The Buffalo Bills released Marquez Valdes-Scantling last week to make room for newly acquired Amari Cooper. Just days later, Valdes-Scantling found a new team.
On October 21, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported that Valdes-Scantling signed with the New Orleans Saints. The two-time Super Bowl champion struggled to find a consistent role with the Bills but will now have the opportunity to step up on a team facing significant injury challenges.
Valdes-Scantling joined the Bills last offseason amid a significant overhaul of the wide receiver group. After trading top receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans and allowing No. 2 Gabe Davis to depart in free agency, the Bills brought in veterans like Valdes-Scantling and rookie Keon Coleman.
Despite the Bills’ philosophy of distributing targets among receivers, Valdes-Scantling had a tough time securing a regular position. He played in six games this season but only managed two catches for 26 yards.
Previously, Valdes-Scantling spent two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he won two Super Bowl titles, recording 63 catches for 1,002 yards and three touchdowns.
Now with the Saints, Valdes-Scantling joins a team reeling from injuries, including the loss of rising star Rashid Shaheed to a season-ending knee injury. John Sigler from USA Today’s Saints Wire noted that Valdes-Scantling could help fill the gap in production left by Shaheed.
“Like Shaheed, Valdes-Scantling is known as a deep threat, though he outweighs the injured Pro Bowler by 26 pounds,” Sigler wrote. “Valdes-Scantling is a bigger target at 6-foot-4 with a 78-inch wingspan compared to the 6-foot Shaheed’s 73-inch wingspan. He also clocked a 40-yard dash time of 4.37 seconds coming out of college in 2018.”
