The ribbing is friendly, but Mason Tipton knows there's only one way to end it.

The New Orleans Saints' second-year receiver had a 75-yard kickoff return against Atlanta on Nov. 23 and a 54-yard kickoff return against Tampa Bay on Dec. 7, the longest this season for a team that enjoyed the services of All-Pro returner Rashid Shaheed for the first nine games, before Shaheed was traded to Seattle.

But neither of Tipton's efforts finished in the end zone, and the speedster heard about it from his teammates.

"I'm going to keep hearing it until I do," he said jokingly, before pivoting to the positive. "The big returns all are just everybody working together. It takes everybody to spring the holes and work the returns that we have, so I'm just proud that we're putting it all together."

New Orleans, 5-10 entering Sunday's game against the Titans (3-12) in Nashville, was counting on that when it traded Shaheed, who had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown the same day Tipton posted his 54-yard return against the Buccaneers.

"We work it out each week, kind of know which guys to target, which side to run to," Tipton said. "And it's a testament to (special teams coordinator) Phil (Galiano), it's a testament to the guys putting on the right look and working it on game day. For me, it's really just read, see the hole, hit it with speed and make it happen. That's what I'm trying to do and get better at each week."

After Shaheed joined the Saints as an undrafted rookie in 2022, he had punt returns of 42, 76 (touchdown), 54 (touchdown) and 40 yards, and kick returns of 31 and 38 yards in 42 games as he gradually elevated to New Orleans' No. 2 receiver behind Chris Olave.

Tipton, also an undrafted rookie (in 2024), hasn't yet been a similar threat in the passing game (11 catches, 76 yards). But his kick return skills have sharpened with on-the-job training.

"I was a punt returner in high school, did a little bit of punt return in college, but never a kick returner," Tipton said. "The amount of kick returns I have in the NFL is the most I have at any stage of football that I've played. But the way I've looked at it is like, I can get the ball in my hands, I've got speed, I've got space and with that, I can make plays.

"I just look forward to getting better at that and kind of mastering that. I'm a wideout at heart, that's what I've always done, made plays as a wideout. But being a kick returner is an opportunity for me to help the team and help improve field position and create explosive plays, so that's kind of how I'm looking at it."

Galiano said he was surprised Tipton didn't return kickoffs in college.

"Since Day One when he got here, (he understood) that a smaller slot receiver has to have some sort of impact on special teams, and his route was going to be us trying to develop him into a punt returner and a kick returner," Galiano said. "It's a lot easier to catch the kick returns than it is the punt returns, and he still works every week with us getting catches as a punt returner. But it started with him on the 'look' team.

"I try to put those guys in positions that if they're going to play for us, they're going to be in similar spots. He was back there as a kick returner and he did a good job. He really worked and studied, and we put together a couple of cut-ups of some returners of similar returns that we're doing, of how they set it up, and he's been studying. It has really become important to him.

"He has worked so hard at becoming better. And not the actual catching of the kick return, but of actually setting up the blockers, being able to feel the hole and wind it back or keep it front side where he needs to. He has really worked on it from a practice standpoint, from a film study standpoint, and he's doing a good job. I'm proud of him."

In part, Tipton's growth as a kick returner has come from watching and learning from Shaheed.

"Kind of seeing what 'Shid could do, taking what he did and applying some of his things to what I can do, being able to sit behind and see his example is what's helped me," Tipton said. "I got the talent and the capabilities to make these returns go, and that's kind of how I'm trying to take it every day."

But there's still a clear benchmark: "I've got to finish in the end zone. That's what we've got to graduate to. I'm getting better at it each week. I'm definitely going to keep getting better at it with more experience, more reps. Just keep becoming more dangerous. I'm pretty confident about that."

Shaheed's influence shows up most clearly in how Tipton approaches the moment a return lane opens. For Tipton, one play in particular still stands out as the blueprint. "'Shid did so many good things. I think the best thing was just that when he did hit the hole, he was hitting it full speed. He had a kick return touchdown (against Atlanta) and the one thing about that was...when 'Shid saw the hole he hit it at 1,000 mph. I think that's definitely something that I've always tried to learn from him: Just trusting the hole and seeing it and hitting it."

It took some getting used to for Tipton, who has 378 yards on 12 kickoff returns.

"I think with anything, you kind of need experience to get better at it," he said. "I think with the first couple of games, it kind of happens fast when you do it for the first time. But as the games have gone it's kind of slowed down, I've been able to see where the holes are at and just get better at setting up the returns. I just look forward to keep growing at it and getting better at it."