Broncos to add an ex-Saints wide receiver to their corps
Mar 24, 2023, 12:54 PM | Updated: 3:33 pm
Sean Payton hasn’t been shy about bringing in people he knows from the New Orleans Saints. Ex-Saints are dotted throughout the coaching staff, football operations and the roster.
And it looks like he’ll have at least one more: a player who was his leading receiver in New Orleans two years ago, Marquez Callaway. As first reported by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Callaway plans to sign with the Broncos.
Source: WR Marquez Callaway plans to sign with the #Broncos.
Callaway reunites with Sean Payton. In 2021, Callaway had a career-high 46 catches, 698 yards and six touchdowns in Payton’s offense. pic.twitter.com/M2WI5ZnnCR
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 24, 2023
Callaway led New Orleans in receiving yardage and touchdown receptions in 2021, finishing with 698 yards and 6 scores on 46 receptions. But after that promising season in Payton’s final year as Saints head coach, Callaway fell out of favor in 2022. He had just 158 yards and a touchdown on 16 catches despite playing 14 games.
He was due to become a restricted free agent. However, after the drop-off in production, the Saints declined to give him a tender, opening up his market.
Unlike some other Broncos pickups, Callaway was not a core special-teamer last year. After playing 84 special-teams snaps as a rookie in 2020, he saw just 27 in the next two seasons combined. However, he does have return experience, including a career 10.6-yard average on 14 punt returns — 11 of which came in his rookie season.
Thus, Callaway could factor on punt returns. Cornerback Tremon Smith, signed last week, has extensive kickoff return experience.
Callaway is also the fifth ex-Saints player added to the Denver roster in recent weeks. Unrestricted free agents Michael Burton, Tony Jones and Chris Manhertz also played for Payton in New Orleans, as did street free agent WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey.
Coming out of the University of Tennessee, Callaway ran a 4.55-second 40-yard dash at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine. He had a RAS score of 8.89. But he went undrafted, signing with the Saints and sticking on their roster.
The addition of Callaway comes one day after news broke that K.J. Hamler will miss four to six months due to a torn pectoral muscle. It also comes in the shadow of persistent rumors that the Broncos could trade Courtland Sutton or Jerry Jeudy.
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