We just can’t get only-positive New Orleans Saints news these days. The team activated nearly a dozen players from the COVID-19 reserve list on Wednesday, including their top two quarterbacks in Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian, as well as firebrand linebacker Demario Davis.
But they lost Marcus Williams, the veteran free safety who leads all defenders in snaps played this season. Williams has been a major part of New Orleans’ defensive success this season, helping the Saints limit opponents to just 36 pass completions of 20 or more yards — a number that ranks fifth-best in the NFL. For context, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Las Vegas Raiders are tied for worst in the league with 61 such gains.
Let’s hope Williams can clear protocol in time to return for Sunday’s game with the Carolina Panthers, because they’ll miss him if he can’t play.
In better news: here is the full list of Saints players returning from COVID-19 reserve on Wednesday, with those still remaining in protocol listed after. The Saints did return defensive captain Malcolm Jenkins and tight end Juwan Johnson from the COVID list on Tuesday, so these are more steps in the right direction: