Saints Roster: 6 injured players who could make an impact in 2022

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Andrus Peat, New Orleans Saints. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) /

5. Andrus Peat

Fans might chuckle when saying “Andrus Peat” and “impact” in the same sentence but hear me out. Peat, a former first-round pick, hasn’t exactly lived up to his draft status and fans have been more than frustrated with his lack of production over the years.

Be that as it may, NOLA inked Peat to an extension in the 2020 offseason, tying him to New Orleans through 2024. This was a bit of a perplexing move at the time considering Peat’s inability to stay healthy and very up and down production. He was a Pro Bowler from 2018-2020 though, which is noteworthy.

This year saw Peat start six games at left guard before getting injured and landing on the IR. He might not be a wizard and definitely irritates the fan base but having the starting left guard back in 2022 should help the offensive line perform better on a regular basis.

Stop laughing, I’m serious. Peat’s return in 2022 will impact the team in a mostly positive way.

4. Payton Turner

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article listing seven players the Saints could have spent their first-round pick on in the 2021 NFL Draft who could have provided more than Payton Turner. While Turner hasn’t necessarily been bad, he’s been banged up for much of the season, appearing in just five games.

While his rookie year hasn’t gone according to plan, there’s no reason to believe we won’t see improvement from Turner in 2022 and beyond. He was a stud at Houston in 2020, racking up five sacks in as many games and crept his way up the draft boards as the 2021 NFL Draft inched closer.

People feel as though NOLA reached on Turner with the No. 28 pick (and as of now, it’s perfectly fine to agree with that sentiment) and the truth is that we won’t know if this pick was a waste or not for a few more years.

After all, Marcus Davenport looked like a surefire bust after three years, but he’s turned things around. Turner could have the same kind of impact and there’s no denying that the pass-rush could really use him considering how up and down it’s been this year.