The New Orleans Saints could look almost unrecognizable in the coming weeks.
The Saints will presumably get key starters back on both sides of the ball (plus special teams). Wide receiver Michael Thomas will be eligible to start practicing again next week after starting the season on the physically unable to perform list with an ankle injury. Defensive tackle David Onyemata can return from his league suspension in the days following the Saints’ game against the Seahawks on Monday.
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At some point, defensive end Marcus Davenport, left tackle Terron Armstead, center Erik McCoy, wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith, cornerback Ken Crawley, tight end Nick Vannett, kicker Wil Lutz and linebacker Kwon Alexander, among others, might be able to join the lineup again.
Saints coach Sean Payton said a few weeks ago that the way he viewed the team at the time wouldn’t be the way he viewed it a few weeks, indicating that after the bye week, lineups would start to change.
“I see a lot of players coming back at some point and slowly being integrated back into the lineup,” Payton said. “In the meantime, the guys that are currently playing, we’re counting on (them) to play well.”
What do the returning players mean for the Saints? At some positions, such as the offensive and defensive lines, it could make a world of difference.
At others, like cornerback and maybe even linebacker, the returning players might not get their spots back due to the emergence of other players.
“We got some very big pieces supposed to be coming back after the bye and so certainly excited about that,” said linebacker Demario Davis. “It makes our team better, and when we come back, we just got to pick back up and get rolling and get ready for a very good Seattle team.”
The biggest impact is likely to come on offense, where getting certain options back could open up the offense. Most eyes are going to be on Thomas due to the impact he once had, and though quarterback Jameis Winston has praised the current receiver corps, he had to acknowledge that Thomas was a big piece.
“We’ve had guys that have stepped up in an amazing way,” Winston said. “Obviously defenses, they have to plan for our starting players. When you add
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“As a defensive coach, you’re going to be playing what you see, and that’s why they are playing to stop Alvin (Kamara) in the past few games.”
Here’s a breakdown of the key injured players and what their returns could look like after the bye:
WR Michael Thomas (ankle)
Thomas has been on the PUP list since the start of training camp, required by NFL rules to sit out the first six weeks of the season. The Saints now have a five-week window to decide whether Thomas can return to practice. Once Thomas returns to practice, that begins a three-week window in which the Saints must decide to place him on the active roster or on season-ending injured reserve.
Thomas has been allowed to be around the team while on the PUP list, and he has shed the walking boot he initially wore after his ankle surgery in June. But it would be hard to imagine he returns and is sharp enough to play against the Seahawks with just a few days of practice, as Thomas has seen no game action or extensive practice time since January. Expect a return to practicing to be the next step rather than the final step.
Fully understanding Thomas’ ankle injury means going all the way back to Sept. 13, 2020, the last time anyone saw a fully healthy Thomas on the field. Thomas came into the Saints’ season opener last season fresh off a record-setting 2019 campaign, but he sprained his left ankle with less than two minutes left in a win over the Bucs when teammate Latavius Murray landed on it. The ankle planted awkwardly into the turf, and Thomas limped off and hasn’t been the same since.
Thomas missed the next five games due to a combination of the ankle injury, a hamstring issue that popped up and a benching for punching teammate C.J. Gardner-Johnson at practice. He returned for six games, was placed on IR presumably to allow the ankle to heal, then came back for the 2020 playoff run.
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The Saints and Thomas had a public clash over the summer about the treatment options for his ankle and his decision to not have surgery until June, but the two sides have played nice the past few months, which is timely considering the team will need him.
LB Kwon Alexander (elbow)
Alexander’s road has been up and down since last Christmas, when he tore an Achilles tendon. After re-signing with the Saints, he declared himself 100 percent healed during a media session on Aug. 6.
Alexander was healthy enough to play 34 snaps against the Packers in the season opener and was still in the game in the fourth quarter, so it’s hard to know exactly how he got hurt. But he did not practice the following week and was listed with an elbow injury before going on injured reserve Sept. 17. He has been seen around the team lately on the sideline and during pregame warmups with a brace on his elbow.
Editor’s note: Alexander was designated to return from injured reserve on Tuesday.
A few weeks ago, it seemed like Alexander would immediately take his spot back when he returned, especially with Zack Baun struggling. But with rookie Pete Werner now in the lineup and playing well, it’s not a foregone conclusion that he gets back his starting role, especially if the Saints have concerns about his ability to stay healthy. Alexander will get playing time when he returns, but it might make more sense for the team to see what it has long term with its second-round pick.
CB Ken Crawley (hamstring)
Crawley went from presumed starter after Patrick Robinson retired unexpectedly during camp to someone who might not see the field much when he comes back. Crawley has yet to play this season after a hamstring injury landed him on IR on Sept. 10.
The Saints have done surprisingly well without him thanks to the emergence of rookie Paulson Adebo and a backup option in Bradley Roby, who was acquired in a trade the week Crawley was injured. Adebo or Roby will end up with the majority of the playing time opposite Marshon Lattimore. The Saints made it clear they felt good about the cornerback position by releasing Desmond Trufant, so for now, don’t expect to see much of Crawley unless there’s an injury.
Assessing each Saints position group: Cornerbacks better than expected, WRs, OL needs work https://t.co/OUluZxRVd0
— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) October 14, 2021
It will be interesting to see who will go to make room for Crawley, as the Saints don’t have an abundance of defensive backs and they all play some sort of role right now, even if it’s mostly on special teams, such as J.T. Gray and Jeff Heath. There’s a possibility Crawley could be headed for the practice squad if he does return.
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WR Tre’Quan Smith (hamstring)
Smith’s injury issues first popped up when he left practice early on Aug. 3, and he has been in and out since. Smith came back to watch practice from the sideline on Aug. 11 and was practicing again on Aug. 17, but it was a brief comeback. There seemed to be optimism for a return for the opener after he participated in the first practice of Week 1, but he was out of practice again the next day.
All Smith’s attempts to test out his hamstring didn’t appear to work and he was placed on IR on Sept. 10. In a video taken on the sideline of the Saints’ game against the Giants on Oct. 3, Smith said he needed only two more weeks, which would put him on track to at least begin practicing this week. Editor’s note: Smith was designated to return from injured reserve on Tuesday.
Considering how little Smith has participated since July, it would be a surprise to see him play immediately after such extensive time off.
Tre’Quan Smith says he’ll be back in two weeks. Video by @RealSuperNola pic.twitter.com/aBEzsjWxrB
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) October 4, 2021
Having Smith back would certainly help in the running game — he’s a good blocker — and it would give the Saints more options in the passing game, but it won’t be a quick fix. Smith played in 15 games as a rookie in 2018 but hasn’t played anything close to a full season since, and he hasn’t been a consistent option. He has had only two 100-yard receiving games, and both of those were in 2018. Smith needed to have a big season before the injury, and now he must overcome the injury and acclimate to a new quarterback.
The positive news is that Winston and Smith spent a lot of time in the offseason developing a connection and had some nice plays together in practice. He also had two touchdowns against the Buccaneers in the playoffs, including one that went for an impressive 56 yards from Winston. The two have spent more time together on the field than Winston and Thomas, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Smith become a favorite target of Winston’s in quick fashion.
Touchdown #NFLBrasil pic.twitter.com/8FGwVhcQKi
— NFL Brasil (@NFLBrasil) November 9, 2020
TE Nick Vannett (knee)
Vannett played only eight snaps in the Saints’ preseason game on Aug. 23 before injuring his knee, and he was placed on IR on Sept. 6. He was initially expected to miss two to four weeks and was seen on the adjacent field rehabbing with a brace on while the Saints practiced at TCU in August.
It would be a surprise not to see Vannett returning after two months out, especially if quarterback Taysom Hill, who does a lot of work with the tight ends, misses time after suffering a concussion against Washington last week.
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Vannett was signed in the wake of the offseason exodus of tight ends. He was brought in as more of a blocking tight end after the departures of Jared Cook and Josh Hill, although he can catch passes as well.
Tight end Adam Trautman hasn’t taken the huge step forward some thought he might in Year 2, so it will be interesting to see if Vannett’s return could help that, especially as former receiver Juwan Johnson continues to learn the position. Vannett won’t come in and make a huge difference as a receiving option, but his presence can’t hurt.
K Wil Lutz (core muscle/sports hernia)
There’s positive news for the Saints kicker, as he was returned from injured reserve Monday and was back at practice, meaning the Saints now have a 21-day window to activate him to the 53-man roster.
Lutz has been out since having core muscle surgery (for a sports hernia) on Aug. 10 and has been on IR since Sept. 6. During that time, the Saints signed kickers Brett Maher (placed on IR), Aldrick Rosas (released), Cody Parkey (placed on IR) and Brian Johnson (currently on the active roster).
Because the Saints signed Johnson off the Bears’ practice squad, they are required to pay him for three weeks and count him against the 53-man active roster (the bye counts as one week), even if he is cut. If Lutz returns in two weeks, the Saints won’t have to have two kickers on the active roster at the same time.
Lutz entered training camp on the non-football injury list with a groin issue, and it wasn’t initially considered to be a long-term issue. But things changed when he left practice early on Aug 8. The initial timeline was eight to 12 weeks, so a return in two weeks would be on the long end of that range.
DE Marcus Davenport (shoulder)
It looked like Marcus Davenport’s impressive training camp was going to carry into the regular season after he had a sack and two tackles for loss in the season opener against the Packers, but any hopes for a monster season dissolved quickly after Davenport left the following (Week 2) game and went on IR.
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Davenport has never played a full season due to toe, foot and elbow injuries over the years. His best season came in 2019, when he started 13 games. Availability has been a problem throughout his career, but the Saints clearly need him. Their pass rush ranks among the worst in the league right now (tied for 30th with eight sacks).
The Saints defense is REALLY well-coached. Watch #92 Marcus Davenport up top, he knows the TE is gonna take 85 to the flat on PA, but in case it's a run he seals off the gap to negate the cutback, then reads out the PA and flies upfield outside-in so Rodgers can't scramble pic.twitter.com/IEkuhcCfys
— Alex Rollins (@AlexRollinsNFL) September 13, 2021
Outside of Cam Jordan, Carl Granderson has played the most at defensive end, followed by Tanoh Kpassagnon and Payton Turner, although Kpassagnon has started three games. It’s likely that Davenport would take back the starting role next to Jordan if he’s able to return soon (editor’s note: Davenport was designated to return from injured reserve on Tuesday), and then Kpassagnon, Turner and Granderson would rotate in. There will also be a change in the middle eventually, as Onyemata will take back his starting role at defensive tackle when he returns.
Center Erik McCoy (calf)
McCoy left the season opener with a calf strain and the most pessimistic report said he’d be out until the bye, so it’s interesting that the Saints never put him on injured reserve. If McCoy returns this week, the most likely option would be that he regains his starting spot from Cesar Ruiz, who could return to right guard and push Calvin Throckmorton back to reserve status. McCoy has been excellent at center, so getting him back would be a huge boost to the offensive line.
T Terron Armstead (elbow)
Armstead left the Saints’ Week 3 game against the Patriots with an elbow injury and has not practiced since, and while it should be taken as a positive sign that he didn’t go on IR, neither did McCoy, who has been out longer than three weeks.
Armstead was expected to miss “several weeks” with the elbow injury, and were he to resume practice this week, it would be after only about three weeks of being out. James Hurst has done a good job filling in for him, but Armstead would undoubtedly take back his spot whenever he returns.
WR Deonte Harris (hamstring)
Harris played only two snaps against Washington and left at some point with a hamstring issue. Harris stayed in New Orleans during the bye week, likely to receive treatment for the injury. Harris has dealt with hamstring issues before, which has caused him to miss time in previous training camps.
Jameis Winston redemption, a 72-yard touchdown to Deonte Harris.
Looks like Washington was attempting a disguise and it came back to bite them with Landon Collins out of position.
(NFL Next Gen Stats) pic.twitter.com/IFMEm7SSbr
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) October 10, 2021
Any amount of time without Harris would be a big issue for the Saints, as he is their leader in receiving yards and has two touchdown catches. Aside from his All-Pro talent on kick returns, he also brings a deep-threat element and speed that can’t be replicated, with wide receiver Kenny Stills probably coming the closest.
Quarterback Taysom Hill (concussion)
Hill left the Washington game on a cart after a scary hit from Washington cornerback William Jackson III and was ruled out with a concussion. His status for the next game is unclear.
(Photo of Kwon Alexander: Kyle Ross / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)