Saints fans are convinced the season is over after reports of a Taliese Fuaga injury

New Orleans Saints fans aren’t entering the 2024 offseason with much optimism. With the way things have looked for the franchise in recent years, it’s understandable why the expectation for the team is a mediocre season at best. Unfortunately, those already pessimistic thoughts recently took another hit.

On Thursday, rookie offensive lineman Taliese Fuaga left practice with a back injury. The severity of the injury wasn’t reported. The only comment head coach Dennis Allen made about Fuaga’s health is that he’ll play on Sunday if he’s healthy, but he doesn’t know exactly where his health is after the back issue.

Taliese Fuaga leaves Saints practice with a back injury

Naturally, this sent New Orleans fans into a panic, with many of them ready to end the season before it even began. While that may seem dramatic, it’s somewhat of a justified reaction. If Fuaga has to miss any regular-season time, the year might as well be over for the Saints.

Even with a healthy Fuaga, who has been extremely promising in his short time with the team, New Orleans’ offensive line is a major question mark. In the first preseason game, right tackle Trevor Penning had an alarming performance, and the depth options left a lot to be desired as well. If New Orleans has to fill another spot on this rebuilt line, it’s hard to imagine it’d be able to do so adequately.

The team has already had to replace James Hurst, who retired, Andrus Peat, who left in free agency, and Ryan Ramczyk, who’ll miss the season with a knee injury. The absence of those three is why the Saints used the 14th-overall pick on Fuaga.

Fortunately, the initial reaction from the team makes it seem like the injury isn’t severe. Allen giving Fuaga a chance to play on Sunday in a preseason game is promising for his eventual regular-season availability. However, this will be a situation that Saints fans monitor closely.

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