By Ross Jackson
NEW ORLEANS – This is a big blow for the New Orleans Saints.
Erik McCoy, the team’s starting center exited their Week 3 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on the third play of the game with a groin injury and is now expected to undergo surgery and miss extensive time.
Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the surgery should keep McCoy out for 6-8 weeks. That includes big games against the division rival Atlanta Falcons and a big test on Monday Night Football against the Kansas City Chiefs, who of course have one of the league’s best defenders on their defensive line in Chris Jones.
On the bright side, the injury is not season ending and puts McCoy on track to return for the stretch run of the season as the team looks to get back into the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 season.
Based on the return timeline given in the initial report, McCoy’s earliest return could be in the team’s second matchup with the Falcons at home Week 10. On the late side, he could return after the team’s bye week as they host the Los Angeles Rams in early December.
The team will likely stay in-house to address this loss in the early going. Both starting guards Cesar Ruiz and Lucas Patrick have extensive experience at center and could be called upon to take over the role. The bigger concern may be who then steps in at either guard spot that ends up vacated.
Veteran offensive linemen Landon Young and Oli Udoh are clear options. But the team also has a second-year draft pick in lineman Nick Saldiveri that could step up while the Saints then pull up someone from the practice squad. It would make sense to send McCoy to Injured Reserve since he is expected to miss more than the four-week minimum he would be required to stay on the list.
This will be a major test for offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak who took the NFL world by storm in the first two weeks. Now, he will have to prove his ability to scheme and gameplan around a massive loss for the unit’s most important component: the run game.
