Last week, this article was published about the pure talent of the 2020 New Orleans Saints roster. The Emmanuel Sanders signing got all the publicity and for good reason. Sanders will fill the role of the second receiver opposite of Michael Thomas. For the success of the entire team, the roster greatly needs a number three receiver. With signing Ty Montgomery, they very well could have found the guy to fill the role. Ty Montgomery came into the league as a wide receiver. With the Green Bay Packers, he made the change to running back late in 2016 due to team-need. With his wide-ranged skill set, Montgomery can be a backup to Alvin Kamara and still contribute to the offense at receiver. Moving Montgomery back to the receiver position could be key to the Saints’ success in 2020.
New Orleans Saints Can Benefit Greatly by Moving Ty Montgomery Back to Wide Receiver
Career To Date
Ty Montgomery has been a producer for most of his football career. In four years with Stanford, he had 172 total receptions total. His junior and senior seasons each produced 61 receptions and a total of 13 touchdowns. In his second year with the Packers, Montgomery had 44 receptions on 56 targets which placed him in the top 20 of the NFL for catch percentage. Towards the end of 2016 is when he was asked to move to running back. This change has seen his production scattered between rushes and receptions but the production has been there. Since 2018, Montgomery has a total of two drops on 57 targets. His reliable hands will fit well within the Saints offense where Brees likes to spread the ball around in years past.
Saints Production
The Saints receivers last year were no less than dreadful outside of Michael Thomas. Receiver was a huge need for the Saints going into the off-season and they addressed it with the two aforementioned signings. The Saints had to do something considering there were only 58 receptions by Saints receivers other than Michael Thomas last year. There were also at least eight drops by Saints pass catchers on the year. It’s no mystery why Drew Brees had to lean so heavily on Thomas last year.
Ty Montgomery to Receiver?
The Saints would be smart to move Montgomery back to receiver and have him as the emergency running back. His production could far outpace any other receiver on the Saints last yeah except record-setting Thomas. With even modest receiving numbers, Montgomery can elevate the entire Saints organization. In years past we’ve seen how Brees loves to spread the ball around. That habit has taken a hit lately with the lack of consistency from most of the receivers. Ty will not be asked to be the number two guy, but to be the guy to make a play a few times over the year. It’s a role that suits his talent incredibly well. If the Saints do move Montgomery back to receiver for this year, success will surely follow.
