Advocate staff photo by SCOTT THRELKELD — New Orleans Saints wide receiver Joe Morgan (13) beats Tennessee Titans cornerback Coty Sensabaugh (24) for a long catch to set up a New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram (22) touchdown during the second quarter Friday, Aug. 15, 2014, at the Mercedes Benz Superdome.
A day after being cut by the Saints, wide receiver Joseph Morgan went unclaimed on the waiver wire, and he is now a free agent.
Morgan didn’t touch the ball often with the Saints; but when he did, the result was usually a big play. He had only 14 catches and two rushes in the 19 games he suited out for the Saints — but he had three touchdown grabs, 471 receiving yards and 68 rushing yards. That equates to 33.7 yards per touch.
Yet Morgan’s waiver concluded what’s been a difficult tenure for him in New Orleans. The undrafted player out of Walsh (an NAIA program in his hometown of Canton, Ohio) missed his entire rookie season in 2011 and all of what would’ve been his third year as a pro in 2013 with knee injuries.
This year, Morgan was inactive for five of the Saints’ first seven games this season.
But, when he was on the field, Morgan could be a very dangerous weapon. He showed that in 2012 when he registered 379 receiving yards and three touchdowns on just 10 catches. This year, a 67-yard run off an end-around in a defeat to the Ravens on Nov. 24 is the Saints’ longest rush as of Wednesday.
Morgan also had a 62-yard catch in the loss to the Ravens. Morgan didn’t catch a pass for the Saints in a Nov. 30 win at Pittsburgh or in the 41-10 rout to the Panthers in New Orleans a week later.
Morgan played 36 snaps against Carolina and was targeted on five throws in his last game with the Saints.
The Saints have not filled the roster spot created by Morgan’s waiver. On their practice squad are undrafted rookie receiver Brandon Coleman and Seantavius Jones — both are possible candidates for promotion to the team’s 53-man roster.
New Orleans’ remaining receivers are Marques Colston, Kenny Stills, Nick Toon, Robert Meachem and Jalen Saunders.