New Orleans Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis announced today that the club has signed wide receiver Dante Pettis to the practice squad and released Shemar Jean-Charles from the practice squad.

Pettis, 6-1, 195, was originally selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round (44th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Washington. In five seasons with the 49ers, New York Giants, and the Chicago Bears, he has appeared in 50 games with 19 starts, recording 71 receptions for 984 yards (13.9 avg.) with 12 touchdowns. Pettis also handled punt return duties with his three previous teams, returning 31 punts for 204 yards. During his last game action in 2022, Pettis appeared in all 17 games for the Bears with seven starts, recording 19 receptions for 245 yards with three touchdowns and returned 18 punts for 163 yards.

Pettis started 36 of the 53 games he played in for the Huskies (2014-17), finishing his career with 163 receptions for 2,256 yards (13.8 avg.) with 24 touchdowns. Pettis handled the punt return duties all four years with Washington and is one of the most decorated return men in NCAA history, returning 90 punts for 1,274 yards (14.2 avg.) with nine touchdowns, an NCAA record. Pettis also tied an NCAA record with punt returns for a touchdown in three consecutive games and is the Pac-12 Record Holder for career punt return yards. As a senior in 2017, he was a consensus first-team All-American and named a Paul Hornung Award finalist, annually awarded to the most versatile player in major college football, playing in all 13 games and finishing with 63 receptions for 761 yards (12.1 avg.) with seven touchdowns and 21 punt returns for 428 yards (20.4 avg.) with four touchdowns.