New Orleans Saints receive the update they were dreading to hear about their first-round pick
The New Orleans Saints finally got news on rookie wide receiver Jordan Tyson, and it’s certainly not the news they were hoping for. Tyson is expected to miss the next two months with his hamstring inury.
The New Orleans Saints finally got news on rookie wide receiver Jordan Tyson, and it’s certainly not the news they were hoping for.
Per NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo, Tyson is expected to miss roughly two months with a hamstring injury first identified last week before the preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Rapoport also reports that Tyson could start the season on injured reserve, which would keep him out of the first four games of the year.
With the season about four weeks away, this timeline means Tyson will miss a handful of games to start his NFL career. New Orleans, however, was prepared to deal with durability concerns even before selecting him with the No. 8 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Jordyn Tyson’s injury history now bleeds into his NFL career
Tyson was a clear top-tier talent in this year’s draft class. The only reason he wasn’t consistently mocked inside the top 10 for most of the pre-draft process was because of injury concerns. The 22-year-old missed 34% of Arizona State’s games over the last four years due to various injuries, including a hamstring issue that sidelined him for part of last year. He finished the 2025 season with 61 receptions for 711 yards and eight touchdowns in nine games for ASU.
Coach Kellen Moore clarified last week that this injury is different from any of the previous ones he’s dealt with. That’s a helpful piece of context, but it’s still notable for a player with a history of soft-tissue issues to incur a new one leading up to his first NFL season.
What it means for the Saints offense
The good news for New Orleans is that a full month remains before the regular season begins, so roughly half of Tyson’s expected recovery window won’t interfere with meaningful games. He is very likely to miss the first handful of contests, though, and the Saints’ offense will have to adjust without him.
Tyson was expected to be a starter alongside wide receiver Chris Olave and give second-year quarterback Tyler Shough a huge boost for what is hopefully a breakout season. Based on how impressive he looked during training camp, it appeared he was going to hit the ground running as a rookie. Now it comes down to making sure he’s 100% healthy as quickly as possible.
I do expect New Orleans to eventually place Tyson on IR when the season begins and use the added roster spot accordingly until he returns, probably sometime in October.
