ESPN/Mike Tripplett

METAIRIE, La. — The New Orleans Saints weren’t ready to give up on Cameron Meredith.

The fifth-year receiver seemed like a candidate to become a salary-cap casualty this offseason, because he never fully recovered last season from a major 2017 knee injury and played in only six games. But the Saints worked out a pay cut with him instead.

More importantly, New Orleans didn’t sign anyone to replace Meredith in the first wave of free agency.

The Saints did consider making at least one big move to fill their need for a reliable slot receiver, which is Meredith’s most likely position in this offense. But coach Sean Payton said the price tag grew too high on free agent Adam Humphries.

“The economics each year. You’re thinking, ‘We’re getting ready to do this.’ And then it’s like, ‘Wow,’” Payton said at the league meetings Tuesday. “You know, ‘I wanted to see this movie, but I’m not sure I’m ready for that.’”

Likewise, the Saints didn’t make a play for other top free-agent slot receivers such as Golden Tate, Jamison Crowder, Cole Beasley, Randall Cobb or Danny Amendola.

And for now, anyway, there are no immediate plans to re-sign veteran receiver Dez Bryant after he tore his Achilles just two days after signing with the Saints last November — though that could always change once he is healthy.

“I just know he’s been rehabbing,” Payton said. “I wouldn’t be able to forecast the future relative to Dez.”

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