The New Orleans Saints' injury list continues to grow as the preseason winds down. Cornerback Rejzohn Wright is headed to injured reserve and will undergo season-ending surgery, according to head coach Kellen Moore — ending his bid for a spot on the Saints' 53-man roster. It's an unfortunate setback for Wright, who was competing for a reserve role in the secondary and looking to carve out a spot on special teams. The Saints had seen enough upside in the young defensive back to keep him in the mix through training camp, but his season now ends before it even began.
He's far from the only Saints player dealing with an injury right now. Moore said Monday that rookie defensive back Lorenzo Styles Jr. will miss time with a calf injury, while tight end Moliki Matavao and running back Ty Chandler are both dealing with knee injuries. Moore said the Saints were still gathering information on Chandler's injury and didn't have a firm timetable, though he's expected to miss extended time. Rookie tight end Oscar Delp is working through a hamstring injury, while second-year running back Devin Neal is also managing a hamstring issue.
Moore confirmed that Neal aggravated the same hamstring he had already been working back from. The sheer number of unavailable players is difficult to ignore... nearly two dozen Saints players either missed Monday's walkthrough or worked off to ther side after a physical 10-day stretch that included two preseason games and three joint practices. Moore noted different circumstances among the group of 20+, with some players working through maintenance programs and others dealing with legitimate injuries.
With one preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys remaining on Friday, the Saints need to focus on evaluating the back of their roster and getting a banged-up team back healthy before the regular season begins. Moore and the rest of the staff must balance that work. This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints lose promising cornerback to season-ending injury
