The Saints have been without wide receivers Michael Thomas and Tre’Quan Smith this summer due to injuries and that has opened the door for Marquez Callaway to make his case for more time with the first team.
Callaway’s done a good job making that case. He had three catches for 61 yards in the preseason opener and he posted five catches for 104 yards against the Jaguars on Monday night. One catch was a 43-yard touchdown that saw Callaway fend off pass interference en route to securing the pass and another was a one-handed grab for a 29-yard score later in the first quarter.
After the game, Callaway said of his highlight reel grabs that receivers “get paid to catch” and credited the team’s coaches and quarterbacks for giving him the “best opportunities” to make plays. Jameis Winston threw both of the passes on Monday night and said that “every time the lights turn on, [Callaway] does an amazing job” at receiver.
“I think [Marquez Callaway]’s just an incredible football player,” Winston said. “I mean, the guy was undrafted, right? Who missed out on that guy? I’m happy that we were
able to get him. It speaks volumes of our organization and how they see talent. The thing about him, man, it’s like when he’s out there, it’s like we’re playing little league football. He loves it so much; he has no fear in his heart. He has elite energy. He’s out there playing football. It’s fun to have teammates out there that see the game the same way that you see it and just really love taking advantage of these opportunities.”
Thomas is going to remain out into the regular season and Callaway’s in position to get a lot more of those opportunities as a result. If he can continue making the most of them in the regular season, Winston or Taysom Hill will be looking his way quite often.