Who Should I Start? Mason Tipton or Xavier Johnson

Saturday, November 16, 3:12 AM

Injuries to the New Orleans Saints wide receiver room cleared a path up the depth chart for rookie Mason Tipton. With Chris Olave (concussion), Rashid Shaheed (knee), and Bub Means (ankle) on injured reserve, and Cedrick Wilson Jr. (shoulder) out for Week 10, there seemed to be ample opportunity for Tipton to soak up some targets. Sadly, that wasn't the case as Tipton did not draw a single target in last week's game against the Falcons. Marquez Valdes-Scantling was the main beneficiary of the Saints' lack of receiving talent, catching three balls for 109 yards and two scores against Atlanta, while running back Alvin Kamara was the preferred option on short routes. In Week 11, MVS can be expected to remain the team's deep option and if Wilson shakes his questionable tag, Tipton will have a hard time commanding targets against him or Kamara. He can safely be left on the waiver wire.

Wednesday, January 22, 7:23 PM

The Houston Texans announced on Wednesday that they signed wide receivers Xavier Johnson and Johnny Johnson III, guard Tremayne Anchrum Jr., cornerbacks Anthony Averett and Gregory Junior, defensive end Solomon Byrd, running backs Jawhar Jordan and J.J. Taylor, defensive tackle Jayden Peevy, quarterback Kedon Slovis and safety Russ Yeast to Reserve/Futures deals. Johnson signed with the Buffalo Bills in free agency last offseason but was cut before the start of the regular season before latching on with Houston's practice squad in 2024. The 25-year-old Cincinnati native was never elevated to the Texans' active 53-man roster during the regular season and has yet to make his debut in the NFL. Johnson will now continue his development in Houston and will hope to make the active roster out of training camp this summer.