AP

Saints wide receiver Joe Morgan had issues on and off the field before he was released last season, but Saints coach Sean Payton said he thought Morgan “deserved” a chance to come back.

Since the post-draft press conference was the first chance for Payton to address it since Morgan was re-signed in April, the Saints coach said Morgan “took a number of initiatives to do some things to work on getting an opportunity to come back.”

“It was a handful of things that were really just between us and the player,” Payton added, via Mike Triplett of ESPN.com.

Morgan flashed talent, but had just five touches last year (including a 67-yard rush). But he was also a headache, as he was suspended two games early last year for undisclosed reasons, and then cut late in the season. He was arrested for suspicion of drunk driving in 2013 as well.

“We had a long visit with him, sat down and spent some time with him,” Payton said. “He’s someone that I feel like I know real well, and I know Mickey [Loomis] feels the same way. And we felt comfortable with bringing him back on the roster. He’s someone that’s really developed.

“We’ve got a lot of time on task with Joe as a receiver, and I feel like we’ve got a lot of time on task with him as a person.”

You’d think he’d have a better opportunity to hang around this year, after the Saints got rid of Kenny Stills, and didn’t make any significant adds in free agency or the draft.