New Orleans Saints fans received a shock on Monday afternoon with news breaking that wide receiver Jordyn Tyson could miss two months recovering from his latest hamstring injury. It's a small solace that this issue isn't related to Tyson's previous hamstring injuries -- anyone would've been hurt by falling awkwardly after losing their footing and getting shoved from behind at practice -- but his history of them turns a coincidence into part of a pattern. Now the Saints must choose whether or not to put Tyson on injured reserve to start their 2026 season. It's a tough break for the team's rookie first-round draft pick. Injured reserve rules are much simpler than they used to be. If a team waits to place a player on IR until after the league roster cuts deadline (this year falling on Sunday, Aug. 30 at 5 p.m. CT), they can be designated to return after sitting out at least four games. There's no need to keep Tyson on the 53-man roster for a day before making that decision or some convoluted "six weeks on IR, plus two more practicing" process they can be reactivated. Teams get eight of these return designations each season (ten if they make the playoffs), so using one on Tyson would bring them down to seven for the next 17 weeks. So the question is whether or not the Saints believe Tyson will be ready to play by Week 3's home opener with the Las Vegas Raiders. That game falls on Sept. 27, and lines up with a report from NewOrleans.Football's Nick Underhill that he could be sidelined "possibly deep into September." Ideally, Tyson would rest up, avoid IR, and be on the field for that Week 3 game with the Raiders. If he does land on the reserve list he'll be out of action until after Week 4's prime-time feature with the Atlanta Falcons -- at least. If it's more of a two-month timetable, the soonest Tyson could be ready to return is Week 6's road game with the New York Giants on Oct. 18. They'll fly to Paris immediately afterwards for the first NFL International Series game in France. Either way, we know the Saints won't have their first-round pick in the lineup for the two toughest games on their schedule: Weeks 1 and 2 against the Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens, respectively, both on the road. These are two playoff-seasoned teams with talented depth charts and coaches with something to prove. It's a good thing New Orleans has a few weeks to figure out their plans and how to adapt to live without Tyson, at least temporarily.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Jordyn Tyson injury: Comparing Saints' schedule, recovery timetable