New Orleans Saints may have to start the regular season without the eight-time Pro Bowler they’ve always been able to rely on
New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan has missed several practices with a hamstring injury, and the timeline for his return remains uncertain. Coach Kellen Moore says Jordan could miss the start of the regular season.
New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan has missed several practices with a hamstring injury, and the timeline for his return remains uncertain.
Head coach Kellen Moore addressed the situation Tuesday, telling reporters the eight-time Pro Bowler is “going to miss a little bit of time.”
The news is particularly notable given Jordan’s remarkable durability throughout his 15-year NFL career, and the likelihood that this is his final season in the league.
Moore declined to offer a definitive timeline but acknowledged the possibility of Jordan missing regular season action, saying, “it could possibly get into the season, but you never know. You need to have some patience with it, let it take its course, and we’ll collect more information as we go.”
A very rare bump in Cam Jordan’s durable career
Injuries and Cameron Jordan have rarely been associated with one another. The veteran pass rusher has appeared in 243 regular season games and has missed only one due to injury in his entire career. That absence came all the way back in 2022 when he sat out New Orleans’ Week 11 win over the Los Angeles Rams with an orbital fracture. He also missed a game in 2021 because of COVID-19.
For a player who has been durable for such a long career,, any extended absence registers as significant. Jordan’s hamstring injury forcing him to miss multiple practices already suggests this is not a minor day-to-day situation.
Every game matters for Jordan now
Jordan’s potential absence would be particularly disappointing because this very likely is his final season with the Saints and in the NFL entirely. The 37-year-old signed a one-year contract with New Orleans back in June and announced upon signing that he has one final season left in him.
With age and now a new injury working against him, Jordan’s remaining time in the league is running short. Any game he may miss is one he will not get back, and the Saints would be without one of the most decorated defenders in franchise history from their lineup. I can’t imagine that’s how Jordan wants his last season to begin.
New Orleans faces a tough early stretch
The Saints open the 2026 season on the road against the Detroit Lions, one of the NFC’s top teams. They will then face the Baltimore Ravens, Las Vegas Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons from Weeks 2 through 4. The Ravens are looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2025 campaign, and the Raiders are now led by former New Orleans OC Klint Kubiak.
The Falcons, well, they’re the Falcons. That game will always be intense. Missing Jordan for any of these contests would be a bummer.
Jordan could ultimately be back before Week 1 rolls around. For now, patience is going to be key to protect Jordan from himself at the start of his final year.
