The New Orleans Saints enter the game versus the Atlanta Falcons with big -time health questions on the offensive line. They aren’t alone, either. The Falcons listed just one player on their injury report for Wednesday, but it was right tackle Kaleb McGary.
McGary did not participate at all on Wednesday. Their center Drew Dalman wasn’t listed on the injury report because he’s on injured reserve. Just like New Orleans, Atlanta is in danger of being down two starting offensive linemen in Week 4.
The Saints know Erik McCoy is out for an extended amount of time. Cesar Ruiz and Landon Young also made appearances on the injury report and their future is uncertain. Young was limited with a foot injury, and a knee injury kept Ruiz out of practice altogether.
Ruiz’s importance becomes elevated due to McCoy’s absence. You can’t have two interior offensive linemen miss a game and be confident you’ll still be strong up front.
Pressure through the middle compromises everything this offense wants to do, but the same is true for Atlanta. Both teams know they’ll be without their center and could be without a starter on the right side. This game could easily come down to who gets the best health news, and who can take advantage of their opponent’s missing players.
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