The Saints are heading into Week 1 with a mixed injury picture, and the list is long enough to reshape parts of the roster before they even line up against the Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13.
New Orleans will be without several players for the full 2026 season after placing them on injured reserve before final cutdowns. That group includes CB Dalys Beanum (undisclosed), DT Bryan Bresee (knee), RB Ty Chandler (knee), EDGE Mike Heldman (undisclosed), CB David Long Jr (undisclosed), TE Moliki Matavao (knee), RB Devin Neal (hamstring), G Dillon Radunz (knee), OT Barry Wesley (undisclosed), and CB Rezjohn Wright (hip).
Bresee is the biggest loss of the bunch. He was the Saints’ best down lineman, and his absence leaves a real hole up front.
Chandler had flashed early and was pushing for work as a backup running back and kick returner, while Neal had shown enough as a rookie in 2025 to look like the likely fourth back. With Alvin Kamara already dealing with a knee injury and Kendre Miller described as fragile, that backfield takes another hit.
Radunz was expected to be the top backup at guard, so his loss only makes an already uneasy offensive line depth chart thinner. Beanum, Long, and Wright were all fighting for the last secondary spots, Matavao had shown enough to make the Saints think about keeping four tight ends, and Heldman’s undrafted rookie upside could still keep him in the mix for 2027.
There is also a short list of players headed to injured reserve with a designation to return: LB Jaylan Ford (foot/hamstring), S Lorenzo Styles Jr (calf), and WR Jordyn Tyson (hamstring). Ford was having the best camp and preseason of his three-year career, and once he’s back he could carve out real snaps at linebacker.
Styles, a rookie fifth-round pick, was doing enough to earn a role in the secondary and on special teams. Tyson is the most notable name there - the eighth overall pick in the draft, and a player whose summer has been interrupted by leg issues.
New Orleans will open the season with four active receivers and three more on the practice squad, but the hope is that Tyson eventually joins Chris Olave and fellow rookie wideouts Bryce Lance and Barion Brown. The Saints already used one of their regular-season injured reserve-return spots on Styles.
Mason Tipton is on the physically unable to perform list because of a leg/tibia injury. After offseason surgery on a broken tibia, he still hasn’t practiced. That gives the Saints some time on a roster call for a receiver who was viewed as a long shot anyway, though he does bring value as a kickoff returner and possession target.
Not everyone with an injury tag is headed for a prolonged absence. DE Cameron Jordan (hamstring), RB Alvin Kamara (knee), and CB Quincy Riley (groin) all missed time late in camp but were not given a formal injury designation when roster decisions were made. That means all three are eligible for Week 1 against Detroit, and the expectation is that they’ll be monitored on next week’s injury report.
Jordan remains the key pass rusher opposite Chase Young and has already shown he still has plenty left. Kamara may not be the starter anymore after the addition of Travis Etienne, but he’s still expected to play a major role.
Audric Estime has the trust of the staff, and Kendre Miller brings skill if healthy, but neither offers Kamara’s versatility. Riley, meanwhile, is expected to start opposite Kool-Aid McKinstry after a strong rookie season.
He had a good camp before getting sidelined, has already returned to practice, and should be ready for the Lions.
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Alvin Kamara could be facing missed time, which would make Miller even more important as New Orleans second back and a key part of the offenses contingency plan. The Saints have seen enough injury interruptions with Miller to know availability is the first question, and for a team trying to build reliable options behind Kamara, every practice absence carries a little more significance than it normally would. [Read more 🡒]
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