The New Orleans Saints have done a bunch of work this offseason to upgrade many of the issues on the roster, but one of the places where enough work has not been done is at WR. Bringing in Brandin Cooks was a good move, but it felt redundant given the team already had Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. Cooks should still be a good contributor in the offense, but that contested catch threat was never found this offseason. The area where the Cooks signing made a difference was the depth, but if injuries occur, it can still get ugly quickly. Still, some of the receivers are very young and could continue to develop into great pieces. One of these players is Mason Tipton, who had a great training camp last year but struggled during the season.

There could be several reasons why Tipton struggled during the season, but his role might stand out as the primary one. With injuries to other receivers around him, Tipton became very important quickly, which rushed his development. It all came crashing down when the Saints traveled to Arrowhead to play the Kansas City Chiefs. In this game, many things went wrong, including Tipton’s performance, which was exposed on national television. There was way too much pressure on the rookie UDFA WR, but with expectations lowered again, he has been able to work on his craft. Now, with training camp underway again, the Tipton show is back.

Just like last year, it’s dangerous to get expectations too high for Tipton, but he is back making plays, and it is hard not to notice. If he can keep the expected role of being a depth piece that can come in and make plays if needed, Tipton could have a really good year and make some big plays for the Saints. Hopefully, with an improved medical staff and the signing of Brandin Cooks, the pressure will fully be off of Tipton, which will be the best thing for his young career.