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New Orleans Saints wide receiver Joe Morgan looked like he had a clear shot at the No. 3 spot when the team entered training camp last summer.

Morgan's rookie season in 2011 was derailed by a knee injury. In 2012 he caught only 10 passes but three went for touchdowns. He averaged 37.9 yards per catch.

Morgan's quickness was an asset it looked like the Saints could utilize more in 2013.

However, he didn't get that chance. Morgan did not make it to the first preseason game. During the Black & Gold Scrimmage in August, a routine tackle by rookie safety Kenny Vaccaro resulted in a freak accident.

Morgan's knee buckled when he hit the turf, and he had to be assisted off the field by trainers. He would be diagnosed with a partial ACL and meniscus tear that immediately landed him on injured reserve, the second time in his three-year career that he'd miss a season due to a knee injury.


"It was just one of those unfortunate things where I got hurt," Morgan said. "It wasn't anybody's fault. That's part of the game, what happens."

The Saints moved on, putting rookie Kenny Stills into what essentially would have been Morgan's spot. They still finished No. 2 overall in passing offense, averaging 307.4 yards, down only slightly from 2012's No. 1 passing offense of 312.3 yards. In 2011 they averaged 334.2 passing yards.

It didn't help that the Saints lost two deep-threat receivers in Morgan and Devery Henderson, who they released in the offseason.

Henderson's production declined in 2012, but he still made several big catches.

Morgan's highlight reel in 2012 was limited, but included several eye-catching plays, such as a 48-yard touchdown reception where he was able to get open deep downfield, throw a defender off his back and juke past another to get in the end zone.

So with his potential in mind, it was with much disappointment from fans when Morgan went down in August. The Saints re-signed Robert Meachem after he was cut by the San Diego Chargers.

And Stills certainly stepped up in his place, catching 32 passes for a league-leading 20 yards-per-catch. Henderson is the only other receiver in franchise history to match or better that average with the same amount of receptions.

"I think we definitely have guys on the roster that can play in that role," said wide receiver Marques Colston. "You saw the Tampa game. You saw Kenny Stills with his 76-yard touchdown. Meachem had a couple of big plays (against the Seattle Seahawks). We're definitely confident with those guys moving forward."

But the sentiment persisted all season that the Saints still lacked a consistent deep threat.

Quarterback Drew Brees didn't disagree with the assessment that the Saints were below average in that respect. But he said he felt like the deep threat was still there.

"I felt like we made our fair share of plays I would say maybe a few went over that (final) six- or seven-game span we were a little below our big-play average, our scoring average or what have you," Brees said. "I don't sit here and necessarily attribute it to one thing or another. We still dialed up our shots, we still called them, we still attempted them, but maybe for whatever reason we didn't get as many as we normally have."


Read more: New Orleans Saints' deep-threat options were limited without Joe Morgan | NOLA.com

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