Last season, the New Orleans Saints dealt with major special teams issues, leading to losses. It was not just the special teams causing these losses; if a few more FGs had been made, coverage on punts/kicks had been better, and returns had been better, the Saints may have been able to make the playoffs.
Understandably, many called for special teams coordinator Phil Galiano to be fired after the team’s struggles, but he is still on the staff. From the Saints’ perspective, the struggles were because
of the roster, not the coaches. This argument by the team does make sense because the coverage lost Jonas Sanker to the starting lineup, and Blake Grupe and Kai Kroeger struggled all season.
Making a clear declaration like this means the Saints will need to have a good special teams this season for Galiano to keep his job, and the only way to do that is by getting better players. One of the areas in which the Saints have made the most investment is the return game.
In the 2026 NFL Draft, New Orleans selected LSU WR Barion Brown in the sixth round. Throughout his college career, Brown was one of the most dangerous returners in football, and although that success did not translate perfectly to his time in Baton Rouge, he should still be able to scare opposing teams in the NFL. The team also views Brown as a very capable WR, but given all the investment they have made at the position, his path to making an impact in 2026 is on special teams.
It’s likely that a returner will be taking up one of the WR spots for the Saints, so a battle for that spot is going to be very heated, and there’s one guy on the roster who will give Brown some competition. WR Mason Tipton has been a training camp standout for two offseasons, but it has not translated to the regular season. For the first time, it does not feel like Tipton will make the roster, but there is still a path.
Last season, Tipton made some massive plays on special teams. He was clearly the Saints’ best returner once Rashid Shaheed was traded away, but that was only later in the season, and he missed the last two games. The sample size was small, but he will have a chance this preseason to prove he can be a team’s primary kick returner.
If you had to take a guess now, who do you think will win this position battle: Brown or Tipton? Would you bring both onto the 53-man roster? Let us know!
