3 free agent wide receivers Saints can sign with Michael Thomas out for season

2. Alshon Jeffery

Injuries plagued his final two years with the Philadelphia Eagles, but at his peak, Alshon Jeffery was one of the most aggressive receivers in the NFL. Granted, if the Saints were to sign him, they wouldn’t get the Chicago Bears version of Jeffery, but they’d get a receiver who can go up against contact and come down with the ball.

Jeffery has been a free agent since leaving the Eagles at the end of last season, and interest in him has been rather mute. That doesn’t mean Jeffery couldn’t provide some relief on the outside for the Saints. In his four years in Philadelphia, Jeffery totaled 141 catches, 2237 yards, and 20 touchdowns, averaging just under 50 receiving yards per game. For a receiver of his quality, those numbers should have been higher, but Jeffery never put all of the pieces together with the Eagles.

His addition would still be a welcome sight to the Saints wide receiver room. Jeffery has a strong 6-foot-3 frame and would add some bulk to a rather undersized unit in New Orleans. It would also change how the offense could function. Sean Payton is a master at scheming players open, but having someone like Jeffery who can high-point a football can make a quarterback’s life a lot easier if they’re in peril and just need to throw the football and hope for the best.

Jeffery is now 32 and, as mentioned previously, has dealt with more than his fair share of injuries over the last few years, but he is still likely on the radar.