The buzz around the New Orleans Saints’ young receivers has been building for weeks, and Juwan Johnson just added another layer to it.
Speaking to the media, the tight end pointed directly at the rookie wideouts as a major reason for the energy in camp. “ It's a lot of competition, and I think a lot of it is coming from the receiving room, man.
You got a lot of young guys who are stepping up,” Johnson said. “Obviously you've seen Bryce Lance doing his thing in joint practices and the preseason.
Barion Brown has been extraordinary, as well.”
That kind of praise lines up with what has been happening all summer. The Saints’ rookie class has drawn attention from just about everyone watching practice, and Johnson’s comments only reinforce how much those players have stood out.
Jordyn Tyson was the biggest name in the group and, by plenty of accounts, the best performer in camp before his injury. He is out until October, which means Saints fans will have to wait until at least the week five game against Minnesota to see whether the team’s three rookie receivers can all deliver on the promise they flashed back in April.
Tyson’s injury changed the shape of the competition, but it also opened the door for more reps elsewhere. Bryce Lance made the most of that. His rise really picked up once the extra snaps started coming, and he showed it clearly against the Los Angeles Rams, when he caught all five of his targets and scored two touchdowns.
Brown has been making noise even longer. He entered the offseason with some people viewing him as a returner, but he has spent the spring and summer proving he’s much more than that. His skill set has even drawn comparisons to former Saints standout Rashid Shaheed.
With Tyson sidelined early, Brown and Lance are positioned to get more chances once the regular season begins. The challenge now is simple: carry the camp production into games that count.
For a Saints rookie class that has turned heads all offseason, Johnson’s comments sound less like hype and more like a confirmation of what people around the team have already been seeing.
In Other News...
Saints Fans Should Start Watching LSU For One Very Familiar Reason
The Saints pipeline to Baton Rouge has been a little easier to follow lately, and it is not hard to see why Louisiana football fans are paying attention. New Orleans has leaned into familiar roots in free agency, adding players with local ties, while LSU keeps producing talent that fits the kind of roster-building the Saints need as they look ahead. After LSUs convincing win over Clemson, the conversation around that team got even more interesting for Saints watchers.
Three names in particular stand out as possible future fits: Jordan Ross, Whit Weeks and TreyDez Green. They are still a long way from the NFL Draft, with 2027 the target, but each brings something the Saints could use down the line as they sort through positional needs and keep an eye on the next wave of LSU prospects. For now, it is another reminder that if you want to get a sense of where the Saints might shop next, the answer could be in plain sight on Saturdays in Baton Rouge. [Read more 🡒]
Former Rams DT Keeps Finding His Way Back Into The NFL
Jonah Williams is back on the Saints practice squad, another familiar stop in a career that has taken the veteran defensive tackle through plenty of NFL doorways. Kellen Moore announced the re-signing, adding a player New Orleans already knows well after Williams spent time with the team in 2025 and carved out a role on the interior defensive line.
Williams, 30, has long been one of those players who keeps finding a way to stick in the league, cycling through practice squads and futures deals with the Rams, Vikings, Lions and Cardinals along the way. His return gives the Saints another experienced option up front, and it also leaves open the question of whether this latest stay is just another brief stop or the start of something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]
Saints No. 6 Suddenly Carries Far More Meaning This Season
The jersey number has not exactly been one of the Saints most famous identifiers over the years, but that is starting to change. As New Orleans prepares to open its 2026 regular season against the Lions, Tyler Shough is set to enter his second year as the unquestioned starter, and the No. 6 on his back suddenly carries a much different feel than it ever did for punters Tommy Barnhardt and Thomas Morstead, the short-lived cluster of kickers who wore it in 2021, or recent defenders Marcus Maye and Willie Gay.
Shough, drafted in 2025, is the first quarterback in franchise history to wear No. 6, which gives the number a new place in the Saints identity if he becomes what the organization believes he can be. For a team that has seen the number bounce from special teams to the secondary and linebacker spots, this season is the first real chance for No. 6 to mean something bigger than a roster detail, and the opener will be the first test of how that new significance looks on the field. [Read more 🡒]