The Saints are about to lean on a brand-new face at a position that usually goes unnoticed until something goes wrong.
With Zach Wood sidelined by a calf injury, New Orleans is expected to sign Scott Daly to handle long-snapping duties, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed. Wood’s injury happened during practice this week and is expected to keep him out for the next several weeks.
Daly, 32, spent the last two seasons as the Chicago Bears’ long snapper. Before that, he had parts of three seasons with the Detroit Lions. He was one of three players the Saints worked out Thursday, along with former Saints defensive end Niko Lalos.
Wood had been the Saints’ long snapper since the start of the 2017 season and had never missed a game in his NFL career before this week. Special teams coordinator Phil Galiano said Wood went through his usual Wednesday practice routine without any trouble, then felt the calf pain near the end of the session.
“I didn’t find out until after our special teams meeting that he was hurt,” Galiano said. “I came off the practice field feeling fine because he went through the entire practice and did everything. It’s one of those unfortunate things.”
That leaves New Orleans with a very different look for Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens. Punter Ryan Wright and kicker Daniel Carlson both made their Saints debuts last week, which means all three specialists will be playing either their first or second game with the team.
“Is it the easiest thing? No, but that’s part of the NFL,” Galiano said. “All the teams deal with that.”
In Other News...
Saints Already Face A Draft Decision Fans Wont Love
With Week 1 in the books, the Saints already find themselves looking ahead to the next draft board, and the early projections are not exactly flattering for a team that still has work to do on the roster. At No. 19 overall, New Orleans is in a range where the obvious top-end talent is often gone, which makes the evaluation more complicated and the margin for error a little thinner. That is why names like Alabama EDGE Yhonzae Pierre and LSU tight end TreyDez Green are getting early attention, since both could speak directly to areas where the Saints still need help.
The biggest question remains the outside pass rush, a spot that has been a sore point and will likely shape how the front office thinks about the first round. Cam Jordans return could change the feel of that group, but it does not erase the need for more impact off the edge or close the book on how the Saints want to build around him. For now, the draft picture is only a projection, but it already hints at a decision New Orleans may not enjoy having to make when the board starts to come into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Suddenly Have A Week 1 QB Issue And A Bijan Dilemma
Tyler Shoughs first real introduction to the Saints came long before he ever took a snap, and the rookie quarterback said the draft process in New Orleans offered its own little test of how he handled the moment. He described a delayed flight and the kind of communication wrinkle that can make a long night feel even longer, while the Saints kept him in the loop as they worked through the selection process. It was the sort of behind-the-scenes detail that says plenty about how a team evaluates a quarterback before it ever gets to the film.
For New Orleans, that matters because Shough is still trying to establish himself in a room where every rep and every decision gets watched closely. The Saints have made a point of building a clear draft communication strategy, and Shoughs recollection shows how much of the evaluation can happen away from the field, in the way a player responds when plans change and the clock keeps moving. It is an early reminder that his path with the Saints is about more than just arm talent, and that the organization was looking for signs of leadership from the start. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Enter Week 2 With Tyler Shough Suddenly Under The Spotlight
The Saints left their opener with the kind of result that can sting and encourage at the same time, a narrow overtime loss to the Lions that still showed a team willing to fight through a long afternoon. Tyler Shoughs debut had its rough patches, but it also had real flashes, and the bigger takeaway for New Orleans was that the offense had enough juice to keep answering after a rocky start.
Shoughs 400-yard day has already pushed him into a brighter spotlight, especially with several media outlets nudging the Saints upward in their power rankings after seeing how competitive they were. The question now is less about whether New Orleans can be frisky and more about how quickly Shough can turn the good stretches into a more complete performance as the season moves into Week 2. [Read more 🡒]