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It’s been a summer of frustration for Tre’Quan Smith. He spent months working out almost daily with Jameis Winston in preparation for New Orleans Saints training camp, and the fourth-year pro was popularly picked as a breakout candidate with Winston running the offense. But an injury early in camp has sidelined him, and now it’s leading to a cluster of problems for both him and New Orleans.
He first exited training camp practice on Aug. 3 with what NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill described at the time as “an apparent leg injury.” Sean Payton said a few days later that he didn’t anticipate a long absence for Smith, but the receiver didn’t return to work for two weeks. After practicing on Aug. 17, he left early the next day and hasn’t been seen since. That’s a total of 14 practice sessions and two preseason games. For what it’s worth, ESPN’s broadcast team reported that Smith is managing a hamstring injury during the Saints-Jaguars matchup.
Smith could very well return to practice tomorrow and not miss a beat until the Sept. 12 season opener against Green Bay. But that just feels too optimistic given how much time he’s spent out of action so far.
So what’s the ripple effect of his continued absence? In function, it’s meant greater opportunities for similar big-bodied receivers like Chris Hogan and Lil’Jordan Humphrey. Humphrey bounced back from a rough week of practice with a triumphant performance in the second Saints exhibition game. Hogan missed a couple practices with a minor injury and that Jaguars contest before returning. Combining Humphrey’s progress with his heavy snaps count on special teams and he feels like someone safe to make the opening-day roster.
That leaves Hogan and Smith in an odd situation. The Saints can’t put Smith on injured reserve right now and later bring him back to play this year — they must carry him on the roster until Week 1, at which point he can go on I.R. and rest up for at least three weeks before returning. If he’s unavailable and Michael Thomas is still on the mend, rostering Hogan makes sense.
Additionally, teams often release players with four years’ or more experience (“vested veterans”) before Week 1 only to re-sign them soon after as a way of saving a little salary cap space. If those vested veterans are already on the roster for Week 1, their entire salary becomes guaranteed and counts against the salary cap. Hogan only counts $850,000 against the cap right now anyway (well, at this moment he isn’t among their top-51 contracts for the offseason) thanks to the veteran’s minimum salary benefit, but that’s still some pennies the Saints could pinch and stash for a rainy day.
So here’s a possible outcome: Smith makes the initial Week 1 roster over Hogan and is then sent to injured reserve so he can continue healing up for a few weeks, returning as soon as Week 4. Hogan is re-signed at very little cost against the salary cap and continues to push Humphrey in practice every day. By the time the Saints hit their Week 6 bye, both Smith and Michael Thomas (and Deonte Harris, once his anticipated two-week suspension is announced) are back in the fold and the Saints can get to work at full strength.
On the other hand, maybe Smith is responding better to treatment than what we’ve seen from a distance. The Saints could be hoping that he’s able to suit up in Week 1 rather than miss any time on I.R. But after they underestimated how much time Michael Thomas and Marcus Davenport would miss last season, I think it’s justified to hope for a quicker return but prepare for a more sustained absence.
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