With a growing crowd at wide receiver, Kirk Merritt is getting an extended tryout at running back in his second season with the New Orleans Saints. Merritt spent a little time in the backfield late last summer, logging a handful of carries at running back in the Saints’ final preseason games, but for the most part his attention has focused on competing for a roster spot at his natural position as a wide receiver, per Sports Illustrated’s Ross Jackson.
But an offseason full of additions to the receiving corps has him shifting gears to make a better case for a roster spot. Merritt, listed at 6-foot-1 and 214 pounds, has similar size and impressive all-around athletic testing results than other running backs on the roster like Eno Benjamin, his likeliest competition for a spot on the depth chart in the fall.
