Rashid Shaheed will be a player to watch in Saints-Bengals

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You might not know the name Rashid Shaheed, and the New Orleans Saints didn't go out of their way to change that for you in the offseason.

After signing the most prolific return man in FCS history, the Weber State alum never got on the field in the preseason. It was not for lack of opportunity, as he appeared to be healthy and ready to go.

That should change this week, with a practice squad elevation planned for Shaheed and a much-anticipated debut for another special teams diamond the Saints are attempting to pull out of the rough. He'll get that opportunity because Deonte Harty, another small-school find in the return game, is down with a foot injury.

Hear more on Rashid Shaheed and an exclusive interview with the Saints rookie in Friday's episode of Inside Black & Gold. Can't see the embed above? Click here.

"I'm very excited about the opportunity," Shaheed said this week. "And to play for a guy like [special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi], it makes it even more fun. Because he's a fiery guy and he believes in me, and it just gives me confidence to go out there and play."

It's possible the Saints were simply trying to keep him off the radar of other teams so he could be stashed on the practice squad. But Shaheed's light involvement in the offseason was also due, in part, to his rehab from the ACL injury suffered during his final collegiate game. It's also unknown whether he'll be primary on both kick and punt returns.

He was a player who expected to be drafted, but instead had to find his way in the UDFA market. He's never even run a timed 40-yard-dash, though he'd expect a low 4.3 result if he did. If there was a competition in the Saints locker room, he'd expect to be No. 1. Shaheed's seven kickoff return touchdowns is the most in FCS history.

Still, the Saints had their eyes on Rasheed long before he arrived in New Orleans this offseason, Rizzi said. He was a player they were monitoring after his third season with the Wildcats, and they're glad to have him now.

"He stuck out on film, obviously, at that level. ... A lot of speed on the field," Rizzi said. "He was a player that produced at receiver and at returner. And so that's the kind of thing that stuck out in college. And that's one of the reasons we went after him in the draft process and the free agent process."

As a practice squad elevation, Shaheed would return to the practice squad following the game. As has been shown with players like Latavius Murray and Eric Wilson, practice squad players can be poached, though the Saints could and likely would find a way to match that deal and keep him around.

One final note about Rasheed: He does know fellow Weber State alum Damian Lillard. Considering a long-time Lillard teammate in CJ McCollum is also in New Orleans these days, could a Dame Time visit to the Dome be in the works?

Let's just start with the return game.

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