Injuries Bringing New Faces To Saints Defense
It had to happen sooner or later just as it does for any NFL team and that is the injuries start rolling in prior and following the first preseason game.
Some notable ones suffered are Washington Redskins tight end Niles Paul who fractured/dislocated his ankle in his first preseason game.
High priced free agents like former Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas who signed a 5-year, $46 million dollar contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t immune either as Thomas fractured his middle finger at the beginning of his first preseason game.
The Minnesota Vikings were hit hard last night when they apparently lost veteran offensive lineman Phil Loadholt for the season to an Achilles injury suffered in their second preseason game.
The New Orleans Saints are feeling the bite of the injury bug lately as they saw some of their starters going down on Thursday in their preseason opener.
Aug 13, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive back Brandon Browner (39) is carted off the field after being injured in the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens in a preseason NFL football game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports
Cornerbacks Brandon Browner and Delvin Breaux were said to have “minor injuries” while linebacker Dannell Ellerbe aggravated a toe injury that he apparently has been trying to get straight since coming over to the Saints.
Also linebacker Ramon Humber was seen violently shaking his head in pain and holding his hand as he left the game following a helmet hit to that hand while in a scrum.
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Pictures circulated this weekend of an absent C.J. Spiller with his leg propped up in Florida and was later confirmed by ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Spiller had arthroscopic knee surgery on his knee.
Yesterday in a move to help shore up the depth at the linebacker spot, the Saints brought in a new face in linebacker Justin Anderson who played his collegiate ball at University of Louisiana-Lafayette and was coached by Saints assistant linebackers coach Jamie Willis.
In an observation during Sunday’s morning practice, NOLA.com’s Evan Woodbery noticed that the Saints were again working out another linebacker which Woodbery also noted that this could mean Ellerbe, Humber, or linebacker Ronald Powell who has an undisclosed injury could be headed to injured reserve.
Jun 10, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (59) and defensive tackle John Jenkins (92) during organized team activities at the New Orleans Saints Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports,
During his post-practice press conference, head coach Sean Payton announced that there would be several transactions announced later today.
An obvious one is corresponding move to release a player to make room for Anderson to keep the Saints at their 90 man roster limit.
One set of good news on the injury front is that multiple reports are pointing to linebacker Davis Tull is set to come off of the Physically Unable to Perform list today.
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Tull, who was the Saints fifth round draft pick this year, is expected to bring some pass rush abilities to the front seven after being the Southern Conference Player of the Year three times in a row(2012-2014) and being the SoCon’s all-time sack leader at 37 total.
Hopefully some of these new faces we’ll be seeing can make an impact of defense and not just be a camp body strictly for depth, as well as Tull being able to slide right in after missing so much time.
After a lackluster performance on defense against the Ravens, fans hope to see an improvement against another formidable opponent as the Saints take on the New England Patriots in their second preseason game this Saturday…..