Tag: participation

Only 10 players missing from Saints’ voluntary OTA practice sessions

Only 10 players were missing from the New Orleans Saints’ voluntary organized team practice on Tuesday, after 17 were absent last year:

This is a good sign. The New Orleans Saints kicked off organized team activities on Tuesday, with only ten (really nine) players missing from their 89-man roster. That’s a big shift after 17 players were absent for the start of voluntary practices this time last year. 87% of the team reported for work in Sean Payton’s final year as head coach, dropping to 81% in Dennis Allen’s first year on the job. Now they’re at about 89%, depending on whether you count Demario Davis (more on him in a minute).

Having guys buying in and busy working on improvement this early is important. The Saints have posted back-to-back disappointing seasons and they need to dial in, focus, and put in the work to get this team where they want to go. Respected team leaders like Cameron Jordan and Tyrann Mathieu being at the facility working with first-year rookies means a lot.

Still, these are voluntary workouts, and a lot of guys are still out managing injuries. Others are well-established veterans who don’t really need to be around for non-contact drills in May. Some may have other commitments; Jarvis Landry was absent last year so he could accompany his 5-year-old daughter to her first day of school. Everyone will be there when mandatory practices start in June.

Here are the players who were not spotted at Saints OTAs on Tuesday, May 23:

Starting center Erik McCoy returns to the first Saints practice after their bye week

Starting center Erik McCoy returned to the first Saints practice after their bye week. Here’s a quick look at participation ahead of the Week 15 injury report:

Here’s some good news for your Wednesday. The New Orleans Saints hit the practice field with two players beginning their return from injured reserve: starting center Erik McCoy and backup linebacker Chase Hansen were both seen early in Wednesday’s practice session. McCoy has been out for most of the last month with a calf injury, while Hansen has been out of action with a knee issue.

The Saints should officially designate them both to return from injured reserve soon now that they’re participating in practice. They’ll have 21 days in which to pass a physical and practice with the team before getting the green light to join the 53-man roster and dress out for games. It’s telling that New Orleans recently waived backup center Josh Andrews, which suggests McCoy may be close to returning.

Five players were not spotted at the portion of practice open to the media: running backs Mark Ingram II and Dwayne Washington, safety P.J. Williams, linebacker Zack Baun, and defensive end Cameron Jordan. They may have returned to practice on a limited basis later on, but they weren’t participating in the opening stretch period. Ingram is likely done for the season with a knee injury; Williams, Baun, and Jordan each exited recent games with injuries of their own, though Jordan is currently appealing a $50,000 fine from the NFL after the league office accused him of faking an injury that required scans and treatment at the team facility during the bye week.

Additionally, several defenders who have missed time with injuries were on hand: cornerback Marshon Lattimore, linebacker Pete Werner, and safety J.T. Gray. Lattimore has been questionable to play in each of the last two weeks while managing kidney and rib injuries, while Werner has been recovering from ankle surgery, and Gray has been sidelined with a hamstring. Getting them back would be big for these final four weeks.

We’ll get a better idea of everyone’s participation level once the Saints release their initial injury report on Wednesday afternoon. They’re scheduled to kick off with the Atlanta Falcons at noon CT on Sunday, Dec. 18. Stay tuned for updates.

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Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar will practice full speed Wednesday

Coach Pete Carroll said Seattle Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar will practice full speed on Wednesday and is ready to go this season.

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar has had an interesting offseason, to say the least. Arrested in May on suspicion of armed robbery in Florida, the prosecution decided not to pursue charges this summer and Dunbar was finally free to join his teammates in training camp at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.

A late arrival to camp, Dunbar clearly had some catching up to do if he was going to realistically compete with Tre Flowers for the starting position. Fast forward to just last week, and Dunbar was absent from practice again – this time in order to attend a funeral.

As of Wednesday, however, Dunbar had completed the COVID testing protocol for re-entry and was present and ready to participate “full speed,” according to coach Pete Carroll.

“Well, he’s a really bright kid,” Carroll told reporters during his Zoom press conference on Wednesday before practice. “Picking up the system has been nothing for him, it’s been really easy . . . he’s missed enough days that he hasn’t got them all and you can tell a little bit.

“But because of the savvy player that he is – the experience that he has – we would be comfortable if he’s on the field playing for us.”

Dunbar and the rest of the roster return to practice Thursday and Friday before departing for Atlanta.

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