Lil'Jordan Humphrey has always been a walking contradiction at wide receiver.
The former Texas standout has spent two seasons with the Saints listed at a not-so-little 6-foot-4, 225 pounds. He logged his first regular season catch in 2020 and walked away with a highlight reel-worthy touchdown late in a furious rally that fell short in a Week 15 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
But when fans -- at least those who didn't attend any training camp practices this season -- see Humphrey on the field Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens, a few differences will probably stand out.
For starters, he opted to shear off the distinctive gold dreadlocks he'd sported for 7 years, saying he was just "ready for a change."
But most noticeably, it's how little Lil'Jordan looks this time around. While teammate Juwan Johnson, also 6-foot-4, was converted to tight end and bulked up to 240 pounds, Humphrey opted to "lean down," as he put it, this offseason.
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"It was a goal. I came in big and was still kinda of chubby last year, so I wanted to lean down a little bit more," Humphrey said.
The slimmer frame has allowed Humphrey to get a bit quicker and more agile, and just in time with the Saints in need of players to step up at the wide receiver position with the departure of Emmanuel Sanders in free agency and Michael Thomas expected to miss multiple games as he recovers from offseason ankle surgery.
The 23-year-old has flashed often in camp, twice going up to high-point a deep ball over Brian Poole in one-on-one drills much like he did against the Chiefs last year. He's also been targeted regularly in team drills as Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill battle for the starting quarterback job.
"I feel like it has [helped]. I feel like I've had one of my better camps in the three years I've been here," he said.
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Humphrey will get his first chance to turn that camp production into game production in the preseason opener Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens. Humphrey is one of many young Saints players looking to step up, including Marquez Callaway, Deonte Harris, Easop Winston and Kawaan Baker. The team also added veterans Tommylee Lewis and Chris Hogan, but will likely be without Tre'Quan Smith, who has been absent for more than a week of camp practice due to injury.
"Last year I felt like I had a chance to [make the 53-man roster out of camp], but I wasn't really worried about it because I got an opportunity to develop a lot more," Humphrey said.