Help is on the way for a struggling New Orleans Saints offense. On Monday, head coach Kellen Moore told reporters that decisions will be made this week on three starters who have spent much of the season so far on injured reserve: rookie wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, second-year left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., and veteran running back Travis Etienne Jr.
"The I.R. guys still to be determined, again, they’ll have some work today with the training room, and then we’ll make a decision whether Wednesday’s the ideal time to bring them up and make their practice availability. And so we should know here shortly,” Moore said during his Monday press conference. "I kind of threw Jordyn, Travis, and Kelvin (together) as far as those guys are concerned."
In Tyson's
case, it had been previously reported that he could return as soon as this Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns, so he's at least expected to practice. Etienne is now eligible to come off of injured reserve but there hasn't been as much reporting on that front.
What's most surprising is the possibility that Banks could be back so soon. He suffered a high ankle sprain that required surgery back in Week 2's win over the Baltimore Ravens and was initially reported to be out indefinitely. The best-case scenario, at the time, had him returning in late December. It's possible that Moore was just mentioning the three players who can return, even if they aren't all ready, but it's encouraging to at least hear Banks mentioned in these discussions so soon. The offense has missed him. Moore added: "I think he's progressing pretty well. Again he's doing a really nice job, the training room has done a lot of work with him and I think he's in a good position to continue to build. We'll see what today looks like and make a decision on what Wednesday looks like."
Getting those three guys back (or even just one or two of them in the short term) would bring a big boost to a Saints offense that's asked the world of second-year quarterback Tyler Shough. Without a running game to support him and a poorly-coached offensive line not meeting their past standards, he's had to put on his Superman cape and throw 40 to 50 times in six of his seven games this year. Let's see if Moore can deliver once his best players are back on the field.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Kellen Moore: Decisions coming on 3 injured Saints starters this week
