 catches, with a good chunk coming on a Hail Mary grab in Week 5 just before halftime.
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Beyond that, Ty Montgomery has 5 catches for 50 yards, Chris Hogan 4 for 41 and a TD, Kenny Stills 3 for 34 yards and Lil'Jordan Humphrey, 1 for 27 yards.
McAllister says that while it's something that could loom large down the road, he's not overreacting until he sees Smith and Thomas back on the field, assuming they get there. Thomas is eligible to return this week if healthy, but it appears he's still a week or two away from returning to the field.
“I don’t want to say that I’m concerned with it so far," McAllister said, "because obviously each game takes on a life of its own. … If you’re at Game 10 and you haven’t improved, regardless of personnel, you’ve got an issue.”
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