The Detroit Lions are about to open the 2026 season at Ford Field on Sunday, Sept. 13, and the New Orleans Saints may not arrive at full strength.
New Orleans is already dealing with a pile of injuries from training camp, and head coach Kellen Moore is managing several players who are sidelined. Three Saints are officially out: linebacker Jaylan Ford, wide receiver Jordyn Tyson and safety Lorenzo Styles.
All three are on injured reserve, and Ford and Tyson were placed there on roster cut down day with designations to return. Styles was put on injured reserve after cut day. The Saints expect all three to come back at some point this season, but none of them will be available for the first four games, which includes the opener against Detroit.
Tyson’s absence stands out the most. He was the No. 8 overall pick in this year’s draft and was expected to be a major piece for the Saints right away.
The injury picture gets even bigger when you look at the veterans who could also be missing. Alvin Kamara and Cameron Jordan are both dealing with ailments, leaving two of the franchise’s most familiar names in question for Week 1.
Kamara is working through a knee injury, while Jordan is dealing with a hamstring issue. If Kamara sits out Sunday, that would be a significant setback for New Orleans. He is entering his 10th NFL season, all with the Saints, and has more than 7,000 rushing yards in his career.
Jordan’s situation carries its own weight. He decided to return for a 16th season with the Saints after some uncertainty earlier this offseason, and he already has 132 career sacks, including 10.5 last year at age 36.
Detroit has injury concerns of its own. Backup running back Isiah Pacheco and center Cade Mays are both on injured reserve for the Lions.
In Other News...
Lions Still Have One Week 1 Roster Issue To Solve
With the regular season opener against the Saints drawing closer, the Lions are still sorting through the kind of Week 1 roster question that can shape an early game plan in subtle but important ways. The conversation around the back end of the roster has centered on whether a practice squad player like Tom Kennedy could get the call, a reminder that even in September, Detroit is still weighing depth, flexibility and how to best prepare for a New Orleans team that can stress a defense in a lot of different ways.
Chris Olave stands out as the kind of matchup that can force those decisions to matter, especially when the Lions are trying to line up the right mix of coverage and support around their secondary. The bigger picture is even more interesting because this is also the time of year when the teams long-view expectations start to come into focus, with bold projections already circling 2026 and Jahmyr Gibbs viewed as a central offensive piece. For now, though, Detroit still has one final roster call to make before the real games begin. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Face A Core Roster Decision With Long Term Consequences
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Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell and Alim McNeill are all part of the discussion, which is exactly why this matters beyond simply getting under the number. A restructuring can open the necessary room now, but it also pushes financial obligations deeper into the future, so the Lions are weighing immediate flexibility against the long-term cost of tying more of their cap to the same core. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Still Have 3 Starting Battles That Could Test Early Stability
Detroits roster may look settled in a lot of places, but there are still a few jobs that can shape how stable the defense and line feel once the season gets rolling. The biggest one on offense is left guard, where Christian Mahogany is the expected starter but still has to hold off Ben Bartch and Miles Frazier. Across the roster, the Lions are also sorting out how they want to distribute snaps at nickelback and which corner will handle the outside spot opposite the rest of the secondary.
That makes this one of those early camp questions that can look minor on paper and matter a great deal once the games start. Keith Abney II and Roger McCreary are expected to split work at nickelback, while Rock Ya-Sin is the likely outside cornerback, but he is not running unchallenged with Khalil Dorsey and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. also in the mix. For a team trying to keep its depth chart clean and dependable, these are the kinds of battles that can either reinforce the plan or force a rethink before the Lions settle into the 2026 season. [Read more 🡒]