Rookie safety Jordan Howden (illness) misses practice on first Saints-Bucs injury report

Rookie safety Jordan Howden missed practice with an illness on Wednesday. More from the first Saints-Bucs injury report:

Three players did not practice on Wednesday, per the first New Orleans Saints injury report ahead of Week 17’s pivotal game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The most important absence was right tackle Ryan Ramczyk (knee), who has missed some time dealing with a recurring knee injury. But he’s not the only player not at practice.

Two safeties were unavailable Wednesday — rookie standout Jordan Howden (illness) and veteran backup Lonnie Johnson Jr. (knee). Johnson is expected to miss more time recovering from a recent injury but Howden could return later this week while dealing with an undisclosed illness. It’s worth monitoring their progress closely with Marcus Maye still on injured reserve.

Here’s the initial injury report from both teams to start the week:

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