Before he was granted his release from the New Orleans Saints, Brandin Cooks gave Mason Tipton a heads-up that the move was in the works. The two wide receivers had developed a close friendship as teammates, and so the conversation didn’t catch Tipton by surprise.

Tipton said he had “an idea” that Cooks wanted out.

“He was like, ‘Look, little bro, it’s that time,” Tipton said.

“That time” also means a lot for Tipton.

“Naturally, Tipton is going to play a ton of football now,” coach Kellen Moore said.

A second-year wideout from Yale, Tipton has played just 60 snaps this season and does not have a catch. But after being buried on the depth chart, the 25-year-old will get a chance to show what he can do in an expanded role — and see if he can build on what was a productive summer.

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