Saints: Dez Bryant gone before he got started

Reports from Saints camp are that newly acquired wide receiver Dez Bryant tore his Achilles tendon in Friday’s practice. What does this mean for the Saints?

Dez, we hardly knew ya …

On a cold, damp Friday afternoon at Saints camp, news filtered out that Dez Bryant suffered a lower leg injury in practice. It was confirmed by NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero that indeed Bryant suffered what seems to be a torn Achilles tendon. The Achilles injury was the initial diagnosis. Bryant will undergo an MRI for confirmation of that injury and would likely seek out a second opinion according to reports.

Bryant’s injury, if confirmed, would most certainly finish any opportunity to play this season. Recovery time on an Achilles injury is around 6 months. For athletes it’s usually longer due to the intensity of the stress they put on the Achilles, as well as (in the case of football) their body size and mass. When they come back it’s rare that they are 100-percent of what they had been before the injury.

Bryant worked out with the Saints on Tuesday afternoon and left Saints camp without a deal but was contacted later Tuesday with an offer. He signed on Wednesday and reported to practice on Thursday. Just over 24 hours later, his season and comeback were done.

Coupled with the move to put Cameron Meredith on IR, that leaves the Saints with only Michael Thomas, Austin Carr and Tre’Quan Smith on the active roster as wide receivers. The Saints do have Keith Kirkwood on the practice squad, and it seems almost a no brainer that he might be called up to the active roster for this week’s game for depth. The Saints also have Shane Wynn on the practice squad as a receiver, but at 5-foot-6 it’s more likely he’s on as a return specialist.

The Saints have a few options. They’d also brought in Brandon Marshall and Kamar Aiken for workouts on Tuesday. They could decide to pick up one of those guys. Also on the horizon is Brandon Coleman. Coleman was with the Saints from 2014 through this year’s training camp. He was released in camp due to injuries.

If Coleman is in playing shape, it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see the Saints reach out to him. For him there would be no learning curve as he already knows the playbook. He has familiarity with Brees as well as the rest of the team, and he knows the expectations.

For Bryant, the road to redemption gets narrower. He’s 30 years old. He’s coming off a negative situation with the Cowboys. His new life in New Orleans went down without a snap. It’s unlikely the Saints will retain him in the offseason, particularly since his injury is likely to keep him from playing until maybe midway through next season. It was hard now to find suitors, it will be even harder next fall coming off what seems to be a major injury, one that few players ever fully recover from.

For the Saints, the production doesn’t seem like it’s affected at this point, but the depth is a tremendous issue and will continue to be until they get some bodies in. If Bryant is diagnosed with the Achilles tear, he will be the fifth Saints WR to go down to injury this year.