Saints sign former Tulane, Titans returns specialist to add depth at wide receiver

Welcome back home, Jha'Quan Jackson. The former Tulane Green Wave standout is signing with the New Orleans Saints to add depth at wide receiver, per NewOrleans.Football's Nick Underhill, who added that he'll be joining the practice squad. Veteran backup Kevin Austin Jr. is being promoted to the 53-man roster to make room for Jackson. The Saints confirmed these moves in a formal announcement.

Like a lot of other receivers in their room, Jackson is on the lighter side. He weighed in at 5-foot-9 and 188 pounds at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine while timing the 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds. The New Orleans native was born in Metairie and played high school football at Hahnville out in St. Charles Parish.

Jackson was known for his work on special teams at Tulane, and that helped him get drafted by the Tennessee Titans. He earned a lot of Pro Bowl votes after racking up 412 kick return yards and 215 punt return yards as a rookie, but was benched for the last five games of 2024 after having some trouble with ball security. He'll need to protect it to get the call on game days.

These moves come in the wake of Brandin Cooks being released in what's been characterized as a mutual separation; that left the Saints with just three receivers on the 53-man roster and three more on the practice squad, so now they're at seven healthy bodies. Trey Palmer is working his way back from a hamstring injury but the team hasn't designated him to return from injured reserve just yet. Stay tuned.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: New Orleans Saints sign former Tulane wide receiver Jha'Quan Jackson