Barion Brown keeps turning Saints training camp into his own highlight reel.
On Thursday, the rookie wideout closed out New Orleans’ seventh practice with a deep touchdown grab from Spencer Rattler, another splash play in a camp that’s starting to make Brown look like more than just a sixth-round pick brought in for return duties. The expectation was that he’d help on special teams. Instead, he’s flashing real juice as a receiver too.
The throw itself had plenty to do with the finish. Rattler was on the move, working outside the pocket and dealing with pressure, but still managed to keep his eyes downfield and drop the ball where Brown could go get it.
The play was ruled a 46-yard completion, with more than 30 yards of that coming through the air. Brown hauled it in with veteran cornerback Isaac Yiadom tight on him, adding another rep to a growing list of wins against Yiadom and backup Martin Emerson Jr. on the second-string defense.
Between the two defenders, there’s a hefty amount of NFL mileage - 5,159 career defensive snaps and 169 games played, including the playoffs.
That kind of production hasn’t caught Kellen Moore off guard. The Saints coach said he saw enough on Brown’s college tape to believe the receiver could make noise on offense, even if the team initially liked him for his work in the return game. Brown put together 122 catches in three seasons at Kentucky, then transferred to LSU in 2025 and set a personal high with 53 receptions.
“I think we watched a lot of evidence of him playing receiver, and playing impactful plays in the SEC for a number of years, not just the LSU year, but the Kentucky year(s),” Moore told reporters after practice on Wednesday. “And when you watch all that exposure and get to know Barion, you're really fired up to have this guy, and so he's doing a great job.
And I think the hardest part for these young guys really isn't the physical. You know, there's an acclimation there, but there's so much mental and so I think that's a credit to him that he's been really prepared to go out there and play.”
Brown’s timing couldn’t be better. The Saints’ top three at receiver - Chris Olave, Jordyn Tyson, and Devaughn Vele - are set, which leaves the fourth and fifth spots up for grabs.
That gives Brown every incentive to keep stacking reps, especially with joint practices and preseason games arriving soon. So far, he’s doing exactly that.
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LSU's Dominick McKinley Suddenly Has More To Prove Than Expected
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Instead, the early work of camp left him with more to prove than many expected. LSU opened with Malik Blocton and Deuce Geralds as the first-team tackles and Stephylan Green and Richard Anderson behind them, leaving McKinley to keep fighting for snaps after appearing in 23 games over his first two seasons with only limited starts. He is still expected to compete for playing time, but the opening of camp suggests nothing will be handed to him. [Read more 🡒]