The New Orleans Saints signed free agent wide receiver Rishard Matthews after his veteran tryout during minicamp practices this week, as first reported by Field Yates of ESPN. Matthews has appeared in 87 games for the Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, and New York Jets since being drafted back in 2012.
Matthews hit a rough skid last season after several strong years, struggling to adapt to a new-look Titans offense and getting released early in the season. He played sporadically for the Jets and never took on a big role in the offense. During his peak from 2015 to 2017, though, he averaged 58.5 yards per game and caught 17 touchdown passes.
If the Saints saw enough positive plays from Matthews to offer him a contract in his three-day tryout, he could certainly have enough fuel left in the tank to contribute in 2019. The 6-foot-0, 217-pounder has certainly shown the ability to make plays in the NFL; the question is whether last season was an aberration for him or the start of a downturn.
Saints coach Sean Payton reflected on Matthews’ tryout during his media availability on Wednesday, saying, “Today he did some good things. He’s smart, so he has some experience. It’s a chance for us to see him and see how he handles what we are doing from an install standpoint. I think he catches it well. I would say it’s really a two-practice evaluation. It has been pretty good.”
The corresponding move to Matthews signing with the Saints was the waiving of wide receiver Travin Dural, as first reported by Sean Fazende of FOX 8 New Orleans. Dural signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent out of LSU back in 2017, but wasn’t healthy to play as a rookie after suffering a series hamstring injury in college. A broken arm suffered early last summer cut his second season short, and it appears he hasn’t been able to bounce back and produce the way coaches hoped.
