Last-minute offseason move by the Saints completely backfires in worst possible fashion during season opener vs. Cardinals
A notable loss to the defense.
Injuries early in the NFL season can be a debacle for many teams. The New Orleans Saints must try to overcome losing an experienced player for Brandon Staley’s defense nearly immediately to start their season.
The pass defense for the black and gold just took a hit with the latest update for New Orleans. Julian Blackmon, a free agent addition at safety, may miss the rest of the season.
Julian Blackmon may need season-ending surgery
According to Ian Rapoport, Blackmon is feared to have a torn labrum. The surgery necessary for that injury would end his season after just one game. Blackmon played the entire game for New Orleans against Arizona.
The veteran DB injured the same labrum last season. It was to a different part of the labrum, but he underwent surgery in January. Now, he’s set for another operation to fix this issue. Awful news.
Blackmon was brought in by the Saints to replace Tyrann Mathieu’s role as a veteran presence on the back end of the defense, alongside fellow safety Justin Reid. Both are proven players who provide plenty of upside when healthy. unfortunately for Blackmon, injuries have derailed his career in recent years. That was probably a major reason that he was still on the free agent market late in the offseason, available for the Saints to pick up after Mathieu retired.
I’m interested to see how the Saints replace him now. With limited experience in the secondary, it is possible we see Jonas Sanker slide into a starting role at safety. Sanker impressed during the preseason and earned a larger role on the team. He is already making plays on special teams, but putting him into the defensive lineup will certainly be a step up in duties.
New Orleans also rosters Jordan Howden, but he was not active in Week 1. Terrell Burgess is another depth piece that could jump onto the active roster at the position, too.
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