Saints injury update leading up to the Week 2 preseason game against the Chargers

The New Orleans Saints have already been plagued by injuries this preseason, but the injury news has been trending up for the Saints heading into their second preseason game.

Kendre Miller, who was diagnosed with a knee sprain after the game against the Kansas City Chiefs, was already back on the field and in pads during Thursday's practice. We may not see him against the Los Angeles Chargers, but Miller should be fully healthy by the time the regular season begins.

Andrus Peat suffered a quad injury a couple weeks back, leaving the Saints with minimal offensive line depth, but Peat was spotted putting on pads prior to the Saints joint practice with the Chargers. If Peat can be healthy by the time the regular season starts, the Saints will feel much better about their depth on the O-line.

Demario Davis also joined the team for the first joint practice with the Chargers on Wednesday. He’s been dealing with a calf injury since training camp, but the Saints now have their superstar linebacker healthy.

WR Rashid Shaheed was also seen at practice on Wednesday. He isn’t expected to play in the preseason game, but it’s exciting to see him with the team coming off a groin injury.

Two other players who were dressed for the first joint practice with the Chargers were Kirk Merritt and Lucas Krull. The running back and tight end are both fighting for a roster spot, and after missing the first preseason game, they are going to have to put on a show if they are made available this weekend.

Now for the bad news.

Taysom Hill left practice yesterday with a strained oblique. A strained oblique deals with a specific muscle in your abdomen, and the recovery time is anywhere from ‘a few to six weeks.’ Hopefully Hill can be 100% by week one of the regular season, but if not, he shouldn’t miss too many games early in the season.

Another Saint went down with an injury yesterday. Offensive guard Cesar Ruiz left practice with a shoulder injury. There were no specifications on what the exact injury is or how bad it’s going to be, but we can only hope Ruiz will be healthy by the regular season. He had a breakout year in 2022 and was one of the Saints best linemen, losing him for any period of time would be a huge blow.

Overall, this has been a good week for the Saints injury wise. They got several players back, and only two have suffered an injury so far, and it seems both shouldn’t be major. If everything holds up, almost everyone should have the green light for their game this weekend.

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