Saints 2016 Year in Review: Travaris Cadet

Travaris Cadet played his first three seasons in the NFL as a back-up with the New Orleans Saints. He then signed with the New England Patriots as a free agent before the 2015 season. Waived by the Patriots, picked up by San Francisco, then waived by the 49ers, Cadet eventually found his way back home to the Saints, where he finished the 2015 season and played the entirety of 2016.

During Cadet’s first tenure with the Saints, he was often found the recipient of fans’ criticism for bad hands, not being able to catch on-target passes from QB Drew Brees in key situations. In 2014, Cadet had a pretty poor 74.5% catch rate according to Pro Football Reference (with 38 receptions on the year). Cadet’s 2016 was no different, finishing with a 74.1% catch rate (with 40 receptions). For reference: the two RBs ahead of Cadet on the depth chart, Mark Ingram and Tim Hightower, had catch rates of 79.3% and 84.6% respectively.

Cadet’s 40 receptions in 2016 were a career high, and he eclipsed his previous career high of one total TD with four receiving TDs on the year, including this 11 yard catch and run against Tampa Bay late in the season.

Where Cadet saw the bulk of his playing time with the Saints, though, was on Special Teams. The former collegiate Southern Conference Special Teams Player of the Week received a team-high 10 kick off returns for an abysmal 14.4 yards per return.

To put that number in perspective, former New Orleans Saints RB/ST C.J. Spiller averaged 20.29 yards per return in 2016. Across the NFC South, Eric Weems of Atlanta averaged 23 yards per return, Carolina’s Ted Ginn Jr. averaged 21.72, and Tampa Bay’s Josh Huff averaged 24.92. To say that Cadet struggled in decision-making and performance on kickoff returns would be an understatement. Saints rookie Tommylee Lewis was at least able to average 19 yards per return in the games he was active, so maybe TLL will be able to handle that role moving forward. In any event, Cadet does not to be back receiving kicks.

I tried finding a highlight of Cadet on Special Teams. I couldn’t find anything that would be close to a highlight. So here’s a cute picture of a cat instead. Look at the cat. Don’t think about Cadet on Special Teams. Inhale. Exhale.

Photo by Junko Kimura/Getty Images