Listen, you smell something? It's the first New Orleans Saints injury report of the 2025 season. All eyes jumped to see an update on two starters who suffered injuries in recent weeks: Alontae Taylor and Trevor Penning.
The report was thankfully short and featured only one "Did Not Participate" (DNP). However, the one DNP was starting left guard Trevor Penning, who sat out Wednesday's practice with the same toe injury he's been dealing with since the preseason opener. But head coach Kellen Moore says that he is doing everything he can to get back on the field. "Obviously, he wasn't able to practice today, and so we'll see how that transpires," Moore said to the media. "He's done a nice job."
On the bright side, Alontae Taylor, who's been dealing with a groin injury since early August, was able to return in a limited capacity. As the Saints enter Week 1, they'll need to get Taylor back to maximize what the defense can truly be..
The New Orleans Saints get their STAR back
Taylor expects his role in Brandon Staley's defense to be critical. "I'm going to help the defense out in many ways," Taylor said to the media. "I kind of get the feeling I had going into my senior year at Tennessee when we had Coach (Tim) Banks and coach (Willie) Martinez come in, with the freedom that I have to kind of move around and just kind of play my game."
Those comments should get Saints fans excited, because his senior year was his best at Tennessee, gathering 41 tackles, six passes defended, and two interceptions. In his three years in the black and gold, Taylor has gathered 210 tackles, 41 passes defended, five sacks, and two interceptions. Stepping into the STAR role with Staley should only allow him to remain versatile with his impact on the game.
In his third season in the National Football League last year, Taylor really took off, leading the league in sacks through the first three weeks. However, once Marshon Lattimore was traded and Paulson Adebo was injured, Taylor had to once again go back to the outside. Going back and forth between positions has been an unfortunate constant for him. Once again having to adjust, Taylor was unable to keep up his pace from the first part of the season.