The Saints took a couple of dips into the veteran wide receiver pool over the last two weeks and Tre’Quan Smith going untargeted while playing 50 snaps against the Bengals seemed to hint at why the team was interested in Dez Bryant and Brandon Marshall.

Neither of those players was in the lineup against the Eagles on Sunday, however, and Smith had a much bigger role this time around. The third-round pick was targeted 13 times and caught 10 of Drew Brees’ passes for 157 yards and a touchdown.

Smith improvised on the scoring play and said he was “so happy” that Brees told him “I trust you” after that play. The team might not have sent the same message with their recent signings, but Smith said he’s taking motivation from those moves as well.

“It has to because … you gotta know your job is at risk. Because if you mess up, you got a veteran right there trying to take your job,” Smith said, via ESPN.com. “But I know if I do what I gotta do week in and week out, I’m at a good place.”

Smith’s not going to be center of attention for the New Orleans offense every week, but showing he can fill that role if needed only makes the Saints look more dangerous as they hit the back stretch of the regular season