Kellen Moore sees role for Saints WR Barion Brown beyond special teams

Yahoo Sports1h ago28 min readOriginal source →

TL;DR

Kellen Moore sees potential for Saints WR Barion Brown to contribute beyond special teams, emphasizing his skills as both a receiver and a returner. Brown, a sixth-round pick from the 2026 NFL Draft, has a successful track record in kick returns.

Key points

Kellen Moore sees Barion Brown as a versatile player.
Brown was a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
He led the FBS in kick return yards in 2023.
Brown scored six kick return touchdowns in college.
He has experience at both receiver and returner positions.

Mentioned in this story

LSUKentucky

Barion BrownNew Orleans Saints

Kellen Moore sees role for Saints WR Barion Brown beyond special teams

What are the plans for Barion Brown? The former LSU Tiger and Kentucky Wildcat was a surprise sixth-round pick by the New Orleans Saints in the 2026 NFL Draft, but his unique set of skills mean he has plenty of options at the next level. Whether he focuses on playing receiver or returning punts and kickoffs, he'll get real opportunities to make the team over the next few months. The only question is where he'll spend most of his time. It was one of several questions head coach Kellen Moore answered during his press conference after Friday's rookie minicamp practice.

"Yeah. Yeah yeah, no, he's a receiver as well," Moore clarified. "And I think that's the important asset that we view this as, is we're onboarding a guy who's a returner and a receiver and it's not going to be just a receiver and nothing else. And so, you know, his experience, his exposure we spent a lot of time with him. He came in on a 30 visit. Go through his experience, you know, going to Kentucky, going to LSU. Uh, he's had a lot of success both in the return game and the receiver game and so excited to a him to that mix."

The question came up for good reason -- Brown led the FBS in yards per kick return in 2023, at Kentucky, and he led the SEC in the same stat in 2025 after transferring to LSU. All told, he scored six kick return touchdowns in four years and averaged 29.4 yards per kick return in his career. It's a role in which he's both comfortable and effective. But he can do more.

Brown only saw 32 carries in 50 games at the college level, but he was productive with 7.1 yards per attempt, and 11 of those rushes gained 10 or more yards and he converted a first down 13 times. There's potential for him to catch defenses off balance with a jet sweep or delayed handoff. And as Moore said, Brown has real skills as a receiver. He totaled 175 catches for 2,060 yards and 12 touchdowns, largely producing against other future NFL players. He was often targeted around the line of scrimmage and asked to make a play with the ball in his hands, but as a senior LSU gave him just as many looks over the middle of the field. That's 's bread and butter.

Q&A

What is Barion Brown's role with the New Orleans Saints?

Barion Brown is expected to play both as a receiver and a return specialist for the New Orleans Saints.

How did Barion Brown perform in college kick returns?

Barion Brown led the FBS in yards per kick return in 2023 and scored six kick return touchdowns during his college career.

What did Kellen Moore say about Barion Brown's skills?

Kellen Moore highlighted that Brown's experience as both a receiver and returner will be valuable for the team, indicating he won't be limited to just one role.

When was Barion Brown drafted and by which team?

Barion Brown was selected in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints.