Veteran wide receiver Jakeem Grant will be among the invites at New Orleans Saints rookie mini-camp this weekend. This news was first reported by NFL reporter Aaron Wilson on Friday afternoon.
The 31-year-old Grant was originally a sixth-round pick of the Miami Dolphins in the 2016 NFL Draft out of Texas Tech. Grant left the Red Raiders as the program’s all-time leader in receiving yards with 3,286, including 1,268 yards and 10 touchdowns on 90 catches in 2015.
Listed at 5’6″ and 170-Lbs., Grant has been a punt return specialist throughout most of his seven-year NFL career. He remained with the Dolphins from 2016 to 2021, where he caught 91 passes for 1,001 yards and five touchdowns. He’d also average 9.7 yards on punt returns, scoring three touchdowns, and 24.8 on kickoff returns while adding two more scores.
Chicago Bears wide receiver Jakeem Grant (17) in the open field against the Arizona Cardinals / Credit:© Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports
Midway through the 2021 campaign, Grant was traded to the Chicago Bears. He’d catch nine passes for 139 yards with two scores in 11 games with Chicago and averaged 13.9 yards with a touchdown as a punt returner, including a franchise record 97-yard scoring return. Grant’s return abilities earned him a spot on the 2022 Pro Bowl roster.
In 2022, Grant signed with the Cleveland Browns in free agency. He was lost for the year in preseason with a torn Achilles. The following season, Grant suffered a torn patellar tendon in preseason and was again lost for the year.
Grant will attempt to catch the attention of New Orleans coaches in this weekend’s tryout to earn an invite to training camp. He’ll be competing for a spot on the Saints WR depth chart that includes Chris Olave, A.T. Perry, and All-Pro kick returner Rashid Shaheed.
The Saints also added wideouts Cedrick Wilson, Equanimeous St. Brown, and Stanley Morgan Jr. in free agency and drafted Pitt WR Bub Means in the fifth round. Undrafted rookies Kyle Sheets, return specialist Jermaine Jackson, and Mason Tipton are also competing for spots.
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