New Orleans Saints: 5 Who Must Step Up For Keenan Lewis

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Jun 10, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandon Coleman (16) during minicamp at the New Orleans Saints Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

WR Brandon Coleman

Marques Colston is still the No. 2 receiver with 2014 first-round pick Brandin Cooks operating as the top guy after a promising rookie campaign, and Colston’s ability to bounce back after hauling in a paltry 59 of 100 targets last season will be a big key for this offense. The thing is, I’m not worried about Colston’s ability to bounce back, since I believe in his experience and past production.

I’m not sure if I can believe in Brandon Coleman, even if I really liked him as a sleeper out of Rutgers due to his appetizing size/speed combination. Coleman has the ability to be a game-breaking vertical talent for the Saints, and this team needs it after trading 11.2 yards per target star Kenny Stills this offseason.

The 6’6″, 225-pound second-year pro has been one of the Saints stars of the offseason, and it will be interesting to see how fluid of a route-runner he is this year. Even if he is still rough around the edges, Drew Brees, contrary to what some uninformed people think, is an elite quarterback who can mitigate Coleman’s current weaknesses.

At the end of the day, Coleman needs to be a spark. The Saints need three productive pass-catchers on the team at wide receiver with Jimmy Graham and Stills no longer a part of the team. Last season, the Saints were just ninth in the league in points per game. “Oh hey, top ten” would be pretty good for most teams, but the Brees-led Saints with a feature back in Mark Ingram aren’t “most teams”. Not only do they have much higher aspirations for their offense’s productivity, but they simply need their offense to be better than ninth.

Last season, the Saints allowed the fifth-most points per game, first downs per game, and the second-most yards per game. They also had the most yards per game and points per game themselves, but they didn’t turn enough of that into points. The Saints will run the ball more in 2015, but if Coleman can shine, then the Saints should be able to score enough points to overcome this injury in the meantime.

Next: Where Does Brees Rank Among NFL's Best QBs?

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