Bowden has officially entered free agency after the Saints declined to tender him as an exclusive rights free agent, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Bowden is now set to hit the open market as the new league year officially begins Wednesday. The 2020 third-round pick will look to catch on with another team after hauling in 11 of his 16 targets for 83 yards in 15 games with the Saints last season.
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Lynn Bowden: Bound for free agency
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Bowden will become an unrestricted free agent after the Saints informed him Sunday that he won't be tendered a contract for 2024, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Bowden had been an exclusive-rights free agent, but because bringing him back would have cost New Orleans around $3 million for 2024, the Saints are letting the depth receiver explore his options on the open market. New Orleans benefited from the versatility that Bowden offered as a pass catcher, rusher, returner and blocker over his 15 appearances in 2023, so it wouldn't be surprising if the organization looked to re-sign him at a lower rate, provided he doesn't draw a more lucrative offer from another club.
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Saints' Lynn Bowden: Tallies two touches Week 18
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Bowden gathered in his only target for five yards during Sunday's 48-17 win over the Falcons. He also rushed once for a two-yard loss.
Bowden got some action late in this blowout win for the Saints. The 26-year-old logged two touches with less than eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, which likely indicates that he would not have seen any true playing time if it had not been a blowout. Bowden stepped up when starting slot receiver Rashid Shaheed was sidelined with an injury Week 13 and Week 14, but the former's role fell back to the wayside over the final three games of the season. Across 15 games in the 2023 campaign, Bowden logged 11 catches (on 16 targets) for 83 yards to go along with five rushing attempts for 32 yards.
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Saints' Lynn Bowden: Catches one pass Week 17
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Bowden reeled in his only target for six yards during Sunday's 23-13 win versus the Buccaneers.
Bowden caught a pass for the fifth time in the last six games for the Saints. His one reception marked merely a minor bump in production after the 26-year-old failed to log a target during last week's loss to the Rams. He was also once again overshadowed by top slot receiver Rashid Shaheed, who was back in the fold for the third game in a row after missing time with a thigh injury. The latter wideout logged two receptions on three targets while also handling return duties on both punts and kickoffs. With Shaheed seemingly fully healthy, it's likely that Bowden will keep remain an afterthought in terms of fantasy relevance during the Week 18 matchup versus the Falcons.
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Saints' Lynn Bowden: Logs zero targets Thursday
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Bowden compiled zero targets during Thursday's 30-22 defeat versus the Rams.
Bowden's playing time came back down to earth, as he played just 22 percent of offensive snaps Week 16 after playing between 57 to 77 percent of snaps in each of the previous four contests. The 26-year-old had helped fill in for the absence of starting wideout and starting slot receiver Rashid Shaheed, who missed two games in a row with a thigh injury before returning Week 15. But, the latter wideout saw his playing time take a significant jump Thursday, as he caught five of nine targets for 70 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Bowden failed to log a target for the first time in the last five games, as Saints quarterback Derek Carr was clearly locked in on Shaheed, top wideout Chris Olave and tight end Juwan Johnson. This trio was targeted on 29 of Carr's 40 passing attempts, and rookie wideout A.T. Perry was the recipient of a 35-yard touchdown during the team's comeback attempt late in the fourth quarter. It's unlikely that Bowden will play much of a factor as the Saints continue pushing for a playoff spot over the final two weeks of the regular season.
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Saints' Lynn Bowden: Logs season-best performance
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Bowden gathered in three of five targets for 31 yards during Sunday's 24-6 victory versus the Giants.
Bowden recorded his most productive performance of the season despite the return of starter Rashid Shaheed, who led the Saints' wide receivers in yards (36) after he was absent the previous two games with a thigh injury. The reserve receiver actually tied with running back Alvin Kamara and tight end Foster Moreau for a team high in targets. Bowden also continued to handle return duties on kickoffs, and he's now logged eight receptions (on 10 targets) for 60 yards. His minimal production over this span likely indicates he'll continue to play a negligible role this Thursday versus the Rams even if No. 1 wideout Chris Olave (ankle) remains inactive and/or Michael Thomas (knee) remains on IR.
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Saints' Lynn Bowden: Logs four receptions Sunday
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Bowden hauled in all four targets for 24 yards during Sunday's 28-6 victory over Carolina.
Bowden continued to fill in for injured starter Rashid Shaheed (thigh), who was inactive for the second game in a row Week 14. The latter wideout has been a big playmaker as both a downfield receiver and an explosive threat after the catch. In his absence, Bowden has mostly just filled in as a receiving target on screens and passes at or near the line of scrimmage to go along with punt-return responsibilities. The 26-year-old did record the Saints' second-longest play from scrimmage with a 15-yard reception in the fourth quarter, and he logged their second-most targets behind No. 1 wideout Chris Olave (five) and running back Alvin Kamara (five). This goes to show the severe shortcomings in the team's passing offense, and it doesn't look like Bowden will be able to replicate Shaheed's overall receiving value even if Shaheed remains sidelined Week 15 against the Giants.
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Saints' Lynn Bowden: Joins active roster
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New Orleans signed Bowden to its 53-man roster Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
A little more than two weeks after being cut from the practice squad, Bowden has now found his way onto the active roster. As long as Chris Olave, Michael Thomas and Rashid Shaheed remain healthy though, there's not going to be many targets left for the Saints' other wideouts.
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Lynn Bowden: Cut by New Orleans
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The Saints waived Bowden on Tuesday, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.
Bowden signed with the Saints in mid-June, but he was unable to make enough of an impact to earn a spot on the 53-man roster. He's struggled to find a role in the NFL over the past few seasons, as he spent time with the Raiders, Dolphins and Patriots before joining the Saints this summer. It's unclear whether he'll draw interest from other clubs ahead of the 2023 campaign.
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Patriots' Lynn Bowden: Inks futures deal
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The Patriots signed Bowden to a reserve/future contract Monday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.
Bowden, a 2020 third-round pick by the Raiders, spent the entire 2022 campaign on the Patriots' practice squad. He saw just one elevation (Week 9) but failed to garner a target across 14 offensive snaps. With his new contract, he'll be able to stick around New England's organization and compete for a roster spot during the offseason.
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Lynn Bowden: Lands on Pats' practice squad
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Bowden signed a contract with New England's practice squad Thursday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.
Bowden was waived by the Dolphins on Monday after he failed to carve out a spot in the team's relatively deep corps of wideouts this preseason. The 24-year-old has played multiple offensive positions -- including quarterback, running back and wideout -- dating back to his college days with Kentucky. Bowden will likely need to work his way into a similar multi-positional role in order to secure a spot on New England's active roster.
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Dolphins' Lynn Bowden: Trade candidate?
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The Dolphins have engaged in discussions about trading Bowden, Daniel Oyefusi of the Miami Herald reports.
Bowden and fellow incumbent wideout Preston Williams have both had their reps in training camp limited due to impressive showings by rookies Erik Ezukanma (fourth round) and Braylon Sanders (UDFA). Bowden's acumen on special teams should give him a leg up over Williams in terms of competing for a roster spot, but neither player has a clear path to offensive snaps in Miami's revamped receiver corps, so it's conceivable that an organization with poor depth at the position, such as Dallas, could part ways with late-round draft capital. A hamstring injury kept Bowden from taking the field last season, but he's participated in training camp without issue.
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Dolphins' Lynn Bowden: Moves to COVID list
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Bowden (illness) was moved to the reserve/COVID-19 list from IR on Wednesday, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.
Bowden was already out for the season with a hamstring injury suffered in practice during training camp. Any rehabbing at the Dolphins' facility that he is doing will have to pause until he can clear COVID protocols. Once cleared, he'll return to preparing for the 2022 season.
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Dolphins' Lynn Bowden: Placed on IR with hamstring injury
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Bowden (hamstring) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.
The Dolphins would've waited a week if they wanted the option to bring Bowden back later this season. As is, he'll be ineligible for the entire season if he remains with the Dolphins, only able to return if he agrees to an injury settlement and gets released. That wouldn't typically happen with a third-round pick in his second pro season, but Bowden is already on his second NFL team -- one that happens to have a crowded depth chart at wide receiver. The Dolphins also parted ways with Isaiah Ford and Robert Foster on Tuesday, clearing out some of the competition for the final spot or two at WR.
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Dolphins' Lynn Bowden: No go Saturday
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Bowden (hamstring) was listed as not expected to play on the Dolphins' injury report before Saturday's preseason game.
Bowden suffered a hamstring strain during Thursday's practice and didn't play in the Dolphins' second exhibition. An MRI revealed that the hamstring wasn't fully torn, but the injury could still keep him out for an extended time. With Miami signing Will Fuller and drafting Jaylen Waddle this offseason, Bowden's stock has slipped significantly, and he now may be in jeopardy of missing the regular-season roster.
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Dolphins' Lynn Bowden: Limps off Thursday
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Bowden suffered an apparent leg injury at Thursday's practice, Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post reports.
Bowden was holding his right leg or hamstring as he limped off the practice field. Though Bowden was solid when called upon for limited action last season, he now finds himself fighting for a roster spot in Miami's deep receiving corps. If Bowden ends up missing preseason action, with Saturday's exhibition matchup against Atlanta right around the corner, it could harm his chances of securing a depth role.
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Dolphins' Lynn Bowden: Could headline Week 15 WR corps
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Bowden is in line to see more opportunities Sunday against the Patriots with fellow receivers DeVante Parker (hamstring) and Jakeem Grant (hamstring) both inactive for the contest, Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com reports.
Tight end Mike Gesicki (shoulder) is also out, so the Dolphins will need to turn to the likes of Bowden, Mack Hollins, Antonio Callaway, Malcolm Perry and Isaiah Ford to help out in the team's passing game. In last week's loss to Kansas City, Bowden logged a career-high seven catches (on nine targets) for 82 yards.
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Dolphins' Lynn Bowden: Activated from COVID-19 list
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Bowden was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday.
The third-round rookie has endured a quiet debut campaign, after racking up more than 1,800 scrimmage yards last year during his final season at Kentucky. Prior to landing on the reserve/COVID-19 list Nov. 6, Bowden had compiled just five total offensive touches for an ouptut of eight scrimmage yards. The 23-year-old figures to slot into a niche role within Miami's offense once able to return to game action, and opportunities among the receiving corps may become available with Preston Williams (foot) moving to IR on Monday.
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Dolphins' Lynn Bowden: No chances on offense
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Bowden did not garner a single rush attempt or target during Sunday's 24-0 win against the Jets.
The third-round rookie fielded five offensive snaps against Gang Green, which is near his typical level of involvement. But Week 6 marked the first time in four appearances this season that Bowden went without a touch. He's been a peripheral contributor in his debut NFL season out of Kentucky, with four total rush attempts and just one reception, and he's expected to resume that role once Miami returns from its Week 7 bye to take on the Rams.
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Dolphins' Lynn Bowden: Three rushes in romping of 49ers
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Bowden registered four rushing yards on three carries during Sunday's 43-17 win against San Francisco.
The third-round rookie logged his first career start in Miami's Week 5 rout, also playing a season-high 15 percent of the offensive snaps. Over the course of the year, he's been more involved in the rushing realm (four carries) than as a receiver (one target) on his limited workload. For Kentucky in 2018, Bowden collected 67 receptions to nine rush attempts, but in his final collegiate season last year, he ran for 7.9 yards per carry on 185 attempts while only registering 30 catches.
