After what seemed a non-stop cycle of bad news for the Saints on the the injury front, they’re beginning to get some guys back.
After losing outside linebacker Victor Butler for the season with a torn ACL, and then seeing replacements Martez Wilson and Junior Galette go down with less severe injuries in training camp, the Saints are beginning to get some of their pass-rush potential back.
Wilson is wearing a brace on his left arm (along with a red non-contact jersey) and close to a return from his elbow injury, and Galette is doing some work on the side after his unspecified absence. Wilson said it’s hard not being back to full speed, but he’s closer than he initially feared.
“How worried was I? Oh, I was in tremendous pain,” Wilson said, via Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “I wasn’t worried, but I was just hoping that it wasn’t severe. When I got my results back, no broken bones, no serious tears to my tendons and things like that, I knew it was going to be alright.”
Wilson has missed the last two weeks, but said there’s “no doubt” he’ll be ready for the regular season opener. Galette’s not practicing yet, but there are indications he could return next week.
Getting Wilson back will be a significant step for a team that’s struggling for playmakers in Rob Ryan’s new 3-4 defense. They’ve also lost defensive end Kenyon Coleman for the year, making the transition that much tougher.