Mason Tipton was well aware of the odds and the scorecard.
The former was long, because undrafted rookies have a steep hill to climb past incumbents, draft picks and NFL veterans in order to secure a spot on a roster.
The latter flashed "0," at least in terms of statistics compiled in preseason games, because Tipton wasn't able to play in any of them this year with the New Orleans Saints after a hamstring injury shelved him.
But when the 5-foot-11, 187-pounder was on the field during training camp practices at Cal-Irvine, the speedy receiver from Yale shone to such a degree that when Tuesday came and NFL rosters had to be pared from 90 to 53, he was among the 53.
"Blessed," Tipton said Wednesday. "Obviously, missing three preseason games, it was tough on me just because I wanted to be out there and get back out there and play, especially for my teammates. But, God is good, so I'm just blessed. I'm happy to be back, happy to be healthy and now it's really time to go.
"I feel like it's kind of rare, so I can only thank God, because not being able to play, it was tough. But I'm back now."
Tipton displayed an uncanny ability to get behind the Saints' secondary in training camp, enough to catch the eye of Saints Coach Dennis Allen and the staff. Before he was injured, he was beginning to show signs of being able to execute intermediate routes as well.
But his speed was the eye-catcher.
"Speed, explosiveness," he said, of what he adds to New Orleans' receiving corps. "The last time I spoke (in training camp), I think (I said) the biggest thing is that I'm not just a speed guy. I can run every route in the book, so I add that aspect of explosiveness, downfield speed but also I can run every route."
He'll have a chance to prove it after having conquered the odds to make the roster.
"I understood the circumstances, but I'm a confident person and I feel like I bring something to the team that is of value," Tipton said. "I was just committed to showing the staff, showing my teammates that I could help them win. That was my first and foremost goal, is proving it to everybody else."
LATT BACK: Cornerback Marshon Lattimore , who sustained a hip flexor injury in the first week of training camp, was on the practice field Wednesday. Lattimore had done some side work with trainers at camp, but Wednesday he was in uniform.
Allen categorized it as, "I think he would have been limited today. But he was back out at practice, and things look positive for him."
SAINTS ADD DT: The Saints acquired defensive tackle John Ridgeway in a trade with Washington. Ridgeway adds depth to the position with defensive tackle Khalen Saunders dealing with a calf injury.
"I think he's big, physical," Allen said of the 6-5, 321-pounder. "He's a young guy that we kind of liked in the draft process (Ridgeway as a fifth-round pick in 2022).
"If you're able to add a guy like that – defensive tackles don't grow on trees. There's not a lot of 6-foot-4, 6-5, 320-pound human beings walking the Earth. And so, when you find one that you think has got some athleticism and some power, bringing somebody like that into the fold is – I don't know that you can ever have enough of those type players.
"We were going to need to add another defensive tackle, whether it be on the practice squad to the active roster, whatever the case may be. I would say that (Saunders' injury) was not the driving force to that decision."
RETURN MAN JOINS: New Orleans also added running back Kene Nwangwu (pronounced ken-A WAHN-woo), an impactful kick returner, when he was awarded off waivers from Minnesota. Nwangwu, 6-1, 210, a fourth-round pick in 2021, has returned 68 kicks for 1,879 yards (27.6-yard average) and three touchdowns in his career.
Since entering the league in '21, he leads the NFL in kickoff return touchdowns and he was named second-team All-Pro as a returner in '22.
"He's a big back," Allen said. "He's got return skills, and he's got 4-core capabilities (to play on kickoff returns and coverage, and punt returns and coverage). I think that was something that we were looking for. Not necessarily as a running back, but who has some return skills and who has some 4-core capabilities. He's a guy that we were extremely high on in those regards and we're excited about getting him."
