After weeks of consistently troubling injury news, the New Orleans Saints finally look to be on the mend. At least, when it comes to a couple of key players. Slot receiver Jarvis Landry and defensive back P.J. Williams were present for the first time in several weeks during Thursday’s practice ahead of Monday night’s home game with the Baltimore Ravens.
New Orleans has piled up injuries at receiver this season with both Landry and Michael Thomas having been out since Week 3 (Landry played a limited role in Week 4, but has been inactive since then). Wideout and return specialist Deonte Harty has also missed time since sustaining an injury against the Cincinnati Bengals. But now, some good news at the position with Landry back at practice. There will be more information to share later once the injury report is released in terms of his participation designation, but still a positive to see him back.
It’s worth mentioning that Landry did make an appearance for the first two days of practice ahead of the Saints’ Week 5 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks. Ultimately, he did not end up playing that week. One can safely assume there was a setback there. So even if he does pop up as limited to start this week, tracking him throughout remaining practices will shed more light on his potential return to the field.
Williams is now eligible to return from injured reserve after being out for the minimum four weeks. This signals the opening of his 21-day practice window, meaning he could potentially be back on the field as early as Monday. If he cannot get back to the active roster during this window, he will revert back to injured reserve for the remainder of the season. Ideally though, he will be back sooner than later.
New Orleans also saw tight end Adam Trautman back on the field Thursday. He participated at a limited capacity in their final practice ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders last week, but was inactive for the game. Carrying that progress over to this week should come with some optimism for the Saints pass-catcher.
Getting Landry, Williams and Trautman back would be a big boost for both sides of the ball.. While the Saints still have some key players that they’d love to have back, such as Thomas and star cornerback Marshon Lattimore, any display of upward trends regarding health will be welcomed. The injury report will provide more clarity, but for now, signs are finally pointing in the right direction.