Saints Injury Report: New Orleans Is Banged Up, but Thursday Brought Some Much-Needed Good News

The New Orleans Saints don't exactly have the luxury of easing into Week 5.

Coming off a rough 45-24 Monday night loss to the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans now has to turn around on a short week and prepare for the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Oct. 11, inside Caesars Superdome. And if the loss to Atlanta wasn't enough to worry about, the Saints' injury report has become almost as important as the game plan.

As of Thursday, Oct. 8, the Saints had 14 players listed on their injury report, including several starters and major contributors on both sides of the football.

But Thursday wasn't completely filled with bad news.

Quarterback Tyler Shough returned to full participation, while Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave and Barion Brown all returned to practice on a limited basis. Those developments give New Orleans some reason for optimism heading toward Friday's final injury report.

Let's start with probably the biggest sigh of relief.

Shough was limited Wednesday because of a left-hand injury suffered during Monday night's loss to Atlanta, but he returned as a full participant Thursday. The injury is to his non-throwing hand, and Shough has indicated he expects to play Sunday.

That's significant.

The Saints are already trying to recover from a 1-3 start. The last thing this offense needs is uncertainty at quarterback.

Shough has thrown for 1,203 yards with nine touchdowns and three interceptions through four games while completing 121 of 180 passes. His development remains one of the biggest storylines surrounding this team, and having him available against Minnesota gives New Orleans some stability during an otherwise unstable week.

Now the Saints need to protect him better.

Shough absorbed multiple hits against Atlanta and was sacked twice. With the team coming off a Monday night game, those hits don't magically disappear by Sunday afternoon.

Alvin Kamara's status deserves just as much attention.

Kamara did not participate Wednesday because of a back injury, but he was upgraded to limited participation Thursday.

That's movement in the right direction.

New Orleans needs Kamara because his importance goes far beyond rushing attempts. He's still one of the Saints' best matchup weapons and can give Shough an easy option when Minnesota brings pressure.

Against an aggressive Vikings defense, having Kamara available underneath could become extremely important.

But the Saints also have to be smart here.

There's a difference between Kamara being healthy enough to play and healthy enough to handle a heavy workload. If he's active Sunday, New Orleans shouldn't automatically assume that means giving him 20-plus touches.

This is where offensive creativity matters.

Get him into space. Use screens. Move him around the formation. Let him create mismatches without repeatedly asking him to run directly into traffic.

Chris Olave's situation might be the most concerning offensive development. Olave sat out Wednesday for rest, but Thursday's report added a foot injury as he returned on a limited basis.

That's something worth monitoring closely Friday.

Olave is too important to this offense for New Orleans to casually brush off any lower-body injury. His ability to separate, accelerate and change direction is a huge part of what makes him dangerous.

If his foot limits any of those things, it changes the Saints' passing attack.

And after Monday night's loss, New Orleans needs explosive plays, not another game where the offense has to consistently manufacture long drives without mistakes.

Barion Brown also provided some positive news after missing Wednesday's practice with a thigh injury. Brown returned Thursday on a limited basis.

Getting both receivers closer to full strength would give Shough more options against Minnesota.

This is the portion of the injury report Saints fans should probably watch the closest.

Linebacker Kaden Elliss remained out with a calf injury, while edge rusher Anfernee Jennings remained sidelined with a knee injury.

Carl Granderson was limited again because of an ankle injury. Davon Godchaux, meanwhile, did not participate Thursday with a groin injury/rest designation after being a full participant Wednesday. That's a lot of uncertainty around the front seven. Against Minnesota, that's dangerous.

The Saints can't afford to enter Sunday without the ability to consistently pressure the quarterback or control the line of scrimmage. If New Orleans has to compensate for missing pass rushers by sending additional blitzers, that potentially creates opportunities for Minnesota downfield.

That's exactly the kind of situation the Saints need to avoid.

Not everything on Thursday's report should cause Saints fans to panic.

Safety Mike Reid improved from limited Wednesday to full participation Thursday, while Jaylan Ford and Lorenzo Styles Jr. practiced fully for the second consecutive day. Ford and Styles have returned to practice but remain on injured reserve for now.

Julian Blackmon remained limited with a shoulder injury. Those developments could become important because New Orleans needs as many healthy defensive bodies as possible after Monday night's physical matchup.

There was also one new addition to Thursday's report: guard Jeremiah Wright was limited with a concussion.

That's another situation worth monitoring because protecting Shough has to be one of New Orleans' biggest priorities this week.

Fourteen names on an injury report sounds ugly, because it is.

But the number doesn't tell the entire story. Thursday actually provided the Saints with several encouraging developments. Shough went from limited to full participation. Kamara returned to practice. Brown returned. Olave practiced despite the newly listed foot issue. Reid also moved to full participation.

That's progress.

The bigger concern is the collection of injuries along the defensive front. Elliss and Jennings haven't practiced through Thursday, Granderson remains limited, and Godchaux missed Thursday's session. That's not exactly how you want to enter a matchup with Minnesota.

At 1-3, the Saints don't have much room for another disappointing Sunday. They need Shough. They need Kamara. They definitely need Olave. But more than anything, they need enough healthy bodies on defense to keep Minnesota from controlling the game.

Friday's final injury report will tell us much more. For now, New Orleans looks bruised, battered and operating on a short week, but Thursday at least gave Saints fans a few reasons to believe some reinforcements will be ready when Minnesota walks into the Superdome.