The Saints chose not to tender Bowden, making him a prospective free agent. Bowden was seldom used offensively in 2023, finishing with 11 receptions for 83 yards and adding five carries for 32 yards. He also added 53 punt return yards and 64 kick return yards throughout the season. Bowden has bounced from the Dolphins to the Patriots and the Saints after initially being drafted by the Raiders in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He has yet to carve out a significant role in his career and Bowden is now expected to hit the open market.

With Chris Olave (ankle) ailing, Bowden kept up his surprising recent involvement. He also continued to display zero ceiling. He’s off the 12-team radar heading into Week 16 against the Rams.

Bowden, who last week had 40 rushing yards against Atlanta, ran 20 routes on 31 Saints drop backs against the Lions. He remains a reasonable deep league add while the Saints deal with a series of wide receiver injuries.

Bowden, a hybrid running back-receiver who has bounced around the league in recent years after seeing some playing time with the Dolphins in 2020. The Saints receiver room has been ravaged by injuries, forcing Bowden into action against Atlanta. He ran a route on 52 percent of the team’s drop backs and had two targets to go along with his two carries. Bowden could have some deep league appeal if Chris Olave (concussion) and Rashid Shaheed (quad) miss time.