The New Orleans Saints are wrapping up their final preparations before meeting for their 2019 training camp, with rookies expected to report on Thursday. Veterans will join them a week later.
However, not all players will start off on equal footing. Some of them were slowed down by injuries earlier in the summer and their conditions could continue to linger. Others are on a longer, more-established time table after undergoing offseason surgery. Whatever the case, these seven Saints players will likely be nursing some sort of ailment when the team kicks off training camp.
Sheldon Rankins
There haven’t been any reported setbacks since Rankins tore his Achilles tendon in the playoffs, so he’s on track to return in mid-October after a successful rehab and a few weeks of practice. We should get some kind of an update once training camp begins, but it’s unlikely he’ll be ready for the season-opener.
Cameron Meredith
The Saints knew Meredith would need time to recover from his catastrophic 2017 knee injury, but it was a surprise to see him go on injured reserve early last year. Constant knee swelling required an arthroscopic procedure which put him on the shelf, and the team cautiously held him out of practices earlier this summer.
Larry Warford
Warford managed a knee injury throughout the 2018 season, but a back condition in a November blowout win. The Saints haven’t said which of those ailments kept him from suiting up for organized team activities and minicamps, but it’s easy to connect the dots and suggest that they were practicing an abundance of caution. Warford didn’t miss any time in the playoffs so he’s probably going to be fine in training camp, but stay tuned.
Marcus Davenport
The Saints eased Davenport into action during minicamps, and he finished the final practice sessions on the starting unit. He’s been putting in work this offseason, often practicing at the team facility or meeting up with mentors like Cameron Jordan and Von Miller, so he’s obviously enjoying good health. Still, he did undergo toe surgery less than six months ago, so the Saints may tap the brakes a little once they meet for camp.
Simmie Cobbs Jr.
Cobbs never got a fair shake, joining the Saints late in the year off of Washington’s practice squad. He was sent to injured reserve just a few weeks later with a knee injury, but no details on his condition or possible surgery have been reported. He was active in early-summer practices and made a few impact plays by taking off after the catch, so there shouldn’t be any questions about his mobility moving forward.
Patrick Robinson
An ugly early-season ankle injury cut Robinson’s return to New Orleans short, but he’s had ample time to recover and prepare for his next at-bat. The Saints have a number of talented slot defenders lined up behind him — including the guy who replaced him in P.J. Williams, and a highly-hyped rookie in Chauncey Gardner-Johnson — so the pressure will be on Robinson to perform. Hopefully he bounces back from his injury to play like the high-level starter the Saints expected him to be..
Terrell Williams Jr.
This is an interesting case. Originally picked out of Houston Cougars program by the San Francisco 49ers, Williams was carted off with a hyperextended knee and bone bruise during training camp last year but was evidently in good enough shape to leave the team’s injured reserve list with an injury settlement. He later rejoined their practice squad, but was waived after the 2019 NFL Draft. If he’s fully-recovered from his knee injury, he offers intriguing upside as a big (6-foot-4, 212 pounds), fast (4.56-second 40-yard dash) safety.
