By Ross Jackson
Injuries have already been a concern for the New Orleans Saints early this season, and at key positions at that. The team has been without its starting defensive tackle Kahlen Saunders among others to start the year, and this week, they may be without two very important pieces against a very talented Dallas Cowboys team. But at least one of them is pushing to take the field.
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, starting cornerback Marshon Lattimore looks like he will be a true game time decision. The lockdown corner suffered a hamstring injury that sidelined him for a portion of the Saints’ Week 1 opener.
Despite insisting to local media members that he was fine, he would go on to miss the entire week of practice. Lattimore has more than enough experience in the system as well as raw talent to take the field even without practicing. Whether or not that is the best choice this early in the season is the question.
This Week 2 matchup could be a statement win for New Orleans, and they have had early conference losses curb their playoff chances late in the season. Avoiding a rehash of that likely feels worth rushing back to the field. However, Lattimore has missed substantial time in recent years and the Saints have found ways to navigate that successfully finishing with the No. 2 and No. 10 passing defenses in 2022 and 2023 respectively.
Fighting to get back on the field is a valued effort to put forth. As the Saints approach their matchups with a top-flight wideout duo CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks, having Lattimore available would be a helpful edge. However, the team did invest a second-round selection in Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, who could be called upon to start in Lattimore’s place for this week. New Orleans is in good position to handle this situation no matter which way it goes.
A second potential game time decision to watch Sunday will be starting left tackle Taliese Fuaga. Going against Dallas’ pass rush, the Saints would love to have their first-round investment protecting quarterback Derek Carr’s blindside. Fuaga has been managing a back tightness issue since training camp, was a midweek downgrade this week at practice and did not participate in the final two days. Head coach Dennis Allen did mention that they feel good about Fuaga and will see how things go before the game. He, like Lattimore, is considered “questionable” going into Sunday’s game.
