Marcus Sherels tried out for the New Orleans Saints this summer as a return specialist, and there was plenty of optimism around the signing. He was one of the first veteran free agents the Saints brought in once the signing period opened up, and his resume spoke for itself: Several Minnesota Vikings franchise records for punt returns are in his name.
But an untimely hamstring injury knocked him out of Saints training camp and caused him to miss all of their preseason games, opening the door for undrafted rookie Deonte Harris to win the punt return job. Sherels agreed to an injury settlement with the Saints and recently reunited with his old team. Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that Sherels worked out for the Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills but chose to sign with Minnesota despite interest from those teams and the New York Jets.
This is the rare case where things may have worked out best for everyone. The Saints have a playmaker at a position that’s been an area of weakness for them for quite a while. Sherels gets to go back to a familiar locker room in a role he’s excelled at. Stories don’t always end up this neat and tidy in the NFL.
