The Saints targeted Deonte Harris with 25 passes during his nine regular season appearances, but he took on a bigger role in the offense against the Bears last Sunday.
Harris had seven passes come his way and he caught them all for 83 yards in the 21-9 victory. That was the same amount of targets that wide receiver Michael Thomas and tight end Jared Cook received, which caught the eye of Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians.
Arians was asked about the Saints getting Thomas back from injured reserve during his Monday press conference, but his response focused on Harris.
“He’s a heck of a player, [but] the guy that scares me is Deonte Harris,” Arians said. “He’s really, really fast and when he was in there, it’s a different ballgame. Mike is a bruiser and a chain-mover, but Deonte Harris can go to the house quick.”
Harris had one catch for 17 yards against the Bucs in Week 1 and one catch for 40 yards in Week 9, but it sounds like the Bucs will be prepared for him to play a larger role this time around.