Keith Kirkwood has re-signed with the New Orleans Saints practice squad and is training with the team in London, as first reported by Nola.com’s Jeff Duncan and confirmed by NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. Kirkwood joins veteran receiver Kirk Merritt and rookie returns specialist Rashid Shaheed on the practice squad; undrafted rookie Dai’Jean Dixon has not been re-signed after the team waived him to open a spot for running back Latavius Murray. It’s unclear what the corresponding move for Kirkwood’s return will be.
It makes sense to bring in some reinforcements at wide receiver. Four of the Saints’ top five players at the position went down with injuries during Week 3’s loss to the Carolina Panthers: Michael Thomas (toe), Jarvis Landry (ankle), Tre’Quan Smith (concussion), and Deonte Harty (foot). They finished the game with Chris Olave, Marquez Callaway, and tight end Juwan Johnson lining up in the slot at his old college position.
Kirkwood, 27, made the jump to the NFL as an undrafted free agent signing out of Temple, hanging on with the Saints practice squad from 2018 to 2020. He’s since landed with the Panthers but missed some time with injuries, and was released during final roster cuts in August. He had his best year in the NFL as a rookie in 2018, catching 13 of 21 passes to gain 209 yards and score 2 touchdowns, converting 11 first downs.
