Injuries are stacking up on the New Orleans Saints defensive line. Most notably, Bryan Bresee is out for the season with a torn ACL. Cam Jordan has missed some time with a hamstring injury, and Kellen Moore told reporters Tuesday that Jordan will miss all of preseason and possibly some of the regular season with the injury.
The Saints are still gathering information on Jordan's injury, so his availability is best viewed as up in the air rather than doubtful. The only thing Moore was concrete in saying was Jordan wouldn't be available for the preseason.
Jordan's only missed one game due to injury in his career, and that was due to an orbital fracture. He's been extremely durable and tough to battle through multiple injuries, but hamstring injuries are different. The Saints are going to be extremely cautious to be sure Jordan doesn't get worse by rushing back.
Saints need to hope Cam Jordan doesn't follow Chase Young's 2025 route
Chase Young was phenomenal last season when he got on the field. He didn't deal with constant injuries throughout the season, but he did have to sit out the first 5 games of the season. Young had a career year that slightly masked it, but the question of what could have been with a full season was prevalent after the season.
The last thing the Saints want is to have Jordan have the same start. Losing a top pass rusher for the first month of the season is by far the worst case scenario for both the team and Jordan.
The team is counting on Jordan to be the complement to Young. If he has to miss time, Carl Granderson is more than capable of stepping in, but the inconsistency over his career will keep full confidence out of reach.
The duo of Young and Jordan was pivotal to the success of the defense. It doesn't have to be 10 sacks a piece again, but the Saints need to be able to get after the passer. Having their two most reliable rushers available is obviously the best way to do that.
Jordan is also one of the best run defenders on the team. It's not just a sack total when it comes to him.
Jordan's coming off a bounce back season, and the last thing he needs is to start the season on the shelf for an extended period of time. The injury could easily derail his momentum. Jordan isn't going to have the time to ramp up prior to the season.
Having to get up to speed during regular season games will be something to monitor if Jordan's injury goes beyond preseason play. Everyone wants to see if Jordan can repeat last year's surprise performance. Starting the year off with a notoriously pesky injury is not the start the Saints, fans or Jordan wanted.
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