Tuesday’s New Orleans Saints practice session was a mixed bag. The team held a brief practice session after a late-night flight back home following their preseason game with the Los Angeles Chargers. We’ve got good news and bad news.
Let’s start with the positives: multiple starters who have been sidelined by injuries returned to work Tuesday, including star linebacker Demario Davis. Now the negatives. Several fan-favorite standouts from the preseason games either missed practice altogether or had to leave early with injuries of their own — including multiple groin injuries. These soft-tissue injuries have been a point of emphasis for the medical training staff in recent years, so it’s odd that the Saints are dealing with so many of them at once so late in the offseason.
Here’s the latest on each player at Tuesday’s practice session:
LB Demario Davis
Davis returned to practice after an extended absence with a calf injury; he’s on track to suit up in Week 1. Last year he was the NFL’s only every-down linebacker, but wear and tear takes a toll.
LG Andrus Peat
A quadriceps injury sidelined Peat early in training camp and he only recently returned to practice. He didn’t participate in the Chargers preseason game but he’s locked in a competition with James Hurst to keep his starting job.
RG Cesar Ruiz
Ruiz missed joint practices with the Chargers last week due to a shoulder injury. He returned to participate on Tuesday and is the unquestioned starter at right guard.
DE Niko Lalos
Dennis Allen said after practice that Lalos is “day to day” with a groin injury after his breakout performance in the Chargers preseason game (with three sacks), so we’ll see if this persists later into the week.
RB Darrel Williams
Allen said that Williams left practice with a groin injury of his own. The veteran running back has a good shot at earning the fourth roster spot at his position if he can stay healthy.
LB Ryan Connelly
Allen cautioned that Connelly will undergo further testing, but it’s feared that the veteran backup suffered a significant knee injury that threatens his season.
WR Lynn Bowden Jr.
The returns specialist was also managing a groin injury on Tuesday. He’s locked into a heated competition for one of the final roster spots at wide receiver, and he needs every opportunity he can get to shine.
S Smoke Monday
Allen said that Monday was excused from practice to attend to a personal matter.
Other absences
A large number of players were given a day off, many of whom also did not play against the Chargers on Sunday:
- TE Taysom Hill (oblique injury)
- WR Tre’Quan Smith (injury)
- WR Rashid Shaheed (groin injury)
- CB Marshon Lattimore (knee injury)
- RB Kirk Merritt (hamstring injury)
- OL Landon Young (knee injury)
- OL Calvin Throckmorton (ribs injury)
- TE Jimmy Graham (personal)
- TE Jesse James (groin injury)
