Over the last 40 years, the New Orleans Saints have had some of the most feared kickoff and punt returners in the NFL. Starting in the late 1980s, Mel Gray became the first consistent return threat for the Saints. Through the mid-1990s, Tyrone Hughes sent fear through opponents on both kickoffs and punts. In the early 2000s, Michael Lewis would make opponents pay and broke many of the records held by Hughes. Running backs Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, and Darren Sproles along with wideout Courtney Roby were just as valuable for their return skills as the 2000s crossed over into the next decade. Over the last seven years, Deonte Harris and Rashid Shaheed would make opposing teams pay for kicking in their direction.
Shaheed was traded by the Saints
at the 2025 mid-season point. Losing him was a blow to the offense, but arguably even more so in the return game. New Orleans returners did virtually nothing over the last half of the year, therefore putting even more pressure on a very limited offense. This offseason, the Saints brought in a couple of potential gamebreakers that they hope will provide a return threat. Our training camp previews continue with a look at the kickoff and punt return competition.
- On the roster: Barion Brown (rookie), Ty Chandler, Mason Tipton, Kendre Miller, Devin Neal
- Offseason losses: Rashid Shaheed, Dante Pettis, Evan Hull
- Offseason additions: Brown, Chandler
Shaheed was lost before the end of the season, getting traded to the Seattle Seahawks after Week 9. Not surprisingly, he was instrumental in helping the Seahawks to a Super Bowl title as both a returner and receiver. The Saints, meanwhile, saw their kick and punt return game completely vanish after Shaheed was moved.
In the first half of 2025 with New Orleans, Shaheed averaged 12.9 yards per punt return and forced teams to kick away from him on kickoffs. Without him, the Saints averaged a laughable 6.1 yards on punt returns and well below average of 25.1 on kickoffs. Dante Pettis, the primary punt returner after Shaheed, was thankfully not re-signed. Kendre Miller and Mason Tipton have each shown some potential as kickoff returners, but the team desperately needs an upgrade.Miller and Tipton are both back, but are complementary return options at best. Both are in a battle at their respective positions just to make the roster. The same can be said of running back Devin Neal. Only Tipton out of the three is a realistic option as a punt returner.
Listed as running back, the only likely way Ty Chandler makes this roster is returning kicks. Chandler has next to no experience returning punts. However, he has a career average of 25.7 on kickoffs and has some explosive open field skills. He'll possibly see some time in preseason on punts but will certainly get reps on kickoffs along with Mason Tipton and Kendre Miller.
Barion Brown was one of three wideouts that New Orleans selected this spring. A sixth round choice, Brown brings explosive traits to the wide receiver competition. Make no mistake though, Barion Brown was drafted in hopes that he'll win the return job. In college with Kentucky and LSU, he saw limited duties returning punts. As a kickoff returner, Brown had a 29.3 average and ran back an incredible 6 kickoffs for touchdowns. The open competition for both punt and kickoff return roles will be one to watch throughout preseason, but the Saints specifically drafted Barion Brown in hopes that he wins it.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints 2026 training camp preview: Kickoff and punt returners
