The New Orleans Saints designated wide receiver Keith Kirkwood to return from injured reserve three weeks ago, but their window to activate him will close without Kirkwood being cleared to play. Nola.com’s Amie Just reported Wednesday that Kirkwood will not be able to suit up again in 2019 after a Week 2 hamstring injury ended his season, despite optimism from Saints coach Sean Payton that the second-year pro would be able to help his team down the stretch.
“He’s doing well,” Payton said in mid-November. “He’s been moving well and running well, so we’ll keep paying attention to that and keep working with him and getting him to where he’s able to play.”
Obviously Kirkwood suffered some sort of setback in his recovery, having first hurt himself in the season-opener against the Houston Texans. He was pulled from that game after coming up lame after a hit, and aggravated his injured hamstring during pregame warmups a week later. It’s disappointing that the Saints won’t be getting any assistance from him as they push towards the playoffs.
Kirkwood clearly has some ability when healthy. He appeared in nine games as a rookie including the playoffs, going 15-of-23 for 217 yards (an average of 14.5 yards per catch), converting 12 first downs and scoring three touchdowns. It’s a shame that injuries have limited his availability early in his career, as he also missed last year’s NFC championship game with a calf problem.
The good news is that next year’s draft class looks terrific at wide receiver, and Kirkwood will have ample time to heal up between now and next summer. Fingers should be crossed in hopes that Michael Thomas can continue balancing the Saints’ world on his shoulders.
